Garden Office: Everything You Need To Know

A garden office is a little slice of tranquillity just far enough away from home. It’s perfect for providing the peace and quiet you need to get some work done. When you’re working hard you don’t have time to read the tons of information that’s out there about garden offices. That’s why we’ve compiled our top garden office articles into this handy guide. Presenting for you: “Garden Rooms: Everything You Need To Know.”

What type of building is best for a garden office?

Before you do anything else, you’ll have to decide which sort of garden building you’re looking for. Think about your budget, how comfortable you want to be, and how often you want to use your garden office. 

If you’re on a tight budget but don’t mind wrapping up warmly, a shed can make a basic garden office. You may not use it in winter, but if a quiet space is your priority, it can be done. 

If you have a larger budget, a summerhouse might be the perfect building for your garden office. As with a shed, you’ll have to consider comfort, but a summerhouse easily lends itself to lining and insulation. This keeps you and your building warm on cooler days and cool on warmer days. 

If you’re looking for a garden office that’s as structurally sound as a brick or concrete building, go for a 5-tier, fully lined and insulated garden room. The double-glazed doors and windows ensure that heat stays within the building, as well as looking seriously swish. 

What kind of base do I need?

We can’t stress this enough – whichever type of building you choose for your garden office project, you’ll need a good solid base. 

The most trusted option for a shed or summerhouse is a slabbed base with a gravel border. The slabs ensure that your building stays just as square as when our experts installed it, and the gravel border acts as a soakaway for any rain which might otherwise splash back onto your building. 

If you’re installing a garden room office, our go-to base recommendation is a poured concrete plinth. Any of our accredited contractors will give you a quotation based on your individual requirements. The main things that impact the cost of a concrete base are the amount of excavation that’s needed, the access to the site and the size of the garden room.

If you’re building in a difficult-to-reach location, or if concrete isn’t your thing, ground screws may be a decent alternative. As the name suggests, these are large galvanised screws that are screwed into the ground to provide a base for your building. While it’s worth noting that not all sites are suitable for ground screws, this is an option for you to consider.

How big should my office be?

This question will depend on your individual needs, but an 8’ x 6’ building is probably the smallest workable size. To decide how much space you need, you’ll need an idea of what equipment and furniture your job requires, as well as how much space you have available in your garden.

Will I need planning permission?

When you start thinking about the size of your office, you may start wondering about planning permission. As always, you can read more about planning permission right here! The majority of garden buildings follow permitted development rules. These exist to avoid planning permission applications for smaller jobs which have less impact on your neighbours or your surrounding area. 

Will a garden office impact my taxes or business expenses?

Garden offices aren’t allowable business expenses, but you can build them as capital assets. This article explains this often confusing issue. It also breaks down what you need to know about paying business rates if you build a garden office. 

How much will a garden office cost?

Now that you’re informed, educated and ready to go, it’s time to think about your budget. This will depend on what type and size of building you choose and whether you’re adding electricity or insulation.

If you’re looking for a shed to build your empire, our shed prices are right here. If you’re looking at other suppliers, use our Shed Buyer’s Checklist to make sure you get great value for your money. 

What if you’re after a summerhouse? You can download our price list right here. We also have a Summerhouse Buyer’s Checklist you can use if you’re looking further afield. There’s even a handy guide on how to use this checklist.

Garden rooms are more complicated, as all of ours are custom projects. However, we do have a price list with examples of past projects and a more in-depth look at how much a small garden room might cost.

Where can I find out more about garden offices?

You’ve probably realised by now that we have a whole lot of useful information about everything to do with garden buildings! 
The best place to find out even more about any of the topics covered here is our Learning Centre. This compiles all our answers to the questions we hear from our customers as they navigate their garden building journey. If we’ve missed anything, give us a shout by getting in touch with your questions.