Frequently Asked Questions

For a non-habitable outbuilding, no building regulations are necessary. Additional info can be found via the planning portal link below: https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/43/outbuildings/2

Yes, as long as it is included on the plans. This will be zero-rated if it is a new build.

Depending on the size of the garage you want will depend on whether it falls into Permitted Development. A couple of general rules apply:

• The garage is behind the front elevation of the house
• The garage is under 4m to the ridge (top of the building),
• The garage is no more than half the area of land around the "original house" so would be covered by additions or other buildings
• The garage is no further than 2m from a boundary (any closer, limits the size of the building again).

We have a range of single-storey and room above garages, based on the best bay size to accommodate all ranges of cars (including a car the size of a Land Rover Discovery). If it is possible to use a standard design template this will save you money on design time and structural calculations. However, if you have a specific design in mind, this is not a problem our design consultants will work with you to design an oak frame garage that will both meet your needs and your plot requirements.

Garages with room above are very popular as they offer a lot of versatility. They can be used as a place to accommodate friends and family when they come and stay or they can house a workshop space or store. Aesthetically, more people are requesting roller shutter doors, and functionally car collectors and hobbyists are putting car lifts into their garages to be able to tweak at home.

This will depend on how you plan to use your garage and what amenities you wish to have in it. In most cases, drainage will need to be considered but if you want electricity or water running to the property this will need added consideration. When laying the groundwork for your garage, the ground it sits on will determine how much works are required. Also the location of the building will need to be considered for accessibility.

This will depend on the complexity of your project and the surrounding site conditions. For example, a 2 bay open garage on a clear level open site can be erected and clad in 1-2 days with an additional 2-3 days to felt, batten and tile. Whereas, a 3 bay room over garage would take around 4-5 days to erect and a similar time to felt, batten and roof. Sites with difficult access or with other buildings in close proximity may take longer. We recommend you talking this through with your design consultant during the design process.

Oak cladding is a much more durable timber than softwood. It has the advantage that no further maintenance will usually be required for anywhere between 25–100 years. Typically, oak will have a service life in excess of 2-3 times longer than treated softwood.

Yes, all your oak is sourced from mills in France and Germany and comes from managed forests. 

We buy all our oak direct from French or German sawmills. The oak is sourced from single species forests which are cropped on a rotating cycle. The competition between the trees to reach the sunlight results in the trees having very long straight trunks compared to those grown in mixed deciduous woodland.

We will request that a skip is provided for all building rubbish. However, if this is not the case, we will leave all waste/surplus material in a neat pile for the client to use/dispose of as they see fit.

Permitted development rights apply in England under the snappily named Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. This is a statutory document which grants automatic planning permission for certain types of development.

There are lots of different categories but the phrase ‘permitted development’ is often used to refer to Schedule 2 Part 1, which relates to “development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse”, i.e. extensions and changes to existing domestic houses.