Garage conversions with a room above in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Edinburgh and the Lothians at a glance

Nation: Scotland
Price region: Scotland
Postcode areas: EH
Towns covered: 24 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: Planning permission is usually needed: Class 1B permitted development only applies if every part of the extension is at least 10 m from all boundaries. A building warrant is needed before work starts.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a garage conversion with a room above involves

A garage conversion with a room above is a project that turns an attached garage into living space and builds a new room on top, so you gain space on both floors in one build. It suits a single garage beside the house that is no longer used for a car. Doing both together means the walls, foundations and insulation are upgraded once.

Towns in Edinburgh and the Lothians include Edinburgh (EH1), Livingston (EH53), Musselburgh (EH15), Bathgate (EH48), Bonnyrigg (EH18) and Penicuik (EH26). If yours isn't listed, we still cover it.

Guide price in Scotland

Expect a garage conversion with a room above in Edinburgh and the Lothians to land somewhere around £29,500–£43,000 (for the room above; converting the garage itself is priced after the survey) for 3 m × 6 m of new first-floor space (18 m²). Our Scotland guide rate is £1,640–£2,400 per m², including VAT. Steelwork for wide openings is the item most likely to move the figure; we'll know once the engineer has designed it.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,510–£2,210 per m²	£27,000–£39,500
Standard	£1,640–£2,400 per m²	£29,500–£43,000
Premium	£1,970–£2,880 per m²	£35,500–£52,000

Rules in Scotland

In Scotland, building a room over a garage creates an extension of more than one storey, so Class 1B and its 10 m boundary test apply. Most attached garages need a householder application, which costs £371 and is decided within two months. The garage conversion and the room above both need a building warrant.

Approval in Scotland: Householder planning application: £371. Councils have two months to decide a local planning application.

Building standards: A building warrant from the council's building standards service before work starts, and a completion certificate at the end. Scotland uses its own Technical Handbooks.

There is no Party Wall Act in Scotland. Shared walls and boundaries are governed by title deeds and common law, so we speak to neighbours early and record the condition of shared structures.

Getting the design right

Foundations and walls

Garage footings are often shallow and the walls are a single skin of brick or block. Carrying a new first floor usually means underpinning or new foundations, and new inner walls or a steel frame. Because the garage is being converted too, this work can be designed once for both floors.

Raising and insulating the floor

Garage floors are usually lower than the house and have no insulation or damp-proof membrane. We raise the floor to meet the house level where possible, with insulation and a membrane, so the converted room is warm and dry and does not have a step down.

How we work in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Visit and first ideas
One of our team visits your house in Edinburgh and the Lothians, checks the walls, roof and drains, and sketches out options with you.
Drawings and permission
Our designers produce plans and elevations, then we take care of planning or permitted development checks with the council covering Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building warrant approval, then a written fixed price for the build.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.

Towns we cover in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Garage conversions with a room above in Edinburgh and the Lothians: questions

How much does a garage conversion with a room above cost in Edinburgh and the Lothians?

In Scotland our guide is £1,640–£2,400 per m² including VAT, so about £29,500–£43,000 (for the room above; converting the garage itself is priced after the survey) for 3 m × 6 m of new first-floor space (18 m²). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

Will losing the garage affect parking?

It can. If the garage counts towards required parking on your estate, the council may look at whether enough off-road spaces remain. Most households in practice park on the drive. We check your title and any planning conditions about the garage at the start.

Is it worth converting the garage at the same time as building above it?

Usually, yes. Building a room above often means upgrading the garage foundations and walls anyway, so converting it at the same time spreads that cost over two rooms. You also have one period of disruption, one set of drawings and one a building warrant instead of two.

Does the room above need a fire door if the garage is converted?

Once the garage becomes a habitable room, the fire separation needed between a garage and the house usually falls away. The new bedroom above still needs an escape window or a protected route to the stairs, and smoke alarms. If you keep part of the garage for storage, separation may still be needed, which we confirm with building standards.

Will I need planning permission in Edinburgh and the Lothians?

Edinburgh and the Lothians is in Scotland. Planning permission is usually needed: Class 1B permitted development only applies if every part of the extension is at least 10 m from all boundaries. A building warrant is needed before work starts.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in Edinburgh and the Lothians · About garage conversions with a room above