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On the hunt for garden room ideas to help maximise your home’s outdoor area? Garden rooms can add a characterful addition to your home and its surroundings whilst offering multiple uses and functions.
Perhaps you may have started working from home post-pandemic and discovered your lack of quiet space, or maybe you’re in need of another bedroom to accommodate guests and building a house extension isn’t an option.
Garden rooms can offer you this space should you need it, and help you maximise your plot in a creative and interesting way. It’ll also add to your house’s value should you ever decide to sell as they make an attractive addition to a property’s full package.
From beautiful oak frame structures to sleek contemporary studios, this hand-picked selection of garden room ideas demonstrates how a well-designed outbuilding can make the most of your space.
WT Architecture have replaced a dilapidated Victorian glass house with a timber structure that offers a secluded, clutter-free space for the homeowners to write in.
Photo: Dapple Photography
Douglas fir timbers form the frame, which are attached to the original masonry walls with steel plates. Glazing echoes the original structure and offers the feeling of being surrounded by nature.
This summerhouse by Carpenter Oak takes outbuilding luxury to the next level. Fitted with a kitchen and toilet, it’s an ideal space to socialise and entertain. The oak post and beam structure brings extra character and warmth to the design.
ByOthers Studio designed this 30m² timber frame garden office, which sits atop a timber floor structure and ground screw foundations.
Photo: Lorenzo Zandri
The stylish project features a glass pivot door and Corten steel cladding for a unique finish, with sheepswool insulation to maintain a comfortable interior throughout the seasons.
Essentially a concrete box with a blackened timber lid, this design by Eckford Chong was inspired by the cherry tree that it’s positioned beneath.
Stained larch cladding creates a subtle external appearance, while a large rooflight fills the space with natural light.
Finished in Shou Sugi Ban charred timber cladding and constructed with SIPs, SilverLeaf Garden Rooms’ Natur Noir range is customisable with your choice of slimline aluminium bifold doors, windows or timber flooring.
The open-plan interior and glazed doors make it the perfect option those looking to create a space with a strong indoor-outdoor connection that can be used for a whole host of different functions throughout the year.
CLOSER LOOK Do you need planning permission to build a garden room?Most garden rooms won’t require planning consent, as provided they’re at the rear of the property they’ll generally fall under permitted development (PD) rights. “Projects that can be achieved under PD will broadly speaking be a single-storey building with a maximum roof ridge height of 4m,” says Richard Keys, founding director of ByOthers Studio. The limits are stricter if the garden room is going to be close to a boundary. You’ll also need to consider the use of the building; anything that’s going to act as primary accommodation will require further applications, while features such as verandas don’t count as permitted development. If you’re planning to use your garden room as a primary workplace for a business then you’ll need to consult your local planning authority, too. Holding meetings, having staff come and go, and using the garden office for frequent activity that may cause disturbance through noise or excessive parking will make an impact on whether or not your garden office will receive planning consent. PD rights are restricted for listed properties and those in designated areas, such as national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. If you’re able to build your garden office under permitted development, it’ll be wise to consider a Lawful Development Certificate as this proves the work was permitted and will come in handy should you choose to sell your home. |
Clean and contemporary, the Inspiration garden room by Green Retreats is perfect for a home office. Priced at £22,195 for 4m x 3m, this includes installation, foundations, heating, lighting, insulation, glazing and more.
This modern timber outbuilding with hidden storage and an open seating area from Into the Garden Room not only houses a home office, but a bar, too, making it the perfect dual-use space for work and leisure.
This garden room serves multiple uses, working as as a pottery studio, home office and entertaining space. The bespoke timber frame structure is lined both inside and out in birchwood ply whilst the exterior has been painted black to create a design statement.
Photo: Adam Scott
Overhead glazing and a span of bifold doors ensure the interior is flooded with light all year round. This garden room was designed by Grey Griffiths Architects.
This oak frame detached garden room was designed and built by Oakwrights. The bays of the oak skeleton help divide the space into various zones, including a kitchenette, study and living area.
