Converting pergola to an enclosed room

[beachgurl]

Just exchanged on a property that has a massive pergola of very sturdy construction. Would be great to close in at least a third of it to make a second living room and a study. Can this be done and if so is it really expensive? I'd be looking at a blueboard construction and adding a few windows and a door. Guttering wouldn't be needed ( I don't think) as the pergola extends out further than the enclosure would.

Just thinks out loud whether the value add is worth the cost/effort of having the work done. I'll be doing a cosmetic Reno and selling early next year.

 

[Jake D]

Also thinking out loud:

Will enclosing the patio mean that any bedrooms no longer have windows?

 

[beachgurl]

The rooms that would back onto the enclosure are the kitchen/dining and the bathroom so would be affected by loss of an external window.

 

[beachgurl]

Can't edit- it would not be affected by lost external windows

 

[Jake D]

Sweet, the cost of moving windows put me off doing this at my old place.

 

[wylie]

The rooms that would back onto the enclosure are the kitchen/dining and the bathroom so would be affected by loss of an external window.

The loss of a window in bathroom and/or kitchen is a big turn-off.

We have a rental where the bathroom used to open to a sleep-out. That sleep-out is now a kitchen and the window was closed up. There is a fan connected to the light and also a skylight to brighten the room, but it just doesn't feel "right" to be in a bathroom without a window.

 

[Angel]

The biggest problem with converting a pergola area into an enclosed room is the foundations. Generally you don't have to have any foundations under the posts and under any slab where your walls will go. If this is the case, you might as well remove the entire structure and start again, unless you are the kind of person who doesn't bother with these things.

 

[heroine]

I have a similar issue in my PPOR...

Get a copy of the approval from your council. It will likely be code 10a (non-inhabitable). you want to convert it to inhabitable (code 1). Which means you will likely need a damp proof membrane, minimum room height, plans and certificates.

I hear different things, but most people say converting costs the same as building a new granny flat.

http://www.sheds4less.com.au/contents/en-us/d82_Australian_Building_Codes_and_Sheds.html

 

[brazen]

I have a similar issue in my PPOR...

Get a copy of the approval from your council. It will likely be code 10a (non-inhabitable). you want to convert it to inhabitable (code 1). Which means you will likely need a damp proof membrane, minimum room height, plans and certificates.

I hear different things, but most people say converting costs the same as building a new granny flat.

http://www.sheds4less.com.au/contents/en-us/d82_Australian_Building_Codes_and_Sheds.html

Yea, I agree. In many cases all you've got is:
1. A substandard slab - which isnt up to class-1a standards
2. A Frame - which isnt adequate for wind-rating and other BCA requirements.

The cost to bring the two elements up to standard is often close to doing it afresh plus you need to cut flor-drain holes etc.

Frame and slab are actually a relatively small part of the overall cost anyways.

Brazen.

 

[lizzie]

We'll be doing something similar to give our property a 3mx3.5m office/4th bedroom ... spoke to council at length as we do need to submit plans for approval as the proposed use of the area is changing.

Strangely enough - because we are rural - we can put a 200m2 shed on the property with going thru council - looking at doing that too