Garden shed office - what are people's experiences?

[Flowberry]

Like so many, we're working from home and with our second bedroom (currently the office) soon to be occupied by our 4 month old, we're looking at new space options for WFH.

Originally we looked at a conservatory, but are getting quotes of around 20k which is out of our price range, so we've got a quote to refurbish our garden shed into an office, including insulation, plasterboard, double glazing etc.

The builders have said they can roll in under floor electrical heating, or an oil filled electric radiator. Just concerned about the cost of running it with the new energy prices 😣

Would love to hear from anyone who has used a garden shed office and how they have found it.

Thank you!

My husband uses ours. We didn't do UFH. He has an electric plug in heater and I fleece / thermals. But it's very useful as he's messy and it means all his work mess can stay out of sight-ish. Two young sons love to go down there and play / bother him as we have a good size corner sofa in there, TV, additional armchair, fridge and microwave as well as desk. Much cheaper (for us) than a conservatory but we are doing one of those too at about 25k.
I'd say go for it. Wrap up extra warm in winter.

Thanks, that super helpful to know you think it's a good idea. We're hoping we can put in a conservatory in a few years once we've saved up.

Also great idea about the microwave!

We have one which was built a number of years ago.

If we were doing it again now, I would definitely do different stuff. We don’t have heating in it because it’s a wooden structure rather than a stand-alone brick building, but we use an oil-filled radiator for heat. It does get pretty hot in summer so we have an a/c unit vented outside but it’s really too noisy to use when on calls.

You do also need to make sure you don’t end up using it as a dumping ground for odds and sods and cleaning it properly on a regular basis otherwise it just turns into a dusty hellhole.

If we built it again now, I’d definitely go for a proper brick structure and spend the extra money.

Ours is about 12ft x 14ft. Not massive but enough for the size garden we have and what it's used for. It's been great for my husband hosting his mates and me getting the house to myself or with my friends. Teenagers seem to love it so I envision it being used by our boys a lot of we are still there in the next 5-10 years.
I'll see if I can find a pic that isn't too obvious.

Thanks so much, yes good point about not making it a dumping ground. we're actually thinking of putting up a smaller shed next to it for the gardening stuff and junk!

It's great to know people are getting a lot of use from them

We're about to start converting a (decrepit!) vintage caravan in our back garden for use as an office and occasional 'spare room' and will be installing solar. My worry was really that it will need heating all round in winter (not just the days I'm working in there - I work 3 days a week at present) to keep an even temperature throughout the coldest months and avoid condensation.

Our exploration into solar for the 'van will also inform whether we then go for the big expense of installing it for the house, too.

We have one. We did it ourselves so it was cheap, and use a plug in electric heater.

We're planning to start using our log cabin as an office this summer.

It has 44mm log walls and the floor and ceiling have 18mm timber plus 50mm Celotex insulation so we're hoping it'll be warm enough in all but the coldest parts of the year.

We're going to use a plug-in oil filled radiator, to start with at least, but if that ends up costing an arm and a leg we might look at an air conditioner/heat pump unit to reduce the bills. Something like this, maybe: www.nationalheatershops.co.uk/p/unico-air-8hp/

F

It depends what you mean by ‘shed’? Is it like a proper cabin?

Just had one built and only worked a week in it. The best thing I would say is that it is truly detached from the house. If I had a separate office in the house I would still hear plenty of the household noise but back at the end of my garden I hear none of that.

Not sure yet what the heights of summer and winter will be like temperature wise but clearly as much insulation as you can manage is wise and pays for itself in the long term.

We have a garden office, we have found it really efficient to heat over the winter. Ours is double skinned, insulated, we have solar glass to retain heat in winter and stop heat in the summer. We have industrial grade carpet tiles on the floor. We are really pleased with ours.

Thank you so much everyone - @Tabitha005 yes I've wondered about installing solar to help with cost.

It seems like the general consensus is that it's a good idea. Excited to get to work on the project now!

Thanks again

@Roselilly36 could you share any details on the carpet tiles? Thinking about flooring and that would obviously help insulate too.

We also went double skin, I was reading the inner and outer skin expand and contract differently due to being exposed to different temperatures. Maybe it was a scare story but got me worried when I read that it can cause cracks or warping on the outer skin. I take it you had no issues so far?

Please do a search on here about the pros and cons of a conservatory.

Unless you have a solid roof, you will not be able able to use it all year round as it will be too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

We bought an Annabel log cabin from Tuin, insulated it, paid extra for the rubber roof and heat it with a oil filled radiator. I use it as a work room for sewing and it's been more than warm enough over the winter, the radiator has never been higher than on 1. As it's 5m x 4m there is loads of room as well.

I can’t help with your questions but am pleased to have the opportunity to share that I heard the other day that we are now calling these ‘shedquarters’.

I wish people wouldnt write nonsense as fact

We have a glass roof and use our conservatory all year round. We have a small oil filled rad in there, rugs and proper living room furniture. We have some blinds for the summer time if needed.

I would never put a solid roof on our conservatory it would defeat the whole object of why we got it which was to see the lovely blue skies through the roof and see the rain pattering over it in the wet.

No issues, whatsoever. Unfortunately, I don’t know the exact name of the tiles we choose, we went to a local independent carpet store, that the office furniture shop recommended for carpet tiles and saw them in there, they fitted them for us also. The manufacturer of our garden office usually lays laminate floor, but we didn’t want laminate, due to the office chair casters and for warmth. Never regretted our choice. Good luck. It’s really exciting seeing the project take shape, from cad design, concrete pouring of the base, the build, to the finished result.

I have a log cabin garden office. So not as insulated as some but probably better than a standard shed. It’s a single skin wall but 40mm thick, so thicker than most sheds. The floor and ceiling are insulated. I have a 1.5kw oil filled radiator in there which I’ve never needed on constantly. It has a thermostat and even when its snowing the heater clicks on and off.

its 2.5x3m. I have a desk, chair, small bookcase, a sofa and a bike on a turbo trainer.

I put lino on the floor, wipe the muddy footprints away and good extra insulation.