Garage Conversions in London: Power, Lighting and Heating

Turning a garage into a home office, gym, playroom or extra bedroom is a popular way to add space in London without building outwards. Most garages were wired for little more than a light and a single socket, so the electrics usually need more work than people expect. This guide explains what to plan.

Check how the garage is supplied

An attached garage is often fed from the house consumer unit, sometimes through a thin cable or even a spur from a nearby socket. A detached garage may have its own small board fed by a cable run underground. Before planning anything new, an electrician should check that the supply cable, protection and earthing are suitable for a habitable room, not just a store.

Sockets and circuits

A room used every day needs proper socket circuits, not an extension lead from one old outlet. Home offices and gyms often need more sockets than you think, for computers, chargers, screens and equipment. Plan positions around the desk, bed or equipment before the walls are boarded.

Lighting

Garages are usually lit by a single batten or fluorescent tube. A converted room needs proper ceiling lighting, and possibly downlights if a new ceiling goes in. Our guide to lighting upgrades covers LED options.

Heating

Garages are rarely heated. Common options are extending the central heating, fitting electric panel heaters, or laying electric underfloor heating under the new floor. Electric heating needs its own circuit, sized for the load. See our guide to electric underfloor heating circuits.

Fire alarms and building control

A garage conversion into a habitable room usually needs building regulations approval. A smoke alarm in the new room, linked to the alarms in the rest of the house, is normally expected. If the garage still connects to the house through an internal door, fire separation matters too. Our guide to smoke and heat detectors explains which goes where.

Keep a socket for the car

If you might want an EV charger later, it can be worth running a suitable cable to the front of the house while walls and floors are open. Planning it now is far cheaper than chasing it in later.

Certificates and next steps

New circuits are notifiable work, so keep the Electrical Installation Certificate with the building control completion paperwork. Energy North Ltd wires garage conversions across North, East and West London with City & Guilds certified electricians. See our EICR service to have the existing garage supply checked first.