Anthony and his wife live near Maidstone, not far from the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Beauty. The district is characterised by rural villages, woods, meadows, and fields. When the couple moved into their new home, there was no garage on the property. So they decided to build a carriage house in their garden to shelter their vehicles from the elements. A traditional-looking carriage house best suited the aesthetics of the house and the surrounding area. The building would also be useful as an extra storage room outside of the house.
Anthony started looking at carriage house options online in February 2022. He researched seven companies in detail before requesting quotes from three, including Chart Garages. Anthony says he knew Chart Garages and their “very good reputation”, as he was local to us. Price was part of the decision process but not the deciding factor as value for money comes in many different ways. As Anthony and his wife live relatively close to our workshop, they were able to visit Chart Garages and have a look at our products in person. They were impressed with the quality of the buildings and thought we offered good value for money. Before booking the installation, Anthony had to apply for planning permission, as the carriage house would be installed less than two metres from his property’s boundary. Unusually for a Chart client Anthony hired a planning consultant to navigate the way through council forms and jargon. Nonetheless, due to planning delays at the time, it took months before he received the “go ahead.” Once planning permission was granted, the building took about two days to build. It was completed in August 2022, as planned. Anthony was “very happy” with the construction time, the materials used, and the standard of the build.
The Chart range carriage house now stands proud in the driveway, right by Anthony’s garden. It is 8.0 m x 6.1 m and it features two wide open bays to accommodate his large vehicles. The cars are sheltered from three sides, which means the only big difference between the carriage house and a garage is the lack of garage doors. Anthony chose red Onduvilla tiles as roofing material to match the look of the roofs of nearby buildings. Attached to the carriage house is an enclosed store with a double window that is 2.0 m x 6.1 m. Anthony and his wife use this as additional storage. They employed a local team to equip this room with a sink and toilet for outside use.
Anthony found the whole process “very good.” He thought the “quality of information and the speed of the responses from the team were excellent. It was a joy to deal with everyone.” Chart provided “a very clear quotation, “ he “knew exactly what (he) was getting. The carriage house looks exactly like the example I saw at Chart.” He comments: “Everything went to plan. The building was erected quickly on the agreed date. I’m very happy with the quality of it.” He has no regrets; however, he says that requesting planning permission slowed things down by months.
If you would like to build your own carriage house or explore options visit the Chart Carriage House page. As every building is unique you can tailor size, finishes and shape to your exact requirements.
