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Original poster

Would you buy a house with an 'annex' in the garden?

136 replies

Dailyhandtowelwash · 01/02/2021 17:02

We have a four bedroom house but one bedroom is really small. We've been looking at options and decided to move, but looking at the market we'll be paying moving costs and stamp duty etc for just a slightly larger fourth bedroom, and probably have to do work to the rest of the house to get it the way we'd like.

We've got a big enough garden to have a garden room at a little distance from the house, and had been thinking of one but we are OK for living space. I've found a company that for less than it would cost us to move does fully liveable garden rooms, including sorting out the planning for you. It would be ideal for us with a child about to go to university so very happy to have a space to chill with their own bathroom.

But would you buy a house with this as a 'fifth bedroom'? Or would it put you off?

OP posts:
foxhat · 01/02/2021 17:34

Not personally though but if I had a business and wanted to work from home but away from the house, yes. It will add value for some but not for others. Maybe that's OK if you're going to stay there a while and it works for you though?

Labobo · 01/02/2021 17:35

Definitely. It would be a home office for me, especially if it came with proper plumbing and a kitchen area. I'd prefer an annexe to an extra bedroom. Much more flexible for guests, adult offspring, home office etc.

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 01/02/2021 17:37

Absolutely. It would be a massive selling point surely? Airbnb, Granny annexe, man/woman cave, office... If a future owner wanted the bathroom could be converted to a toilet & kitchenette if it was a work room.

Trumplosttheelection · 01/02/2021 17:37

A loo accessible direct from in the garden is useful for lots of people. You will have to be careful re planning etc however.

Newt432 · 01/02/2021 17:40

FYI as long as it meets building regs you’ll be fine. If it has a kitchen set up you’ll have issues - with planning and council tax etc.
A bathroom would be fine
A small area to have a kettle set up would be fine but putting in cooking facilities would cause issues.

It’s a great addition when looking at properties to buy.

LIZS · 01/02/2021 17:41

You wouldn't be able to use it commercially (ie air bnb) , pp likely to be for ancillary use to main house only and a kitchen would raise eyebrows as to that intent. It probably would not add value but night appeal to those wanting gym, home office or studio space

silverbubbles · 01/02/2021 17:44

Get a shepherds hut you won't need planning for that and then you can sell it or if you move or take it with you.

If you build something permanent with a kitchen then you will, of course, have to pay council tax.

PeterPandemic · 01/02/2021 17:47

My neighbour has one, has electricity but no plumbing. She calls it her DH's wendy house Grin

Arobase · 01/02/2021 17:50

One of my fantasy wishlist things is a property with a garden room/annexe. I wouldn't in fact use it as a bedroom, but as an office/snug/library just for me. If it has at least a loo and basin, plus space for a small fridge, microwave and kettle, so much the better. If I'm in total fantasy mode, it also has a log burner and a stream running past Smile.

So yes, if I was looking and had the money, this would be a definite plus.

scrivette · 01/02/2021 17:52

We have a building at the bottom of the garden, it's an office space, living area with tv and toys, is ready to have a bathroom fitted and has the washing machine there. It can also have the car in there if we tidied it up a bit.

It's SO useful, I would highly recommend it. It's good to have a space to go to get some time to yourself or separate work from home etc. I would definitely buy a house with one in.

BackforGood · 01/02/2021 17:54

I can't see how a wooden structure in the garden is going to be 'an annexe'
To me, an annexe is an area of the house with it's own entrance, and is self contained enough for your Granny or Au pair or adult child or hired help to live in (so, kitchen or kitchenette, shower or bathroom, bedroom and living space or at least a 'bedsit').
What you are describing sounds to me like a home office (which of course could be later used as a craft room or home gym or teen den or whatever, and no-one is ever going to know if guests have the occasional sleepover there.
I think if you are really talking about a bedsit / flat arrangement then you will run into all sorts of issues with planning, with council tax and so forth.

Pippinlily · 01/02/2021 17:55

Would pp really restrict Airbnb? Either way lots of possible uses & a plus as long as it’s well built & still have decent sized garden. Can you access separately (eg side access) or would you have to go through the house?
Eg this annexe is a bedroom/en-suite only with it’s own entrance & is listed as selling point/established Airbnb income potential.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/81219217#/

LubaLuca · 01/02/2021 17:56

I'd only have a use for it if it was an entire 'granny annexe', suitable for living in independently from the main house and not just for sleeping in.

