A garden room: an alternative to a house extension
A 5.5m × 3m garden room in Derbyshire built as a second sitting room for £25,000, after an extension on the sloping plot proved too costly.
If you are looking to create extra space in your home, the first thought for many people is to add an extension. However, this can be a time-consuming task, taking several weeks to complete, involving multiple companies, and can be expensive. Building a house extension can also be very disruptive to family life.
Luckily, there are alternatives to a traditional house extension. Conservatories have largely gone out of fashion due to their temperature fluctuations. In summer, they can be too hot to use, and in winter, they are cold and costly to heat. Over the last 20 years, insulated garden rooms have become a preferred alternative to a house extension or conservatory.
Garden rooms offer many benefits compared to house extensions and conservatories. Like a house extension, but unlike a conservatory, they are multi-layer insulated structures. Combined with double-glazed doors and windows, this means a garden room is comfortable to use all year round, regardless of the weather.
In most cases, garden rooms are prefabricated off-site and delivered in sections for quick assembly. While a house extension may take several weeks to complete, assuming all trades dovetail their schedules, a garden room can be assembled much faster. If you work with a company like Cosy Garden Rooms, which offers a turnkey service, you will work with one company throughout the project. This includes the design process, the groundworks for the foundation, the installation of the building, and the final connection to the mains electrics, leaving you with a ready-to-use room. Because they manage the whole project and have their own skilled team, they can complete a project in days.
At a glance
- Size: 5.5m × 3m, 16.5sqm.
- Built for: A second sitting room for a couple who had downsized to a bungalow.
- Cost: £25,000 including VAT, the slab and the electrical connection.
- Finishes: Green composite cladding with Anthracite Grey frames, and lots of glazing for the views.
- Company: Cosy Garden Rooms, three days on site.
House extension prices vs. garden room prices
According to the Checkatrade website, a 20sqm single-storey extension costs between £40,000 plus VAT and £56,000 plus VAT, with the average being £48,000 plus VAT.
Our own survey of garden room costs found that a 20sqm garden room costs between £18,344 including VAT and £52,776 including VAT, with the average being £31,695 including VAT.
So, in addition to the speed of installation, there are considerable cost savings when buying a garden room compared to building a house extension.
A Cosy garden room a great alternative to a house extension
Recent clients of Cosy Garden Rooms explored the option of extending their house but decided to build a garden room instead, providing them with valuable extra living space which they have been comfortably using all year round.
Having downsized to a bungalow in Derbyshire, Cosy Garden Rooms’ clients found that they missed having a second reception room. With their property enjoying lovely views, they explored the option of extending the rear of their bungalow to add a second sitting room. However, they found that, due to their sloping plot, this would be a costly and time-consuming option.
Undeterred in their quest for extra space, they looked at other options, which ultimately led them to choose Cosy Garden Rooms.
Following initial design consultations and a site survey, Cosy Garden Rooms had a clear vision of what their clients were looking for and created a design that fulfilled their brief. A 5.5m x 3m building was decided upon, with lots of glazing to maximise the Derbyshire views.
Cosy Garden Rooms offer a range of exterior cladding options. In this case, their clients chose a composite option in their favourite shade of green, which contrasts smartly with the Anthracite Grey door and window frames.
The design has created a comfortable sitting room where the owners can enjoy various activities, from hosting friends and family to watching TV.
Cosy Garden Rooms handled the entire project, from producing the designs to handing over the keys to the ready-to-use room. This process included installing a concrete slab foundation and making the final electrical connection to the house. The on-site phase of the project took just three days, minimising disruption.
The 16.5sqm garden room cost £25,000 including VAT, a considerable saving compared to what the homeowners had been quoted for a similar-sized house extension.
The client is delighted with their new room and the process of working with Cosy Garden Rooms, as they share in this video:
Learn more about Cosy Garden Rooms
To learn more about creating a Cosy Garden Room, talk to the team on 0115 77 22 715 or email them at info@cosygardenrooms.co.uk. Explore www.cosygardenrooms.co.uk to see more examples of their insulated garden rooms.
