Has anyone ever converted their garage (or in the cellar) into a photography studio?

GatoAzul1968

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Has anyone ever converted their garage (or in the cellar) into a photography studio or into an office?

If so, how much does it cost you?
 
It would depend on how basic or fancy you wanted it surely? May just cost the price of a skip to empty all the clutter out first, then a bucket of pain, and maybe some laminate flooring?
 
I remember seeing someone on here did one a year or 2 back. Might be worth a search as I remember there was quite a few images from the thread.
 
Both too low for a studio. Office, fine, but a studio needs a high ceiling. Preferably a very high one.
 
Cagey75 said:
It would depend on how basic or fancy you wanted it surely? May just cost the price of a skip to empty all the clutter out first, then a bucket of pain, and maybe some laminate flooring?
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It would take several buckets of pain, and much swearing to clear my garage out:LOL:
 
Did our cellar out about 10 years ago
Did it myself, a neighbour had there's done professionally , it cost them about £4000

Although it makes a great chilling place, I would have thought the lack of natural light could be a problem

As someone else stated they don't tend to have high cielings
If your not competent doing it yourself, then it would prob be expensive

Chris
 
It never comes up in my mind to convert our garage into a studio. It's my brother's room actually was my first option since it has higher ceilings and much wider space compared to mine.
 
Thank you everyone for the input. I am currently living in a flat in Portsmouth. I am planning to move up the north, and that's why I was asking about garage Office would be the better option unless there is high ceiling :)
 
I know its not the room or garage you asked about but i remember reading on here a few weeks back about an outside shed/workshop somebody was making into a studio. Was very well done and an interesting read. Possibly an option if you have garden spacewhen you move?

Gareth
 
Thats not the one i read, i'll take a look now pal and report back :)

Gareth
 
London Headshots said:
This is giving a bit of a database error at the moment, but when it's back up, it's an excellent insight into building a decent studio:

http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Low ceilings are incredibly irritating. You think you'll be able to put up with it, but it's an absolute nightmare if you ever intend on being creative in any way.
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Great link - very, very interesting read.

Agreed on the low ceiling; our studio at work is about 7.5ft so aside from giving very little room to get lights over the top of the subject, there's a shedload of light bouncing around, contributing to exposure, even when it's just the light at the rear (on the background) that are firing.
 
I have a 28'x16' garage I am converting into part office part studio. Its tucked aay at the bottom of my garden. Made of single skin concrete blocks with sloping roof from 13' at the front down to 11' at the back.

I am drawing up plans to replace the flat sloping roof for a "cathedral" style roof to give me a rise internally to (hopefully) 18' to offer height for both lighting and a bigger feel. The wall heights will be levelled.

Will be removing the up and over garage door fot "French doors" and sidelights.

Hopefully the building control people will allow it and not force me down the formal planning route

Long term I would like to put in some roof windows for extra ventilation and more natural light.

it will be my sanctuary as well.

It may be possible to perhaps recover some of the investment by renting the space out - have some good quality lights and backdrops too.

(members thoughts would be of interest)

As I live in a rural location, my nearest neighbours will not be affected physically or visually. Luckilly I have secure parking space for 4-6 vehicles too.

Clearance of the garage has been impeded due to my breaking my leg early in November but my son and I started last week. Will be selling some of the stuff on to fund extras but furniture etc will go on Freecycle.

With all the right permissiond am hoping to be able to commence work at the end of April.

Fingers crossed!
 
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You will need to do an awful lot of work to turn that garage into a legal living/working space as it will have to meet modern building regs. I would also expect you to get pushed down the planning route. Good luck though sounds like an interesting project.
 
If you're looking for 18' height internally you are pretty much certain to need planning. Permitted development doesn't generally cover anything over 4m ridge height, even if more than 2m from a boundary.
 
Hi guys

Thanks for your interest.

I have spoken to the Building Control people at the local authority and one of their guys is coming in to look at the plot.

The initial response was that as it is not a residential development then building regs will be limited (Part P will in respect of electrics and I will meet any Part L issues as I intend to insulate the space to better than requirements. If I want to "hire out" studio time then I will need to follow Part M guidelines in respect of access under the old DDA requirements (now subsumed in The Equality Act 2010). Again not an issue as the current 8' opening garage door will have a 5' wide double door arrangement. The material performance/efficiency standards will need to be met too.

The government are reviewing many of the standards & building reg and this os going on now.

Start point is www.planningportal.gov.uk

I have a range of budgets in mind including refurbishment costs, comfort fit out and the studio equipment itself so I can stage the spend.

Was aware of height issues (completed a 45 m2 extention to the house with cathedral ceiling 5m high last year). That did require full planning permission.

In the end I need an efficient flexible workspace to run my environmental consultancy business and a decent hobby space.

I do not foresee local opposition due to a reasonably sparcely inhabited area and so if I have to go down the planning application route then so be it. My logic is that a decent/flexiblr piece of conversion will yield overall value to my property. As I don't foresee me moving I will have only extended my daily commute from 5m to about 70m...

Again thanks for your very relevent comments.

Will relay any comments I get from the building control people. Likely to be appropriate to those with detatched garages but integral to the house garages will be a different matter I am sure.

H
 
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