Could the office space you have in the house become a usable bedroom, and the outbuilding be the office?

OchreBlue · 01/02/2021 17:56

Personally it would put me off, but my priority is the garden and I wouldn't want to pay the same or more for less garden. How much of the garden would it cut into? I also wouldn't want another room to clean, heat and maintain, especially with a large house. But I can see most people would like it so it sounds like it's a great idea and the right buyer would be happy even if it puts some people off.

Glenchase · 01/02/2021 17:58

I’d like a garden room but wouldn’t consider it to be a 5th bedroom and would still expect to pay the price for a 4 bedroom house. You need to get planning permission first - no way would my council ever approve habitable rooms in the garden, not least because the neighbours would object.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 01/02/2021 18:00

If one child is about to go to university I’m not sure you need either a bigger 4th bedroom or a garden room! Unless you really want one, I mean.

Misstabithabean · 01/02/2021 18:00

Yes, definitely. We're considering something similar! Interested to know about the company you have found OP.

GrumpyHoonMain · 01/02/2021 18:01

@Dailyhandtowelwash

We have a four bedroom house but one bedroom is really small. We've been looking at options and decided to move, but looking at the market we'll be paying moving costs and stamp duty etc for just a slightly larger fourth bedroom, and probably have to do work to the rest of the house to get it the way we'd like.

We've got a big enough garden to have a garden room at a little distance from the house, and had been thinking of one but we are OK for living space. I've found a company that for less than it would cost us to move does fully liveable garden rooms, including sorting out the planning for you. It would be ideal for us with a child about to go to university so very happy to have a space to chill with their own bathroom.

But would you buy a house with this as a 'fifth bedroom'? Or would it put you off?

No I wouldn’t consider it a bedroom and please don’t market it as a 5 bed house. Saw a few houses like this and it really put us off because it was really misleading. You can market it as an office but bear in mind that tastes vary so you want the structure easy to remove if people want to gut it & you also need to prepare for lower offers from people who view it negatively.
Dogonahottinroof · 01/02/2021 18:02

Its a shed- a glorified shed but a shed.

Wouldn't add value but wouldn't detract (assuming it looked good and still left enough garden)

Dogonahottinroof · 01/02/2021 18:03

[quote Pippinlily]Would pp really restrict Airbnb? Either way lots of possible uses & a plus as long as it’s well built & still have decent sized garden. Can you access separately (eg side access) or would you have to go through the house?
Eg this annexe is a bedroom/en-suite only with it’s own entrance & is listed as selling point/established Airbnb income potential.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/81219217#/[/quote]
Own entrance usually means 2 lots council tax

DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy · 01/02/2021 18:04

I would definitely like that. We have enough bedrooms for us (plus spare/office) but could really do with a dedicated guest space, and separate from the house would be ideal. (I don't mean that inhospitably, it's just some visitors prefer their own space). As long as it was warm and had a bathroom.

Dogonahottinroof · 01/02/2021 18:05

@WiseUpJanetWeiss

Absolutely. It would be a massive selling point surely? Airbnb, Granny annexe, man/woman cave, office... If a future owner wanted the bathroom could be converted to a toilet & kitchenette if it was a work room.
You need full planning for someone to live in your garden- even airbnb

Its wouldn't be granted here. Across the road had 5 years trying to get planning for a garden office- it has a condition of no overnight on it.

Poppingnostopping · 01/02/2021 18:05

Things I would probably do before putting a 'bedroom' in the garden: make sure you have got the most out of any loft extension (presume you have gone up in the loft already), build an extension or extend the existing extension, turn a garage into a bedroom, and if you wanted to have a garden room, why not have that as the office, as someone else said, and use the inside space as a bedroom. Bedrooms in houses are always better, unless you can do a full conversion of an outbuilding, but as everyone said, once you make it a bit too like a house it becomes liable for separate bills/council tax, I wouldn't rule it out but I'd go through all the other options first.

SendMeHome · 01/02/2021 18:07

No, I’d be concerned the in-laws would eventually try and move in there; so I wouldn’t consider it. They’re lovely; but I don’t want to live with them!

hangaround · 01/02/2021 18:07

As long as you don't market it as an extra "fifth bedroom when you sell I think that's fine.

It's really annoying to sift through or be sent houses listed as say, 4 bedrooms only for 1 of the "bedrooms" to be a random room downstairs or something. As someone else said, it's misleading.

Also keep in mind that often these things cost more than they add in value, so don't expect to make the cost back necessarily.