HomeGarage Conversions
Garage Conversions in Hertfordshire
A garage you park boxes in is the cheapest square metre in your house to reclaim. We have done fourteen of these in the last two years.
The cheapest room you will ever add
The walls, the roof and the floor already exist, which is why a garage conversion costs a fraction of an extension for a similar amount of usable space. What it needs is insulating properly, dealing with the floor level, and closing up the opening so it stops looking like a garage from the road.
What actually has to happen
The garage door comes out and the opening is bricked up with a window sized to match the house. The floor usually needs raising and insulating to meet Building Regulations. Walls and roof are insulated and lined, then it is plastered, wired, heated and decorated like any other room.
It should not look converted
The brickwork on the closed-up opening is the detail people notice, so it is the one we take time over. Matched brick, a proper lintel and a window in proportion with the rest of the house. Done right, nobody can tell it was ever a garage.
Garage conversions in Hertford
Hertford is where we are based, and our garage conversions here include a double garage in October 2025. The old garage door openings were built back in matching brick around new openings, toothed into the existing walls so the new brickwork bonds with the old, with the structure above held on props while it went up. Most garage conversions in Hertford do not need a planning application, but the town has several conservation areas, and on some newer estates a planning condition keeps the garage for parking. We check which applies to your house before anything is drawn up. Planning here goes to East Herts District Council.
Garage conversions in Ware
Ware is four miles from our yard, and in August 2025 we converted a garage there. The first photograph in the gallery below is that job: the garage door gone, the opening bricked up in brick that matches the house, and a new window set in line with the others. From the pavement it reads as part of the house, which is the whole point. Ware comes under East Herts District Council, the same authority as Hertford, and the same checks apply.
How much does it cost to brick up a garage door?
We do not publish a fixed price for it, because it is rarely the same job twice. Bricking up the opening is usually the first step of a conversion, and the cost depends on a handful of things we check on the visit:
- The width. A single garage door is a much smaller panel of brickwork than a double.
- What the new wall stands on. The threshold under a garage door is often just the edge of the slab, so the wall may need a proper footing first.
- Matching the brick. Finding a brick that matches the house, and toothing it into the existing walls, is what stops it looking patched.
- A window or a solid wall. A window needs a lintel and sizing so it sits in line with the rest of the house.
- The inside face. If the garage is becoming a room, the new wall has to be insulated and lined to meet Building Regulations.
What is included
- Free site visit and a written quote
- Garage door removed and the opening bricked up in matching brick
- New window, sized to suit the elevation
- Floor raised, insulated and levelled
- Walls and roof insulated and lined to Building Regulations
- Electrics, heating and lighting
- Plastering, second fix and decorating
- Building Control sign-off
Garage conversions we have done
From our own Instagram. The first two are the Ware and Hertford jobs described above; the last two are one finished conversion from November 2025.
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion?
Usually not. Converting an integral or attached garage into living space normally falls under permitted development, because you are not changing the footprint of the building. It does need Building Regulations approval, which is a different thing, and we handle that. We confirm your specific situation on the free visit.
Is a garage conversion worth it?
If you are not parking a car in it, almost always. You are paying for insulation, a floor, a window and a finish rather than for foundations, walls and a roof, so the cost per square metre of usable room is the lowest of any way of adding space.
How much does a garage conversion cost?
Less than an extension of the same size, because the shell is already there. The variables are the floor level, whether the roof needs work and what you want at the end of it. We give you a written price after a free visit.
How long does a garage conversion take?
Shorter than an extension, because there is no groundwork. We will give you a realistic timescale in the written quote before anything starts.
Can you brick up a garage door without converting the garage?
It is usually done as part of a conversion, but if you only want the opening closed, ask. It is the same brickwork either way, and we will tell you on the free visit what the new wall needs underneath it and on the inside.
Do you do garage conversions in Hertford and Ware?
Yes. They are the two towns closest to our yard. Our recent jobs include a double garage conversion in Hertford in October 2025 and a garage conversion in Ware in August 2025, and both towns come under East Herts District Council for planning.
Want a proper price for it?
Tell us roughly what you are planning and Scott will come and look. The visit, the advice and the written quote are all free.
Worth reading before you ask anyone for a price:
Garage Conversions by town:
