Case study: Garage to home-business workspace in Swinton.
A home soap-manufacturing business needed a proper workspace, with separated storage for stock and supplies. We split the garage into two purpose-built rooms via a partition wall, with a bespoke kitchen design for the work area. £14,800. Seven days on site.
Project at a glance Verified Wolsten build
- Property type
- Integral garage · Swinton
- Conversion type
- Double-room (partitioned)
- Time on site
- 7 days (fast)
- Fixed price
- £14,800 all-in
- Use
- Home business workspace + storage
- Workspace
- Bespoke kitchen design
- Power
- Dedicated consumer unit
- Built by
- Three founders on site
Why they called us.
The Swinton client was expanding their home soap-manufacturing business and had outgrown the kitchen-and-spare-room setup most early-stage home businesses end up working from. They needed two things from the garage: (1) a proper work area where they could mix, pour, label and pack at scale, and (2) dedicated storage space for raw materials and finished stock that wasn't constantly cluttering the rest of the house.
Critically, they wanted both functions in the same garage footprint -- not two separate builds. The solution: partition the garage into two purpose-built rooms and fit the work side out as a proper functional workspace with a bespoke kitchen design (counters, sink, prep area, hot plate provision) suited to soap manufacturing rather than home cooking.
We came back with a fixed written quote at £14,800, committed to a 7-day build window, and got started.
What we did.
This was a 7-day build -- one of the quickest garage conversions we've completed. The key decision that made it possible was committing to a partition-wall design from the start, which meant we could spec both rooms once and lay them out in parallel rather than treating them as two sequential projects.
The build sequence:
- Stripped the garage of old fixtures and fittings
- Installed a brand new dedicated consumer unit -- critical for a home business running heating, mixing equipment, and lighting on one circuit
- Laid floor insulation + new chipboard floor across both rooms
- Laid out the geometry and erected the partition wall that splits the space into the work area and the storage area
- Stud-work for the remaining internal walls and ceilings
- Fitted two loft hatches -- one per room -- for independent access to the loft void above each side
- First-fix electrics on both sides: lighting, switching, sockets for the soap-making equipment in the work area, simple lighting + power in the storage area
- Plasterboarded walls and ceiling, finished with laminate flooring throughout
- Bespoke kitchen design installed in the work area -- counters, sink, drainage, prep space, and the specific layout the client needed for the soap-manufacturing workflow
- Plaster, paint, second-fix electrics
- Final clean-down, Building Regs sign-off, walkthrough
The client moved their business in the same week we finished.
The whole build, in four shots.
Real photos from the actual project -- garage to home-business workspace.
Inside the garage as found. Bare floor, single open space, no power for a home business.
Partition stage. Stud wall splitting the space into work area + storage. Dedicated consumer unit going in.
Bespoke kitchen install. Counters, sink, prep + finishing surfaces designed around the soap-making workflow.
Finished workspace. Soap business running the same week we handed it over.Every detail of the Swinton build.
The full set of photos taken throughout the project.
For the discerning homeowner.
What we actually built into this two-room conversion.
Partition wall -- splitting one room into two purpose-built spaces
The partition wall was the design hinge of this project. Built as a fully-insulated stud wall with plasterboard both sides -- not just a divider but a thermal and acoustic boundary between the two rooms. Means the work area can run mixing equipment without the storage area shaking; the storage area stays at ambient temperature even if the work area is heated up for soap pouring.
Dedicated consumer unit -- home business clean power
Most home businesses outgrow their wiring eventually. By installing a brand new dedicated consumer unit for the converted garage, we gave the soap business its own circuit independent of the house -- meaning equipment can run all day without nuisance-tripping the kitchen ring main upstairs.
Bespoke kitchen design -- workflow-driven, not domestic
Standard kitchen units don't always work for a manufacturing workflow. We designed the work area kitchen around the soap-making process: prep counter for measuring and weighing, drainage near the mixing area, separate finishing/packing surface, and tall storage for raw material containers. Less "domestic kitchen", more "small production line".
Two loft hatches -- one per room
The partition wall meant each new room sat under its own portion of the loft void. We installed two loft hatches -- one per room -- so the work area can store work-related stock above it independently of the storage room's loft access. Small detail; significant in practice for someone running a business in there.
Building Regs route -- full sign-off
Habitable conversion = Building Regs required. We submitted, attended inspections, achieved full sign-off (structural, thermal, electrical, fire safety). Planning not required -- conversion fell under permitted development.
Three founders. No subcontractors.
Liam, Ryan and Paul on every job.
Liam
Led the project from survey through Building Regs sign-off. Installed the dedicated consumer unit and worked through the soap-equipment power requirements with the client at the survey.
Ryan
Time-served bricklayer. Built the partition wall structure -- the design hinge of the whole project.
Paul
Designed and built the bespoke kitchen for the work area -- around the soap-making workflow, not a domestic layout. Every cabinet, every counter cut on site.
Swinton · Salford
Swinton sits in north Salford -- a substantial residential area with a strong stock of family homes with integral garages. A lot of those garages end up being underused or storage-only, so they're prime candidates for conversion to workspace, gym, office or business space.
We're based in Westhoughton, about 25 minutes from Swinton.
Questions homeowners ask about projects like this.
Can I get a Swinton garage conversion for around £14,800?
This Swinton project came in at £14,800 fixed -- includes the partition into two rooms, full insulation, dedicated consumer unit, bespoke kitchen design for the work area, two loft hatches, electrics, finishes. Typical garage conversions on similar Swinton properties sit in the £10k-£22k range.
Can my garage be converted into two rooms?
Yes -- if there's enough floor area to make two functional spaces. A single integral garage with a partition wall gives you two rooms of roughly 7-8m² each -- enough for a workspace + storage, an office + small kitchenette, or a gym + dressing area. We always discuss the use case at the survey before quoting.
Why install a dedicated consumer unit for a home business?
Because home business equipment runs more demanding loads than typical room circuits. If your soap-making equipment, lighting and heating share the kitchen ring upstairs, you'll be nuisance-tripping the house. A dedicated consumer unit keeps your business operations independent of household power.
How long does a 2-room garage conversion take?
This Swinton project was 7 days -- fast for a partition-wall double-room build. Typical 2-room garage conversions run 2-3 weeks. Faster timelines are possible when the layout is committed early and we can spec both rooms in parallel.
Do I need planning permission for a Swinton garage conversion?
Rarely. Most Swinton garage conversions fall under permitted development. Exceptions: listed buildings, conservation areas, or properties under an Article 4 direction. We'll flag any planning requirement at the free survey.
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