6m x 4m garden office and gym in Kent by Ark Design Build
A 6m × 4m black-clad building on a sloping Kent garden, split between a home office and a gym, with a panoramic window at desk height.
6m x 4m is one of the most popular sizes we’re asked about, and it’s easy to see why. At 24sqm it’s big enough to divide between two uses without either feeling squeezed, while still sitting comfortably in a family garden.
This project in Kent by Ark Design Build sits on exactly that footprint, shared between a home office and a gym. Ark Design Build are bespoke designers who work from each client’s brief rather than a catalogue, and the archive of their projects we’ve featured makes the point: no two are alike. Each is designed around the person using it and the garden it’s going into.
At a glance
- Size: 6m × 4m, or 24sqm, shared between two uses.
- Built for: Working from home at one end and training at the other.
- Construction: Ground screw foundations level the sloping site, with the cladding following the fall of the ground.
- Finishes: Black vertical timber and matching frames outside; plaster, laminate on the office side and rubber matting in the gym.
- Company: Ark Design Build, bespoke designers in Kent, with hardwired internet included.
A level base on sloping ground
The chosen site in the garden slopes, not an uncommon scenario, but Ark Design Build work with ground screw foundations and the team are experienced in using them, making a level base out of uneven ground without the excavation and retaining work a slope would otherwise demand.
Looking at the finished building the slope and foundation are hidden with the cladding detailed to follow the falling ground so the boards run down with the garden instead of leaving an awkward gap beneath, and a single step in front of the sliding doors bridges the change in level.
Crisp lines in black
As we’ve come to expect from Ark Design Build, the exterior detailing has been carefully handled. The roof extends beyond the front elevation to form a canopy, with exterior-grade LED downlights recessed into its underside. It sharpens the horizontal line and puts useful light over the doors.
The cladding is black vertical timber, chosen from the wide palette of durable finishes Ark Design Build work through with each client. That colour is carried across everything, with the sliding doors, window frames and trims all matching. The result is an all-black, monochrome exterior that works because nothing interrupts it, reading as one clean, dark shape against the garden planting.
A panoramic window at desk height
The three-panel sliding door fills much of the front elevation, carrying light deep into the building. In the office area, a panoramic window has been set at desk height. Sit down to work and the view is of the greens of the garden and a tree beyond, which only comes from designing around how a room will be used.
It’s an arrangement we haven’t seen for a while. A large picture pane fills most of the opening, with an opening casement at the right-hand end. You get the best of both: an uninterrupted view through the fixed glass, and easy ventilation without breaking the glazing into equal sections.
Two zones, two floor coverings
Inside, the walls and ceiling are plastered and decorated, standard on an Ark Design Build project and why their rooms feel like an extension of the home rather than an outbuilding.
The flooring is where the dual use shows. Laminate runs through the office side, rubber gym matting covers the gym area. Each zone gets the surface that suits it, and the change underfoot marks the boundary without needing a wall.
Electrics, internet and a turnkey handover
The Ark team configure the electrical specification with each client, so power sockets and lighting suit how the room will be used. Hardwired internet is included in every one of their garden room projects, where plenty of companies treat a wired connection as an upgrade.
It’s part of a complete turnkey service taken through to final connections, so the office and gym were ready to move into the day the team left site.
Learn more about Ark Design Build
To learn more about creating a bespoke garden office and gym in Kent, contact Ark Design Build on 07896 196 718 or email contact@arkdesignbuild.co.uk. Visit www.arkdesignbuild.co.uk to explore more of their work.
