To build a garden room?

[Willowthewispy]

I am looking for advice on a garden room please. We are thinking about getting a 5m x 3m garden room built to use as a office and laundry room. We both work from home and this option would obviously open up more space for us. I have had rough quotes of £20/£30K for everything to be done.

Is this a good idea?
Am I mad to spend this amount in the current climate?
Could we do it cheaper?
All advice welcome really.

We did this but a family room, we love it and haven't looked back!

I would say read everything you can on the green aspects so that it enhances and improves your property. I would call most conservatories a carbuncle that are neither pleasing to the eye or useful.

The office idea is great but I'd imagine the additional plumbing and electricity is going to add up. Are you going to have a washer and dryer in there? Are you going to want to go outside to do laundry in the depths of winter? Is it going to be close to the house or at the bottom of the garden?

Thanks @Flowersintheattic57 the ones we have looked at are driven towards environmentally friendly.

Aww fantastic @Champsandbubbles that's great to read. We were thinking when we retire it would do as a family room.

Thanks @HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime the quote given includes all electricity, plumbing, internet etc. Yeah it would be to put a washing machine and tumble dryer into it. It wouldn't be that far away from the house and the quote includes all insulation,heating etc so it's a actual room that's usable all year round.

Is the washer and dryer area in a seperate room to your office space?

If not, please consider noise from the machines and and maybe a lot of dust/fibres from general use.

Will you also be sorting, folding and hanging clothes in there? I often do so in my kitchen, but it makes it very dusty.

Consider your office storage, open shelving will need cleaning more than closed cabinets.

Good planning now will make all the difference when you come to use it.

@BlankTimes thanks so much. I hadn't thought about any of that. Two separate rooms and definitely closed cupboards are now on my list 😁

On one hand, I don't think you're being unreasonable because you have an actual plan with the space that involves making your home more conducive to remote work, which is mostly the way of the future. With regards to the current economic climate, I myself am debating whether or not this quantum-inflation will taper off as the supply chain slowly correct itself post-COVID/Ukraine (whenever that happens), or whether it will continue indefinitely. If it's the latter, which I suspect, better now than later.

I also echo what others have said.

• Dust and noise are a consideration, most of which can be eliminated by placing the laundry components in a sound-muffling closet (sliding door maybe for space saving).


• Keep in mind if it's detached the snow shovelling on the pathway during winter, and having to walk through the cold. Definitely First World Problems, but you still need to get boots on and off etc.


• If there is any way to make it an extension to the house, I would try to do that. Not only will it increase the property value more, but you will probably save money (e.g. not having to trench, extend piping out etc.).

We had a garden room built early in the pandemic. It's been amazing. We use it loads. Best thing we've ever done to the house. We've made it multi functional, so office space, big tv and sofas etc. saying that I agree that if you could find a way of extending that would probably be better, but I'm assuming that isn't an option or you would be doing that! I think a well constructed garden room is a good selling feature, now more than ever.

Sounds lovely.

Yes, I did forget to state the obvious which is they've probably considered an extension already. Just thought it'd be nice to be able to run to the toilet between coffees and meetings, y'know ;) .

And honestly, at 15x3 with plumbing, electricity and heating, a garden room could basically be marketed as an in-law suite, which for the right buyers might be even more enticing than an extension. Could even be rented out with some basic renos if the need ever arises, without feeling like the family home is being occupied by a tenant. All depends on the individual living situation!

What you have been quoted sounds a great price considering you need a water supply in there, surprised it’s that cheap, is the garden room very close to your house?

Would you have space to include a loo? I think it would get more use if it’s self contained?

Thanks @MapleLeafMoose I could ask if we could have it close/beside the house. Not sure if thats a possibility though. I have thought about converting to a bedroom later on for when the kids/grandkids visit.

Your experience sounds really positive @CloudPop unfortunately extending isn't a possibility. Have added a sofa to my list.

@Roselilly36 thanks for your input, I haven't got a clue about how much it should cost. I am waiting on another three quotes coming in. The room will be at the bottom of my garden but it's not a big garden.

@NewMoney1000000 we are in two minds about a loo. I will pop it on my list anyway and see what they say.

I think it would definitely benefit us as our house is really small and it would be good to keep work separate. It also has future options so thats a plus. I just want to make double sure it's worth it and they are good before I hand over a lot of money.

We paid £15k for our garden room, (Ordered ours in Feb 21). I know prices have gone up since then. Ours is 4x3mtr, (no water supply or loo), but we have solar glass, it’s double skinned, insulated, data cabled, power pints, recessed spotlights. We use ours as an office, it also houses DH treadmill and chest freezer. Really pleased with ours.

@Roselilly36 £15k is a really good price. It sounds like you can fit a lot into a 4x3m. DH is thinking a 4x3m would do us.

You will probably need planning permission if you’re going to have plumbing and or toilet in it. And building regs if planning to use as a bedroom so look into all that before starting.

@Willowthewispy this is ours, built by Superior Garden Rooms, based outside Norwich, they supply to Suffolk or Norfolk, they can make any size, pricing by the sq mtr, our spec now is £1351 per sq mtr, but bear in mind that the concrete slab base and the electric supply from the house to the garden building was extra. No water in ours, that will make the cost much more I expect.

A decent garden room can add about 10% onto your property price if it's done right, so it can be well worth the investment.

You definitely need proper foundations (a lot of the wooden ones placed in gardens will simply rot from the ground up over time).

If you're adding water and electrics it's worth getting a double line (presuming the electrics are going in a trench from your house to the garden room) so if rats chew through one you can simply connect to another rather than have to dig the whole lot up again to find the break.

Also, remember that the 5x3 will be the exterior measurements. One you've had insulation and finishes such as skirting boards, that will make the interior measurements smaller, so it's best to buy furniture etc once you know what those final internal measurements are.

For example a 15sq metre exterior will become about a 13.5/13.7sq metre interior, depending on the type of set up you have. It doesn't sound like a massive difference but can mean that your sofa/whatever no longer fits.

Building a garden room sounds like a great idea, especially if you both work from home and need the extra space! As for the cost, it's understandable to have concerns, but investing in a quality build could add value to your home in the long run. Have you checked out www.scottsofthrapston.co.uk for some ideas or advice? They might have insights on cost-effective options or customizable designs that could fit your budget and needs.

Game changer for us was getting one with a 1 metre overhang at the front. Put some eyelet screws in with bamboo canes running through to hang up the laundry. We can hang the laundry out to dry 350 days a year. Helps being in a sunny corner but that shelter from the rain means you can just leave it there all day. Saves money on tumble drying (Which is bad for clothes) and means you don't have to sit in your house with clothes drying all around the place and causing condensation.

Anyway, get one with a large overhang. It also protects the windows and doors.

We used Gardenhouse24 which were good value. Based in Estonia but it's all legit. We got the Monaco twin skin cabin.

https://gardenhouse24.co.uk/compact-garden-shed-monaco28-ts-3.2x3.2m.html

Get a concrete base and EPDM rubber roof and maximum insulation. Think they can do it double size if you wish.