Garage own front door

I

INYWIFNW

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Apologies if this is a straightforward query or if it has been asked previously (I couldn’t find a previous thread directly on point).

The garage on our house was converted before we bought it and is now an en-suite bedroom. I would like to give it its own front door, which would involve taking the big window out and installing a door and ideally a smaller vertical rectangular window beside the door so the room still gets some natural light.

I assume planning permission is required if I’m altering the front of the house? If this is correct, is it best to go to an architect to handle? To me, it seems like a very small job (i.e. it’s not a garage conversion, but just a change to the front of the house that will involve taking out a window and installing a door and smaller window) so would an architect have any interest in it? We are in the South Dublin County Council area if that makes any difference.

Thanks.
 
If you have a side passage could you put the door there? Might save any issues with planning if it was required - I'm usure
 
INYWIFNW said:
I assume planning permission is required if I’m altering the front of the house? If this is correct, is it best to go to an architect to handle?
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Correct. Look for a local company or engineer who are familiar with the planners in that area and what they will allow. Adding a new door may raise a concern that you are trying to create a separate dwelling unit without meeting all the criteria that will go along with that.
 
Thanks both for your replies. Good idea niceoneted re the side passage, but it’s too narrow to facilitate a door.

Leo, we would like to put in the door so that we could avail of rent a room in a self-contained attached dwelling (which I understand is permitted). There would still be a door from the main house into the en-suite bedroom, but it would remain locked, and the person(s) availing of the room would then have their own entrance. I don’t think that, in and of itself, would give rise to any planning permission requirements, but the alteration of the front of the house clearly would.

If anyone has any recommendations of a suitable planning/engineering professional to deal with such matters in the general Dublin south area, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
 
INYWIFNW said:
Leo, we would like to put in the door so that we could avail of rent a room in a self-contained attached dwelling (which I understand is permitted).
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While self-contained units are permitted under the rent-a-room scheme, such units requires planning permission. The problem you will run into is that in all cases I have seen over recent years, permission will only be granted where you can demonstrate a need to house a family member, and renting the unit out will be explicitly forbidden.
 
Thanks Leo. Just to be clear, the garage was converted years ago, before we bought the house, and all of the appropriate planning permissions are in order. Literally nothing is being built here - it is just putting in a door. We are not building a self-contained unit or anything like that. Do you think that makes any difference to the analysis?
 
INYWIFNW said:
We are not building a self-contained unit or anything like that.
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Planning requirements are a lot broader than just building new things. You described the alterations yourself as creating a self-contained unit, just because you are not erecting any new walls does not mean this does not require planning. You are also changing a window to a door, that requires planning.

Two front doors on a property that is not intended to be split into two units would be highly unusual, and treated accordingly by the planners.
 
Just as an aside on the "own door" rent a room arrangement, my understanding is that this is permitted from a Revenue pov but the RTB may view the occupants as tenants and not licensees and therefore you will be governed by the RTA and all that entails!!
My understanding is if your rent a room occupants have to use the main door to access their room, then they would be seen as licensees, a completely different kettle of fish and outside the RTA and nothing to do with the RTB.
 
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