Quick Navigation
- What do you use a garden room for?
- The size of an ideal garden room
- Getting connected
- Decorating your new room in your garden
- Do I need permission for a garden room?
- What else do you need in a garden room?
Adding a garden room to your home can give you a great way to increase the space available and improve your quality of life but finding the ideal garden room might seem tricky.
Exactly what the ideal garden room looks like will vary from person to person as not everyone wants or needs the same things, so the first task is to decide what you want to use it for.
What do you use a garden room for?
The choice is yours! A garden room is just like any other room in your home and will work best with a defined purpose. You can use it as an office, a home yoga studio, an art studio, hobby room or just a room full of soft furnishings where you can sit and relax.
Choosing a purpose does not stop you from doing anything else in there, but it can help you make the decisions that allow you to create your ideal garden room. For example, if you want to use the garden room primarily as a home gym, you do not need to fill it with desks – being decisive at this stage will give you the best chance of having the garden room you need to make a difference in your life.
The size of an ideal garden room
Garden rooms can be built in a range of sizes and your decision on what you want to use the room for will help you to determine the best size.
Remember that the interior can be split into several smaller rooms, so you might want to account for including a kitchenette or shower room.
For the main area, consider what you will be doing. If you are going to be sitting at a desk, you’ll need less space than if you want to install multiple large pieces of exercise equipment. You may also need to consider the location of windows and doors as these will affect where any items are positioned, whether they are bookcases, desks, rowing machines, or kitchen appliances.
While you do not need to have space to waste, you do need enough space to be able to use the room comfortably. Make sure that you choose a garden room that is large enough to fit everything into and still allows you to get around.
By way of comparison, look at rooms in your own home and see how they feel. A garden room can often feel more spacious, but you will get an idea of the physical size by performing a visual comparison.
Getting connected
A garden room is an entirely separate building, but it is also another room in your home at the same time. You can connect electricity and other mains services to a permanent garden room so you can have access to lighting, heating, and even wi-fi.
If your ideal garden room is an office where you will not get disturbed, this means you can plug your computer in and get working right away. When you need a break, you can have a kitchen or bathroom installed, and as the night draws in, you will have plenty of light to see what you are doing.
If you are using the garden room as a home gym, perhaps a TV or sound system will be important, and a shower may be vital. This is why it is important to know what your intended use is, as it allows you to build the room with all the right services connected.
Decorating your new room in your Garden
Both the interior and exterior of your garden room may need decorating. The exterior can be made from several different materials and may need painting, staining, or possibly not treating at all. As for the interior, you can once again consider this to be any other room in your home.
Flooring can be installed, walls can be painted, you can add tiling, hang pictures, add ornaments and plants, and do everything else you can think of to decorate and personalise your room. If you’re using it as an office, perhaps calming colours will help you get through the day, or maybe something brighter to give you a boost of energy.
If it’s a gym, maybe you want energizing patterns on the walls or plenty of mirrors – it’s entirely up to you, but always consider what you’ll be doing in your ideal garden room and plan accordingly.
Do I need permission for a garden room?
Planning permission rules for building a garden room are relatively straightforward, but make sure to check with the local authority to be certain. In most places, you can build a free-standing structure of up to 25 square metres without the need for planning permission.
However, this applies to buildings you do not decide to live in – as long as you don’t move into your garden room, you’ll be fine, as working or exercising in a garden room does not constitute living in it. If you are in any doubt at all, contact your local planning office and find out what needs to be done before you get started – it’s much easier to obtain planning permission than it is to have to take a garden room down.
What else do you need in a garden room?
At the planning stage, it is always a good idea to try and imagine every eventuality, but there can be some things that you forget or don’t consider. As you will still be close to home, this isn’t a major problem, but the team at Loghouse are always ready to help.
Loghouse have great experience in building garden rooms of all shapes and sizes, and we’ve custom-designed them for many different uses. If you need some guidance on how to proceed with getting your ideal garden room project started, we will be happy to help.
Get in touch today and let us help you create the garden room that you’ve always wanted.
Are you working from home with a family ? Read our article 7 Ideas To Entertain Children While Working From Home for ideas on how to get through working at home during the COVID emergency !
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