Garden annexe office and gym
A 10m × 5m office and gym in Kent with a shower room, a wood burner and a 3m roofline, built to Building Regulations.
This stylish home office and gym in Kent was designed and built by the bespoke design specialists Ark Design Build. It reflects the growing trend of creating fully insulated outdoor spaces that serve multiple purposes within a single, thoughtfully designed structure.
The 50sqm building, measuring 10m x 5m, provides ample space for both work and fitness. It also features a shower room, making the building self-contained and independent from the main house, along with a useful storage room. Due to its size, the project needed to comply with Building Regulation standards, which apply to garden buildings over 30sqm.
When exploring your options, it’s important to note that not all garden room ranges are designed to meet Building Regulation standards as standard. Specialist companies like Ark Design Build can adapt their designs to ensure compliance with the insulation, structural, and fire safety standards required for new homes.
Rather than referring to this structure as a ‘garden room,’ it is more accurately described as a ‘garden annexe,’ reflecting the higher level of specification needed for habitable spaces. Ark Design Build have extensive experience in creating both garden rooms and garden annexes, with a focus on projects in Kent.
At a glance
- Size: 10m × 5m, or 50sqm, about 3m tall.
- Built for: Work and training, with a shower room and storage so it stands apart from the house.
- Construction: Built to Building Regulations, with planning permission handled by Ark.
- Finishes: Thermowood in Black Bedec Barn paint outside; plaster, wooden floors, a wood burner and air conditioning inside.
- Company: Ark Design Build, who also organised the shower room’s groundworks and connections.
3m tall garden office & gym
This bespoke garden office and gym building is taller than most garden room designs, which typically have a maximum external height of 2.5m to allow flexibility in positioning under Permitted Development rules.
When building a home gym, many people seek a taller structure to increase the ceiling height inside, offering greater headroom for gym equipment. Over the years, Ark Design Build have completed several projects with higher ceilings to provide this extra space.
Ark Design Build handled the planning permission application as part of their comprehensive service, ensuring the project ran smoothly from start to finish.
Open plan, multifunctional space
As the photos show, a stunning open-plan room has been created, enjoying a wonderful connection with the garden thanks to two sets of bi-fold doors that slide to one side, opening large sections of the wall to the outdoors.
The shower room is discreetly positioned in the left-hand corner of the space. Ark Design Build work closely with their clients to tailor the layout and finishes to suit individual tastes and requirements. While some companies ask clients to organise groundworks and connections for shower rooms with another company, Ark Design Build handle these aspects as part of their turnkey service.
The main room feels like a well-specified new-build home, with plastered and decorated walls and ceilings, paired with wooden flooring. A wood burner has been installed, ensuring the space stays cosy on cold days, while air conditioning provides comfort during warmer months, allowing the owners to set their ideal working and exercise environment.
Black Thermowood cladding
Externally, the garden office and gym annexe is finished in black, which serves as the perfect contrast to the natural colours of the garden.
The walls are clad in Thermowood, installed vertically for a contemporary look. Thermowood is a softwood treated at high temperatures to significantly enhance its durability, offering a lifespan of many decades. Left untreated, Thermowood has a honey-brown colour, but to achieve the monochrome look, Ark Design Build applied Black Bedec Barn paint, a tough, durable, microporous coating with excellent colour retention.
Learn more about Ark Design Build
To learn more about creating a garden annexe in Kent, you can contact Ark Design Build on 07896 196 718 or by emailing contact@arkdesignbuild.co.uk. Explore their bespoke design services at www.arkdesignbuild.co.uk.
