Channel 4 are currently showing a programme looking at the house of the future, a family home has been refurbished to include the cutting edge gadgets and features we can expect to be living with in the next 20 to 50 years, interestingly the house of the future includes a garden room.
Its clear by the growth of the garden room market that more and more homeowners are seeing the benefits of garden rooms, and we think the market will grow as homeowners realise there are more uses for a garden room than just a home office.
We thought it would be interesting to see what the leading garden room suppliers think the garden room of the future will look like, be used for, and how people buying today can future proof their building so its still fit for purpose in 20 years time.
Today we chat with bespoke suppliers Swift Garden Rooms:
Do you think a garden room will be part of the house of the future? If so how and why?
Definitely yes! …and this is being proven by the increase in the number of enquiries and actual projects that we complete. Apart from attaching structures to dwellings, the “detached” option provides such a simple and stylish way to have more space; Swiflty!
Certainly the present housing market is encouraging people to look at alternative ways of improving and expanding their homes. As well as being such an efficient way of achieving this, the garden room adds a whole new dimension to the way space is used.
The very act of leaving the main part of the home for a few seconds to reach the garden room, makes it a place that becomes “special”. So many of our clients report that whatever they choose to do in their garden room, they do better because of that slight separation from the home.
This is a major shift in home-owners thinking, and we are happy to report that the word seems to be spreading; fast!
For people buying a garden room today, what elements design and material wise do you recommend for the building to look good and be functional in 10, 20 years time?
You just can’t beat the SIPs system for the main structural elements of your building. The panels that we use have BBA certification, and this is a stringent test of the longevity and suitability of materials for housing and other major construction projects.
Once the main structure is in place the world is your oyster. In years to come you can even change the appearance of the building dramatically, swapping from cedar cladding to rendering for example….. though you’d probably have to wait at least 25 years before the cedar actually needs any attention!
It is important to appreciate how certain materials will weather. Cedar cladding, if left untreated, quickly fades and eventually takes on a silver-grey patina. If you are happier to apply coatings then this can be controlled and different finishes achieved.
The outer skin of your garden room can be clad in a wide variety of materials such as brick, metal sheeting, render, stone, decorative panels, etc.
Whatever materials you choose will have been discussed and considered, to ensure that the optimum “look” is achieved. The durability of the cladding will be just one factor in achieving a building that will excite as well as it lasts.
The Swift 10 year warranty only covers the first, youthful stage of your buildings life.
How can buyer’s future proof the garden rooms they buy today? What features do you include as standard?
Size, style and functionality are the three key factors here.
We have never yet had a client who, after completion, wishes that their building had been smaller…. but some who eventually wish they had opted for a larger room. We take care to discuss the size issue by studying how the garden room may be used and can even create a structural layout that facilitates future extensions to the space.
Style is much more personal and has to take in a whole host of factors such as the use of your room, the setting and the existing architecture of the main home. We encourage you to view your Swift Garden Room as a “detached extension” and it can be tweaked and changed just like your home. Different lights, new decor, perhaps a change of flooring…. these can all be easily achieved.
Quality of materials and installation are the key to the building looking and performing well in years to come. Swift will always use the very best elements that your budget will allow.
Garden rooms are popularly brought as home offices, studios etc do you see a shift in the uses people are buying them for e.g. granny annexes etc?
Yes. Social trends and the cost-effectiveness of our buildings are increasingly producing residential suites. A truly independent home-from-home can be created that really excites the occupants… and is so easy to run and maintain. The building regulations and planning aspects are all easily dealt with under our project management system.
We are also seeing the expansion in demand for leisure space; music rooms, cinema rooms, gymnasiums and teenager break-out rooms. When planned correctly, the use can change to suit the change in family dynamics, and even when new owners come along after you have moved house… and reaped the return on investing in a high quality building.
If you were designing a garden room for yourself, what features would you include ready for the future?
Certainly the size of the garden room would be the element that I would consider most carefully. This is the least simple thing to change in the future. Plumbing, drainage and maybe internal partitions can quite easily be added in the future. To include them from the outset as a “just in case” will add to the cost and may prevent you from having another feature which would be more beneficial right now…. say some landscaping features or maybe integral blinds in the glazing?
It is all about us building a relationship together so that the key questions and possibilities are all dealt with in the design stage. This often produces some minor tweaks to a design that make a massive difference to the future enjoyment of the building. Maybe a roof window, perhaps a wider main door…. whatever it is, we can accommodate it within our bespoke design and installation process. It often starts by clients downloading our free guide from our website; something that stimulates ideas and the vision of the perfect garden room.
Garden rooms are a solid, exciting and beneficial investment in your home…. and are impressively non-invasive and fast in their installation. Enjoy this new-found opportunity by doing it right!
This is really useful advice from Swift Garden Rooms, for more advice on buying a garden room that’s still going to be functional in 20 plus years visit the Swift website or call them on 01625875588 to discuss your requirements. To read more Swift Garden Room articles click here.
