A quarter of the UK’s population have worked remotely in 2022, so how do people find the space to have a personal office?

Garden offices provide you the best way to maintain your work commitments just a short walk away. 

No longer will you have to deal with the long commute and pointless chit chat at work. 

Thus, you can focus on the important tasks from the comfort of your own property.

Benefits working from home

No Commute

Time is one of the most valuable currencies, so you do not want to waste any of it on tedious tasks. You will not spend any time or money commuting to your workplace as all your work will be done right by your home.

Work Life Balance

Your family and personal life is just as important as your work. With all this new extra time not commuting, you can allocate more valuable time to spend with family and personal hobbies.

Peace and Privacy

To do your best work you need the best environment to work in to reach your potential. As the office is detached from your home, you will always have your privacy and peace of mind when you work.

Increased Productivity

A personal work space will boost your productivity as you can dedicate all your focus to your work and nothing else. More time can also be spent on important work as you will not commute and you will have less distractions in our own professional space.

Multi-purpose

Garden offices are not only a place for work, it can also be your own space to do all your hobbies in. Whether you want a gym, game room or art studio, it can all be done with a multi-purpose garden office.

Garden office uses

Home offices are not only for working from home. Many other professions need personal offices to do their jobs from home.

This includes:

• GYM and personal trainer.
• Design Studio.
• Beautician.
• Tattoo artist.
• Music studio.
• Hairdressers.

The sky’s the limit for the number of uses for garden offices. So depending on your needs, you can turn your home office into anything you imagine. 

FAQ

Can I have a multi-purpose garden office?

You can have your garden office be whatever you want it to be. 

For example, if you want a home office that is also a gym or a gaming room, then it can be done. 

Of course, there are limitations that depend on the scale and scope of your ideas, so we will do our best to make it a reality.

Is my garden suitable for a home office?

It is important to have a garden that is big enough for at least a small garden office. Compromises in your garden must be made if your garden is on the smaller side. 

However, it depends on your personal needs and wants for your home office. 

To add to that, it is also essential to have realistic expectations for what is possible with your garden and the office.

If you can make do with a small office, then we will make appropriate arrangements to make the best use of your space.

Do I need planning permission?

In most cases, planning permission for garden rooms is not needed and building building regulations will not be needed either.

But, planning permission for a garden studio is only required if:

• The height of the building exceeds 2.5m tall from ground level.
• The internal floor area is less than 30m^2

If your garden does not fall in line with these values or the building will be used for people to sleep in, then you must apply for planning permission.

Otherwise, you run the risk of not following regulations in place to protect the health and safety of the persons occupying the building.

Are garden offices hard to build?

Garden offices are not hard to build, but building a good one that suits all your needs is hard. 

This is why hiring a construction company with many years of experience building garden studios is crucial.

We will not only build to perfection but we will also customise it to all your needs. Also, you will be rest assured that all health and safety precautions are made.

How long does a Garden Office take to build?

It can take up to 1-6 months to build your garden office.

The time it takes to build a garden office varies with the scope and ideas you have for it. Each and every office is built from the ground up, so it won’t be an instant process.

It is worth the wait, nothing good in life comes quick, the same applies to garden pods.

Will a garden office add value to your property?

The extra space added by a garden office will appreciate your house value by 5-10%. 

This is a great investment not only for your personal life in saving time and other overheads like rent or petrol for work. It is also a great way to increase your property value if you sell your home in the future.

Work from home is here to stay, which means more demand for home offices in the future.

Are garden offices insulated?

Your garden office will be insulated and thermally efficient so you will be able to work all year round in UK weather. 

Electrics will also be installed to power the heater in the coldest times of the year and also all your office electronics.

Are garden offices secure?

It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your personal belongings.

Extra security systems can be installed if your space requires it. 

From double glazed windows to cctv and motion sensors, it can all be done to protect your valuables.

Can you sleep in a garden office?

You can sleep in a garden office but only if you meet certain criteria as you need the necessary planning permission.

This is in place to make sure all the health and safety regulations are followed to accommodate people in liveable spaces.

Is a garden office tax deductible?

The short answer is no, but you can claim some tax relief for the equipment in your office, such as printer, desk and chair.

The bottom line

Garden rooms are a great asset for the busy professional who needs their own space to work more productively.

Not only will a garden pod add value to your home, but it will also pay you back in the amount of work you will do from home.

Evidently, garden offices are a great solution for people working from home. The list of benefits does not end and it positively impacts your life in many ways.

Do you want to work from home in 2022. Get In Touch!

Also have a look at our garden studio page for some of our previous works.

We know the pain of getting planning permission just to build something on your own property. Not only does it cost extra money, but you also lose out on your precious time to get it approved.

Therefore, we have compiled a list of the best projects you can do without permission planning.

What is permitted development?

Before we get into the types of projects you could do without permission planning, you need to understand what permitted development is.

Permitted development allows you to do certain projects without the need for permission planning.

