Age and type of house
The ceiling between a coach-house flat and the garage below was not opened. What separation in that ceiling is unknown?
The separation in the ceiling between the coach-house flat and the garage below is unknown. That ceiling was not opened, so the survey has not seen the joists, any lining, or whatever divides the garage from the home above. The build-up is what is unknown. The inspection recorded that it stayed closed. It has not assumed the separation is missing, and it has not assumed it meets a standard. An unopened ceiling is not a proved floor.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A flat over a garage depends on that ceiling for more than plaster. It is the division between where a vehicle is kept and the rooms above. Without an opening, the structure and any special lining are both unseen. The survey did not lift boards from above or cut the ceiling from below. Approved Document A is structural guidance for building work. This visit did not use it to certify the floor, and it did not assess how the two spaces are divided. The hidden build-up remains the gap.
Ask the solicitor for any completion or warranty paper that describes the floor between garage and flat. If you need the build-up known, that means opening up, not guessing from this report. Do not tell a lender the ceiling is a proved separation. The survey has not seen it, and it has not condemned the floor either. It has left the separation uninspected.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the ceiling between the flat and the garage left unopened?
- Is the separation in that ceiling therefore unknown?
- Has the survey avoided both approving and condemning the build-up?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the garage-to-flat separation as unseen.
- Ask the solicitor for any paper that describes that floor.
- Do not tell a lender the ceiling was proved as a separation.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the ceiling looks newly skimmed, is the separation known?
No. Skim is a finish. It does not show joists or linings, and this ceiling was not opened. The separation between the coach-house flat and the garage remains unknown. Decoration can be sound while the build-up is anything at all. The survey has not certified it.
Does a fire door to the garage answer the ceiling question?
No. A door, if there is one, is in a wall or a screen at the garage. It is not the ceiling between the flat and the garage below. That ceiling was not opened. The survey has not treated a door as the missing look at the floor build-up, and the separation in the ceiling is still unknown.