Case study: New Forest Garage Conversion

 

Our client moved to a new property in the New Forest and was keen to find a space to install a golf simulator. We made a site visit to meet with the client and reviewed a number of potential areas - but as is often the case with UK properties, most of the rooms in the main house lacked the necessary ceiling height.

We did, however, identify a two-storey double garage that was currently used as a storage facility. The 2.4m ceiling height in the main garage space would necessitate removing the ceiling and a complete redesign of the building. We engaged a structural engineer to provide a plan to remove the second floor of the building, creating a room with 4m of ceiling clearance.

The client was keen to ensure the space could be used by the whole family, so we conceived a mezzanine level with a kids play area, with a glass balustrade and a television in the bulkhead of the building. We specified an eight-channel speaker system with a touch screen control panel allowing for three separate inputs (golf, TV/cinema and an external music platform).

After receiving approval of the plans, we helped the client run a tender process to appoint a local contractor who completed the structural work over a six-week period. Installation of the simulator and AV functions took a further five days, creating an unused outbuilding into a fun multi-media centre for the whole family.