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We have been chatting with Ivana & Lukas from A Room in the Garden about how they approach creating the perfect garden room for their clients, whether that be a garden office, home gym or a self-contained living annexe.
Welcome to The Garden Room Guide!
So, you are thinking of buying a garden room, and you're exploring your options - you've come to the right place. Since 2009, we have been writing about the work of a wide range of garden room companies; we also like to share our industry insight to help you make informed buying decisions. After all, a garden room is a big-ticket purchase that you will want to get right!
Latest garden room projects we've explored
Each week we look at a selection of garden room projects. The buildings we explore can range from small office pods to large multi-room annexes which can be lived in. Here are the latest garden rooms we've explored:
Garden gym suite with changing room and hot tub
Stylish garden gym suite with spacious gym room, relaxation room, covered hot tub area and a changing room by AMC Garden Rooms.
Multifunction garden gym suite
The project by Swift showcases what versatile spaces garden rooms can be. A home gym and comfortable sitting room work perfectly together in the 6m x 5m building.
Designs tailored around you
While there are certainly 'off the peg' garden room designs on the market, the vast majority of ranges allow you to have input into the layout and features of your building. This means you can tailor the design around your garden and intended use.
In the sections below, we have gathered together examples of garden rooms that were designed around a particular use - such as a home office or gym space.
We also look at examples of particular design styles - including the smallest garden rooms on the market and designs that mix a fully insulated room with discreet storage shed alongside.
Garden Offices
Creating a home office away from the distractions of the main house has always been a popular use for an outdoor room. This has only increased in the last year, as more and more people embrace a new way of working.
Garden offices come in all sizes, from micro pods, which are similar in size to a small garden shed, through to multi-room buildings that offer space for multiple workers or allow you to combine two uses under one roof.
Designers will work with you to create your ideal workspace. They can incorporate an internet connection so you can connect with the world from the end of your garden. Other features such as electrical sockets with USB charging points, and lights and heating that a smartphone can control, all can aid garden office working.
Over the years, we have built up an extensive archive of garden office projects designed and built by various companies. These articles are a taster but do, please explore the wider archive.
Garden Gyms
A home gym is a popular use for a garden room. While the majority of garden room companies offer them, there are a few specialists who really understand the nuances of garden gym design.
They can reinforce the floor structure to withstand the weight of gym equipment and enhance the wall and roof structures so you can fit resistant equipment and ceiling mounted items.
There are so many design elements you can play with to create a super home gym, such as large expanses of glazing, so you have a good view of the garden as you work out, or audiovisual equipment if that's more your thing.
For comfort, air conditioning is a popular choice when designing a garden gym so you can control the temperature, as is a shower room for freshening up after exercise.
The projects below offer a flavour of our archive of garden gym projects by different companies.
Soundproof Music Studios
If you have started exploring your options when it comes to creating a soundproof garden studio. In that case, you will have found that the acoustic specifications of garden rooms vary significantly throughout the market.
Some companies add acoustic plasterboard and market it as a soundproof studio. In contrast, other companies will work with you to tailor the specification to your specific needs. They offer options such as a decoupled structure, resilient bars and acoustic insulation and glazing. Some companies also provide the possibility of an acoustic porch.
Below are a couple of soundproof garden studios that were tailored to their owner's needs. Explore our archive of soundproof garden rooms to see many more options by different companies.
Granny Annexes
Several companies design self-contained living annexes alongside their garden rooms. Often referred to as granny annexes, families are not only buying them to create a home for older relatives. Some families are looking at the space in their garden to create a home for their older children, allowing them to live independently at home while saving money to buy a house.
The granny annexe projects we feature tend to offer a turnkey service whereby they handle the whole project from design and planning approval right through to the connection to the mains services, and obtaining Building Control sign off. Not all companies in the market offer this type of 360° service; instead, they leave aspects of the build for you to organise with another company.
We have an extensive archive of garden living annexes completed by a range of different companies. Here are a couple of our favourites, but we'd encourage you to explore the other annexe projects we have featured.
Garden Room with Shed
A garden room often occupies the spot in the garden where a shed might otherwise sit. Not wanting to lose a valuable storage area, people are choosing to incorporate a storage room within their garden room building.
There are not many standard garden room with shed designs on the market; instead, a designer will work with you, so the layout and distribution of space are tailored to your needs.
With many designs, at first glance, you'd be unaware that there was a storage area in the building. This is because designers often use a secret door, whereby cladding on the store door is carefully matched with the wall cladding so that it is almost invisible.
Below are a couple of examples of outdoor rooms with storage we have explored. To see many more examples, take a look at our archive of garden rooms with storage.
