Garden offices

[OneArepa]

We’ve been trying to find a new property for a few months but haven’t yet had much luck. Sticking it out for the next couple of months to see what happens in the January uptick, but otherwise we’ll stay put and go again around summer 2024.

We ‘need’ another study - both permanently wfh now and a bit too on top of each other sharing. If we stay put for now, I really want an interim measure. Theoretically I could sit at the kitchen table but I don’t like mixing work and family spaces that much (and we are lucky to be able to hopefully avoid that), plus obviously it’s an issue when the kids are around occasionally while I’m working.

We can’t extend the house any more but theoretically could annexe the back of the garage and do a basic fit out (subject to regs etc) as habitable space. This would be a size that could easily convert to a shower room if anyone so chose in future (currently one family bathroom plus downstairs WC for four bedrooms).

The more cost-effective alternative may be replacing the garden shed (which we could live without) with a 2x2m garden office. Looking at some options from Dunster House in particular.

Elecs and connectivity we know is all doable. Concrete base is already there for the shed. DH and his dad would do the build. Also accept I’d need to come indoors in the height of summer, which is fine as temporary. Costs of the actual structure right now (January prices) mean we’d be happy to absorb it.

Thoughts and experiences would be very welcome.

Haha, this is timely - we are starting a big dunster house garden building today. Happy to give you updates as we go if they are helpful!

It was under the 6 week lead time they advertise and the panels have been in store while we got permission (needed because our house is listed). They recommend a concrete base rather than screws, and we are spending a bit on cable networking, insulation and other upgrades as we figure it's important to get right at this stage. Use will be as a combination garden office and safe base for our young children.

Ask any questions you like really - dunster house have been good with advice and guidance so far.

Have a look at Booth’s Garden Studios.

www.boothsgardenstudios.co.uk

We’ve just had a gym built by them & the quality is fantastic. Fully insulated, air con to heat & cool & 25 years maintenance free. Great company to work with & the process has been stress free.

Interesting, we’re thinking of doing this. Can I ask the cost of one of these building? Thanks.

My husband built a garden room at the bottom of our garden for me to work in and for additional living space as the children grow up. It was such a brilliant investment and has really served it's purpose (not least when I could escape to watch a programme alone when I'd had my fill of family over Christmas)
Good luck!

Have you looked at garden pods instead? Could be used as a summer house or house guests - so multi functional

We have a big garden and are constrained on changes to a old house so have gone big - 7.5 x 3.5m.

Cost for the kit was £13,000 and we will have spent c.£22,000 when is finished. We are having our builder construct as we want to get right and that includes drainage and pumping for a bathroom, electrics and everything to make it usable basically as an extension separate from the house. I imagine a smaller building would be a bit less but not much as it is all getting the cement mixer on site and so on.

We were surprised how focused they are on home construction. The kit instructions are all written as though for a reasonably confident home diy-er, so if you have reasonable skills in this area it would be worth a go.

In pretty much exactly the sane situation, we got a Skypod. It's been life changing.

2x2 metres sounds really small and claustrophobic, I'd go bigger.

I love my garden office. It has big windows so I can see the birds at all the feeders I've put up. It's super insulated, cool in the summer and I have a log burner for the winter.

I have a 2..5m x 3m office. This one alex

so it’s a log cabin rather than a proper garden office so was cheaper. It has thicker walls and insulation in the roof and floor. I was worried it might be a bit cold in winter but I’ve managed to work all through the winter in it. I have an oil filled radiator in there on a smart plug so I can turn it on before I head down the garden.

i seem to have crammed loads of stuff in there, have my desk and chair (I got a wide but shallow desk), a small bookcase, a big two seater sofa and a turbo trainer with a bike attached.

i worked in it in the summer it’s the door hooked back and the blinds down. It faces south west and the sun pouring through the glass in the afternoon in the summer is a bit much so definitely think about position if you have a choice. I think having windows facing east to get the morning sun and help it warm up would have been better.

I have a 2..5m x 3m office. This one alex

so it’s a log cabin rather than a proper garden office so was cheaper. It has thicker walls and insulation in the roof and floor. I was worried it might be a bit cold in winter but I’ve managed to work all through the winter in it. I have an oil filled radiator in there on a smart plug so I can turn it on before I head down the garden.

i seem to have crammed loads of stuff in there, have my desk and chair (I got a wide but shallow desk), a small bookcase, a big two seater sofa and a turbo trainer with a bike attached.

i worked in it in the summer it’s the door hooked back and the blinds down. It faces south west and the sun pouring through the glass in the afternoon in the summer is a bit much so definitely think about position if you have a choice. I think having windows facing east to get the morning sun and help it warm up would have been better.

I have a 2m 2.5m office, or maybe its3mx2.5m.

Sorry, I kept getting an error message when I tried to post saying the server was down.

@CoffeeBoy that’s very nice looking, too.

Thanks, all - very encouraging. I need to have a positive plan if we can’t or don’t end up moving now (although DH has been looking over my shoulder and asking why we’re now bothering to try to move. Less helpful. We know we have to at some point in the next few years for schools).

@Paq Currently there are two of us physically comfortable in not much more than that, including desks and one wardrobe so it can be done! Really don’t want to take much more of the garden, although the idea of a sofa and/or the bike would be lovely.

@Allsnotwell Which type are you referring to specifically? Might be on the same page.

@JennyForeigner Best of luck! Would love updates if you can.

@minesanespresso sounds fab, enjoy. Booths have come up when I’ve looked previously so will have another look.

What do people find the most cost-efficient way of heating in colder months? Oil filled on smart plugs as per CoffeeBoy or something else? We have air con in the house but not sure how doable it’d be for this.

We have air con unit which keeps it at a constant temperature & runs constantly. We were told about 30p per day to run at current prices. It’s very effective.

I built a 2.4m x 6m back in 2018 (I must have been psychic) , I used SIPs panels for the structure and cedar clad it. I also already had a concrete base. I hired a couple of guys to put it up for me. It cost me the best part if £12k all in including electrics, flooring, labour etc.

I used a company called supersips for the kit, silva timber for the clad. A Firestone EPDM kit for the roof, and euramax for the sliding doors and windows. I did consider Dunster but I wanted better insulation so it could be used year round.

I have a 3kw electric heater that keeps it really warm (although wish I'd gone slightly thicker sips panels for the floor, I did raise it off the concrete slab with paving slabs but there's still a bit of cold bridging) Another issue I have is that my very latge patio doors on it face WSW so by about 2 or 3pm it gets very hot in the office in summer if I've had them closed. I think this could be overcome with an external canopy though.

Please feel free to ask any questions :)

How’s it going?

We recently built an office 2.5 x 5m with ground screws. I used this site: www.diysheds.co.uk/ to design it but upped the insulation to 100/120mm Kingspan so it doesn't get that cold or warm. A local carpenter built it over 2 weeks and altogether, with electrics, Thermowood cladding, flooring, double glazing (I managed to pick up a cancelled order of amazing windows for a fraction of the retail and designed around these in part), rubber roof etc. it came in at around 12K. Absolutely worth building and clever to use your existing base.