However, with permitted development come many requirements for the type of projects you can do. As a result, some of the projects list will have very specific requirements to not require any planning permission.

Install a garden room

A room in your garden is a great way to create extra functional space in your garden without the need for an extension. 

This extra space can be used for a home gym, game room or a work-from-home office. It is up to you to decide what you want to do with your garden room, the sky’s the limit.

However, there are a few requirements you need to follow so you do not need to apply for planning permission:

• The height of the building must be lower than 2.5m from ground level.
• The internal floor area must be less than 30m^2.
• The garden room must not be used for persons to sleep in.

Add a standard loft conversion

A loft conversion can be a solution to the extra space you need for an extra bedroom or office without breaking the bank. 

You can add a standard loft conversion to your home under PD if the loft area will be less than 40m^3. Also, with PD you can add dormer windows, but the windows cannot sit more than the highest part of the roof.

Install skylights or rooflights

You can install skylights or rooflights without planning permission if they are more than 15cm from the slope of the roof.

However, the rooflight cannot extend beyond the elevation of the roof-plane fronting a highway. Also, the rooflight is not allowed at an apartment near a protected area or a protected area of natural beauty.

Replace roof

You do not need planning permission if you want to re-roof your home, but if you plan to make drastic changes to your roof you must contact your council.

Convert a garage

If you have a garage that you do not use you can convert it to a functional space to fulfil your lifestyle needs.
You do not need to apply for planning permission to convert a garage because you are not increasing the size of your home. But, you will have to apply for a change of use under building regulations.

Dig a basement

It is possible to dig a basement for your home as it falls under PD, but engineering works for the basement are not possible under PD.

Install solar panels

You can install solar panels to your home without planning permission if you follow these requirements:

• The solar panels must not protrude more than 200mm above the plane of the wall or roof. 
• The highest part of the panel must not be higher than the highest part of the roof excluding the chimney.
• Restrictions do apply to protected areas.

This is a great way to reduce your energy bill and carbon footprint, so do not miss out on this great piece of technology for your home.

Repair, replace or add windows

In most cases you can repair and replace windows with ones of the same style without planning permission. But, if you want to add windows that are significantly different from your originals, then you need planning permission.

Additionally, if your building is not listed then you can install double-glazing as PD. But, you do need to follow building regulations for new and larger windows.

Build conservatories without planning permission

To build a conservatory without permission planning, you need to follow a few rules:

• Maximum height of 4m or 3m if the conservatory is within a 2m boundary..
• Does not cover more than half the garden.
• The roof ridge is not higher than the eaves of the property’s roof.

Conservatories are really worth it if you do not want to spend much money to increase your living space without the paperwork.

Construct an outbuilding

If you have a large plot of land to spare, then you can construct an outbuilding without planning permission if you meet the criteria: 

• The area of the building does not exceed 50% of the total area of the property (including extensions).
• Cannot sit forward of the principal elevation.
• Height restrictions: dual pitch roofs 4m, other roofs 3m.
• Single storey.
• Not for residence.

Extensions in single stories

Extensions are also possible without planning permission, but you do need to follow a few rules for single storey extensions:

• Materials should be the same or similar to the original building.
• Extension should not sit forward of the principal elevation.
• Rear extensions cannot be more than 4m in depth for a detached house, and no more than 3m for terraced or semi-detached.
• Side extensions cannot be more than half the width of the original house.

Change external cladding

To change external cladding without permission only applies to certain parts of the UK, it is best to contact council for more guidance.

Reconfigure internal floor plan

You do not have to apply for permission planning to reconfigure your internal floor plan. 

What’s even better is that you do not need to follow any criteria or guidelines.

Install a raised deck

To install a raised deck without permission planning you need to just make sure the height is below 300mm.

Elevate space with a two-storey rear extension

A two-storey rear extension without any permission planning sounds like a pipe dream, but it is certainly possible. All you need to do is make sure the extension:

• Does not exceed 3m in depth.
• Within 7m of a rear boundary.

However, certain conditions apply to glazed windows for the extension.

Build a swimming pool

To build a swimming pool without planning permission you need to make sure the size does not exceed more than 50% of the total garden area.

The summer heat can be hard to deal with sometimes, so a swimming pool can be the perfect solution to cool down.

Install heat pumps

Usually you do not need planning permission to install a heat pump, but under PD you cannot have an existing wind turbine near the property.

Convert two homes into one

Do you feel like your current house is not big enough and you do not want to move?

Then you can convert two homes into one under PD using two semi-detached houses or 2 flats.

However, it does not work the same the other way round. You need planning permission if you want to turn your one home into two.

Add a fence or a wall

To add a fence or a wall to your property without planning permission, you need to follow a set of criteria:

• Height cannot exceed 1m adjacent to the highway.
• Height cannot exceed 2m for every other position.

This is great if you want more privacy and better security, so it is definitely worth installing.

Add extra insulation

Since insulation does not affect the appearance or structure of your property, then planning permission is not required.