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Ever since the pandemic hit, garden rooms have been all the rage. Everyone, it seems, wants one. These little wooden boxes look a bit like sheds, but when you get closer, you soon see that they’re something else. The wood panelling combined with the attractive doors and flat roof makes them something entirely different.
In this post, we discuss everything you need to know about getting a garden room. Enjoy!
What Are Garden Rooms?
Well, they’re not sheds. And they’re not house extensions either. Instead, they’re fully-functional outbuildings that make it easier for you to enjoy your outdoor space.
Most garden rooms have electrics running to them. They also have concrete foundations, proper roofing materials, insulation and many of the other benefits you’d expect from a regular home. What’s more, they’re touted as an affordable alternative to a traditional conservatory, which can get a little pricey.
Garden rooms typically sit separately from the main home, usually at the bottom of the garden. They provide an entirely separate space, making it much easier to go outside, stretch, relax and enjoy nature.
During the pandemic, many people used garden rooms as home offices. This way, they could separate their work from their home life. They simply “commuted” out of the back door across their garden to their garden room office. Then they “commuted” back again in the evening to be with their family. It beats the train!
Who Needs Garden Rooms?
Garden rooms are popular among pretty much everyone, but they are particularly helpful for working couples with young children. The reason is simple: they can keep work and family life separate.
During the pandemic, there were some hilarious scenes of suited professionals on Zoom calls with their teams with children wandering around in the background. For the first time ever, many workers were reminded that their colleagues had families and a domestic life!
Garden rooms are, in many ways, the perfect tool to stop this from happening. People working remotely can simply lock the doors and prevent any children from getting in during the day.
Because they’re separate from the main house, there’s also less noise as well. Usually, there’s a good fifty feet between the garden room at the back of the house. Furthermore, many models also come with soundproofing, which is something that you’ll want if you have screaming kids.
Are Garden Rooms As Good As Extensions?
It all depends on your priorities. If you’re looking for a permanent addition to your home that will last as long as the rest of the structure, then you should choose an extension. Builders will construct it to the same standards as the rest of the building, or better, ensuring that it lasts.
Equally, if you’re looking to add bedrooms or extra reception rooms, extensions can be better. Most garden rooms are unsuitable for this function.
On the other hand, garden rooms have one distinct advantage: they provide separate space. You can also sometimes rent them out as Airbnb units if they have running water.
How Much Extra Space Do You Get?
Garden rooms typically offer the space of a large shed or more. The great thing about these constructions is that homeowners can customise them how they like. There’s virtually no limit to their size, so long as you fulfil planning requirements.
This means that you can potentially outsource half of your house to your garden room. If you use it as an office and games room, then you have more room for the other spaces in your home, such as the kitchen area, mud room and bedrooms. Some people even use their garden rooms as gyms! There’s nothing better than getting a workout in full view of the plants and wildlife outside.
What Are The Benefits?
There are several benefits of garden rooms that make them a compelling option for many homeowners. First, you can use them for pretty much whatever you want. This allows you to use the space flexibly over time. Perhaps right now you need it for work, but in the future it could become a place where you indulge in your hobbies.
Second, garden rooms afford you more time outside. Thanks to the warmth and shelter they offer, you can spend more time enjoying nature in the cooler months of the year, instead of spending all your days inside.
Lastly, you don’t generally require planning permission for them. In most cases, you can put them up, so long as they aren’t taller than allowed or right up against the boundary.
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