The vaulted ceiling provides a clean backdrop for the exposed rafters and oak trusses, making them the main focal point of this striking outbuilding.
Designed by RISE Design Studio, this timber garden room provides a quiet place to work, separate from the main house.
Photo: Jack Hobhouse
Inside, bespoke built-in plywood joinery has been incorporated to maximise every nook and cranny. The corner window makes a sleek statement to the build whilst inviting plenty of sunlight in at multiple angles, ensuring the space doesn’t ever feel dark or cramped.
This timber frame garden studio has replaced an old garden shed. Spanning the full width of the garden, the structure is finished in corrugated metal cladding that will weather beautifully over time.
Photo: Ollie Hammick
Designed by Amos Goldreich Architects and constructed by London Garden Studios, this finishing material was chosen to complement nearby workshops and other industrial buildings in the area, and makes a sophisticated addition to this garden space.
Planning permission was required for this garden studio, as the property is in a conservation area. Constructed by Parkwood Builders, the brick and block outbuilding at the end of this garden provides supplementary accommodation for when guests come to stay.
It features a green roof, which helps it blend into the rest of the garden when viewed from the upper levels of the house.
Designed as a living area and artist’s studio, this oak frame outbuilding serves as a tranquil retreat away from the main house, surrounded by long grasses and trees. Featuring clay roof tiles and redwood feather edge weatherboarding, the structure nestles beautifully into its scenic rural setting.
Floor-to-ceiling fixed windows have been positioned next to a set of glazed French doors to establish a wall of glass, with a glazed gable above for extra wow factor. This project was delivered by oak specialists Border Oak.
Designed by Fab Architects, structural insulated panels (SIPs) were chosen as the construction method for this quirky outbuilding complete with statement arched window. Due to the lightweight nature of the structure, it sits atop ground screws rather than conventional concrete foundations.
Photo: Matt Townsend
Planning permission was required for this project, but was a necessary space for the family as it now functions as a home office, rehearsal space and entertaining area.
Designed by MW Architects, this studio replaces a derelict wash house. Bricks from the original building were salvaged and reused to form the new structure, which makes up an office/reading room and a WC/shower. The project was completed under permitted development.
Photo: French + Tye
This oak frame garden building from the Oak Designs Co features a sheltered outdoor area to be enjoyed all year round. It supports a gable roof, slate tiles and larch cladding and comes with full-length double-glazed French doors for extra character.
A pool room from Redwood Stone Folly & Garden is the height of home luxury. This bespoke Gothic stone design brings a striking and heritage-style statement to this garden.
Turn your shed into an extra living space by injecting some design flair. This shed has benefited from a fresh lick of paint from the Cuprinol Garden Shades range, which is suitable for wood, terracotta, brick and stone – great for fences, too.
Able to close up or be open to the garden, this versatile aluminium pergola has automatic windproof sun screens and glass sliding doors. The design can be freestanding or fitted to existing walls.
Designed by architects Surman Weston, this home workspace is lined with birch plywood inside, while outside an innovative cork cladding creates a thermally and acoustically efficient external barrier.
Photo: Wai Ming Ng
Whether you’re after extra space for relatives who come to stay or you are looking to have a small holiday let, Shepherd Huts are a popular option for a quaint garden building.
This design from Blackdown Shepherd Huts offers a range of sizes and system options, from self-assembly to turnkey. A single shepherd’s hut shell ready for you to fit bout starts from £24,000.
This 9m² kitchen garden studio by Malvern Garden Buildings has given the homeowner a space for her volunteering work baking with injured servicemen and women.
The Studio Apex design is fully customisable, including a range of sizes, colours, windows and internal walls. Priced from £5,015.
This five-bay garden structure in Buckinghamshire created an outdoor bar, kitchen and entertainment space – a perfect finish for a remodelled garden.
Photo: Chris Wharton
The structure was designed by DP Architects and Carpenter Oak supplied the oak frame. The oak structure’s three closed sides have been finished with charming brickwork and the roof tiled. There are two chimneys (which the carpenters carefully worked around) for a BBQ and log burner.
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