Anthony and his wife live near Maidstone, not far from the Kent Downs National Landscape. 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. They decided to build a car barn in their garden to shelter their vehicles from the weather and provide useful extra storage.
The traditional design suited their home and its rural surroundings, while two wide open bays provided enough room for their large vehicles.
Below, we follow the project from Anthony’s initial research through to the installation and his final feedback.
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.
Although some companies quoted less, Anthony chose Chart Garages after visiting our headquarters and seeing the buildings in person. He felt their quality offered good value for money.
Before booking the installation, Anthony had to apply for planning permission, as the carriage house would be erected less than two metres from his property’s boundary.
The jargon on the planning forms was complicated and the process was not simple, so he hired a planning consultant. Nevertheless, 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 six metres and 10 centimetres by eight 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 car barn and a garage is the lack of garage doors. It looks gorgeous. 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 six metres and 10 centimetres by two metres. 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,“ so 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 need planning permission, allow plenty of time before arranging the installation.
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.
