Building a Garden Room

Tobermore’s resident landscape designer, Vanessa Drew, shares six things to consider when building an outdoor room.

Building regulations

Whatever you want a garden room for, its proportions will be determined by the size of your garden – and also how much you’re willing to spend. Think about the style and appearance you’d like your garden room to have. These days, anything from a traditional wooden-clad building to an all-glass box can be achieved.

To create a truly comfortable and usable space, you’ll need to insulate your garden room and place it on solid foundations to avoid damp problems. The base can be concrete, or a raised wooden frame – which has the added benefit of helping with airflow under the building.

Of course, all of this depends on whether you’ll need planning permission or not. Thankfully, for most projects where the floor area of the building is less than 15m², building regulations won’t apply. Always check with your local planning authority.

Planning and positioning

Positioning your garden room in the right place in your garden is key. Will you be placing it in a sunny or shady place? Think carefully about the direction it faces, too. For example, a glass-fronted garden room that faces south will likely get very hot in the summer months.

You should also consider how your garden room interacts with your house. When you look out onto your garden from your home, would the garden room look attractive?

Something that’s a little boring to think about but an absolute must when planning your garden room is access for building materials and equipment. You may need to consider removing fences or walls to allow access for deliveries and machinery, for example.

Budgeting

The big question is always, “how much will it cost?”. This really depends on whether you intend to go for a bespoke design or a ready-made option. The size, types of materials used and finishes will also have a big impact on cost. A kit-build garden room will typically start at around £1,500, reaching more than £30,000 for a luxury kit option. If you want to have one built to your own specification, you should allow around £1,000 per square metre.

Power and lights

If you want your garden room to be truly usable, you’ll want to have it wired for electricity. It may not seem essential, but at the very least you’ll want some lighting for darker days and evenings. Plug sockets may come in useful if you want wi-fi internet access or simply to be able to vacuum your outdoor room. Be sure to use a qualified electrician to carry out the work.

Renewable power

A big plus for anyone interested in a garden room is the current crop of renewable power options. If you are sustainably minded – or perhaps don’t want to dig up your garden to install chunky power cables underground – you may want to consider powering your garden room from an off-grid source, such as solar panels.

You shouldn’t need planning permission to install solar panels, but if you live in a conservation area, you’ll need to double check with your local authority first.

A well-built, sturdy garden room will be able to take the weight of solar panels, but you’d be sensible to get a qualified installer to check before you make a final decision. Solar panels can be a hefty investment, so planning ahead really is key.

Paving and planting

When planning your garden room, you should also think carefully about how the building will integrate with your garden. If you simply drop a structure in with no thought to the immediate area around it, there’s a risk it could look ‘stuck on’.

A great way to successfully integrate a garden room with your house and garden is to add a path to it. A physical link like this will help to tie your garden room into its surroundings and draw the eye towards it.

To soften the structure and help to blend it with your garden, think carefully about planting and paving. A patio area outside your garden room can be a great feature and provide useful outdoor space, while further linking the building to your garden.