Best way to buy garage bordering my property?
First planning-wise/legally, how easy is it to take a concrete garage wall with a window facing into my garden, and convert it into a door so I have immediate access? I don't live in a conservation area. Any ideas about price - the window is there, but it would be knocked out of course; the whole it would leave cut out of the concrete is about 3 feet by 2 and would need to be extended to 6 feet by 3. The final question is more intricate. The owner of the garage has told me he's going to ask his accountant about the garage: its price and the best method of selling it namely. So far, I'm the only person who has lodged an interest (as I contacted him directly). I really don't want it to go to public bidding, as there's a reasonable chance that a Mr Megabucks from across town will fancy it for his yacht. How do I go about securing it? As his accountant is involved, is it unlikely that I can offer him £20k in a briefcase for it?! Also, once I know the market price, what should I offer?
Renting & Real Estate - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Steve, right now there are not too many homeowners doing improvements on the home due to the high rate market we are in. So keep that in mind when getting quotes. Contractors are generally Self Employed and do NOT make money unless they have jobs. With the economy and cost of living at its current state, I am sure as long as you shop, you can get a great quote. Just make sure they know you are getting quotes...dont forget to check licensing via www.boa.gov
Answer 2 :
Firstly you need to get a surveyor to check it out and make sure it is worth spending your hard earned dosh on! Then you need to have a solicitor draft a letter of interest in the property. That way you have your foot in the door. Then, you need to go to the council planning offices and enquire about planning permission for this property, has someone ever put plans in in the past to do what you are wanting to do? You will also need to retain the services of an architect to draw up plans for you to submit to the council. It's a bit daunting I know, but there are lots of websites that will help you, and your local library is a goldmine of information!
Answer 3 :
Steve, I'll take your questions in reverse order. 1. Heaven knows why he thinks his accountant will know how much he should ask for his garage. He would do better to ask an estate agent/valuer who knows how much a garage is worth in your neck of the woods (a fortune if you are in SW1 or some other crowded urban/suburban area where parking is at a premium, but otherwise not much more than the value of the land it stands on, if it's just a sectional concrete building). You would do well to take such advice yourself, so you don't offer too much. Sit tight and see what happens - he wants to be sure that he doesn't sell too cheaply, and you will just have to wait until he has reassured himself. If next door is his "only or main residence" and he hasn't got a huge garden, he won't have any tax problems - the only applicable tax is Capital Gains Tax, and that doesn't apply to a person's only or main residence or bits of its grounds/outbuildings, unless the grounds are more than an acre or so. So, no point in the suitcase full of cash. Don't worry about yachts, either - a boat would have to be wheeled in on a trailer, and most garages, even if long enough, don't have the internal or doorway height which a boat on a trailer needs. Your only competition will be from other nearby residents who need somewhere to park a car, so it will be a level playing field. 2. If the garage is detached, it will count as a garden buiding and will probably be exempt from local council control. Check with the Building Inspector by all means, but he will probably tell you that putting a courtesy door to open on your garden doesn't involve building control. As to practicalities, it's easy with a sectional garage - I have done the same myself. Bash out the concrete panel(s) between two of the uprights, and fit an external door. It's a handyman job, rather than one for a builder. The hardest bit - and it isn't very hard - is attaching a doorframe to carry the hinges on one side and the lockplate on the other. Good luck.
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