Some of the best garden room designs currently on the market are standard off the peg designs, available in a wide variety of sizes with a range of set options to personalise the building, but there are times when standard design doesn’t fit the bill – maybe you have a difficult site, need a non-standard size or want a multi room building and your only option is to go along the bespoke design route.
We know from conversation with readers of The Garden Room Guide that some people after looking at standard designs and not finding exactly what they want, stop their garden room search thinking that bespoke design is going to be way out of their price range.
We seem to have become very used to the word bespoke equalling expensive, with bespoke tailor made suits, bespoke furniture, bespoke handmade kitchens all being far more expensive than their standard counterparts, they are thought of a elitist, luxury items that only the rich can afford, and once you start the price will just keep rising…
This is a myth when it comes to garden rooms! Yes you may pay a little more for a bespoke design than the same size standard design, but not that much more and what you get is a building that it totally tailored to you.
Bespoke design in garden room terms means taking a well established design and building system, lots of different components and mixing them with the client’s site, needs and tastes to create the clients perfect building.
As we say, many people feel that the price of their garden room will just spiral upwards if they go down the bespoke design route, in fact once the specification of the build has been agreed with the customer, garden room suppliers offer a fixed project cost which includes everything from foundations to electrical connection and decoration, which means there are no hidden costs and you know where you are from day one, some suppliers have a guide price by the sq ft or sqm of floor space for their bespoke designs which can be a useful guide.
Bespoke design starts with a site visit, most suppliers offer complimentary, no obligation surveys when they can sit down and discuss your requirements, survey the site etc, it is important for both the client and supplier that a rough budget is set at this stage, this allows the supplier to advise you how different design elements will affect your budget, no reputable supplier will try and make you up your budget, but knowing what it is, is useful when designing and knowing what your expectations are.
After the site visit your supplier will send you the designs for your garden room, a specification and quotation, this is often broken down to show the different elements of expense, if not ask for a breakdown as this will allow you to add and remove design elements as your budget allows.
What you end up with, with bespoke design is a garden room that works for you and your garden, each element from shape and size, to positioning of doors and windows, to the finishing details have been chosen by you, yes you may end up paying a little more than if you brought the same size standard design but you wouldn’t have had anywhere near this flexibility with the design.
So, don’t be taken in by the bespoke design myth, with many suppliers offering no obligation initial surveys you have nothing to lose in finding out what your options are!
