Guides to private underground car galleries
Everything a collector, architect or family office needs to know before building a private car gallery below ground, written from the work.
- How much does an underground garage cost?
An underground garage costs what its site, size and specification demand, so no single figure fits every house. The budget is set mainly by the number of cars, the depth and the ground, the car lift, and the planning route.
- How a drive-through residential car lift works
A drive-through residential car lift is a platform that carries a car between ground level and a basement garage. You drive forward onto it above, it lowers, and you drive forward off it below, with no turning or reversing.
- Planning permission for an underground garage in the UK
An underground car gallery almost always needs planning permission in the UK. At a country house the main tests are the Green Belt, listed buildings, conservation areas and National Landscapes. Trees, ecology, groundwater and construction traffic matter too.
- Car vaults: secure, climate-controlled storage for a collection
A car vault is a secure, climate-controlled private space built to protect a valuable collection from theft, fire, damp and damage. Built below ground at home, it can also be lit and finished as a private gallery. The cars are kept and shown in the same room.
- Air and climate in an underground car gallery
A deep car gallery has no windows and no natural draught, so every breath of fresh air must be pushed in and every breath of stale air pulled out. The air is filtered, dried and held at slightly higher pressure in the gallery, so fumes, dust and damp stay out.
- Security for a private car collection
A private car gallery is secured in layers, from the edge of the estate to the car itself, so an intruder must defeat each one and each raises the alarm before the next. The design is agreed with the client's insurer from the first sketch, and escape always takes priority over security.
- Waterproofing an underground car gallery
An underground car gallery should be waterproofed to BS 8102:2022 Grade 3, which accepts no water ingress and no damp. In practice that means two independent forms of protection, a drained cavity, pumped sumps and regular servicing.
- Building a garage under the garden
Most of a gallery under the grounds is invisible. A lawn or parkland sits on top, and the garden pavilion over the car lift is the only building you see. The ramp head and discreet vents are designed into the landscape.