How to build a garden office for as little as £5k

Ever since Covid-19 restrictions forced many to embrace working from home full-time, the way we think about our home work spaces has changed. The kitchen table or tiny desk crammed in next to the spare bed were fine when working in pyjamas was a novelty, but now many people are seeking solutions for the long haul, in terms of boosting both productivity and the way we feel about our homes.

Research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) during the pandemic showed that 17 per cent of homeowners were looking to create an office space to support working from home permanently. The issue is how to create a quiet space that will allow us to separate home life from work life: a matter that has been brought to the fore as families have juggled working, homeschooling and living in very close quarters. This may explain why self contained garden rooms soared in popularity whilst lockdown restrictions were in place: searches for ‘garden office’ were already up 72 per cent on the home-improvement website houzz.co.uk by the end of summer in 2020.

"We have seen an increase in demand from clients with ample garden space, now not only considering the landscaping design, but also prioritising an additional garden room to be used as a recreational retreat or as a work-from-home study," says architect Alex Michaelis (michaelisboyd.com), who designed a modern flat-roofed version, clad in charred timber (pictured below), for a family home in London.

A custom-designed garden room allows for endless possibilities, aesthetically as well as practically. Another example, by AO Architecture (aoarchitecture.co.uk), lined with marble on the outside and timber on the inside (pictured top), acts as an office during the week and a bar at the weekend, allowing its owners to keep both work and entertaining away from the family spaces of the rest of their home.

Prefab structures that can save on time and costs are similarly in hot demand: the homeware brand Bert & May, known for its covetable patterned tiles, also produces stand-alone ‘Bert’s Boxes’, like little cabins, and has seen a 50 per cent increase in enquiries since the first lockdown started. Its latest, the Study Box (from £33,000, bertsbox.co.uk), is designed specifically as an office, with full-height windows to connect homeworkers with their outside space (pictured below).

The new breed of garden room has a cool, contemporary aesthetic and a focus on improving the concentration levels and overall happiness of whoever is using it. ‘If there is one thing we have all learnt from this pandemic, it’s that our mental and emotional health is hugely impacted by the environment surrounding us,’ says Freddie Sheridan of design agency Sheridan&Co, which recently launched a collection of bespoke garden rooms that it calls Breathing Rooms (pictured second from top; from £15,000, spacetofokus.com). Similarly characterised by walls of glazing that open up the space to the outside world, the structures are intended, says Sheridan, to ‘empower you to work your best, be productive, and boost your well-being’.

The costs

• You can pay anything from around £5,000 upwards, including installation, for a prefab structure (but be aware that you will need to have a solid base ready before installation, which could cost an additional £1,000).

• Expect to pay an electrician at least £1,000 to connect to a power supply, plus the cost of digging a trench for the cables, unless you do this yourself.

• If you are keeping expensive equipment in it, consider an alarm such as the Google Nest Cam (£129.95, amazon.co.uk).

The Rules

Garden buildings at the side or back of the house don’t require planning permission as long as they are less than 2.5m in height, take up no more than 50 per cent of the land around the house, and are no closer to a road than the house itself.

If you live in a conservation area, it must be at the back of the house, and if you live in a listed building you will require planning permission.

'Building my garden office was the best thing I could have done'

Freelance writer Rachel Ogden on how she created her WFH space​

I built my garden office about five years ago, after I was made redundant and went freelance. I had started out working in our spare room, which was tiny: I wasn’t even able to shut the door. I knew our house couldn’t be extended, so the solution was to install an outbuilding.

I found a specialist company, Green Studios (prices from around £19,000), and decided to have glass doors along one side so that I had a good view. There’s a high window and a skylight to maximise the amount of daylight coming in without causing any privacy concerns. I also wanted a ‘green’ sedum roof to replace the lawn area the studio took up, which has helped to redress the balance of my garden, and attracts wildlife.

I often tell people that building the studio was the best thing I could have done. Not only does it mean I have a dedicated work space, I can close the door on it at the end of a day. It’s proved to be priceless for my well-being and work-life balance.

Rachel's top tips for planning a garden office

• Control your light levels: As my office faces north, I didn’t think I’d need a window treatment, but with so much glass, it can be glaringly bright. I opted for vertical blinds for maximum flexibility. During the winter, it’s satisfying to draw them so I’m not looking out at swathes of dark. I also chose cool white LED spotlights rather than warm white to mimic daylight.

• Maintain the temperature: One of the best things about working at home is being able to choose the environment you prefer rather than sweating or shivering in an office that’s too hot or cold. I fitted a Daikin air source heat pump (£2,500), which is incredibly efficient in the cooler months, and cools the space down on hot days.

• Personalise your space: I enjoyed buying furniture I liked rather than utilitarian office pieces. The wool covering of my Eames-style chair is probably the least practical thing you could have in a shared office, but here it’s comfy and cosy. You can also add whatever brings you joy. I often swap around cushions and throws, pop some fresh flowers on my desk or have a fragrance diffuser on a shelf.

• Be practical: I have a video doorbell (as I can’t hear people from my office), an umbrella for darting back into the house in the rain, and motion-sensor outdoor lighting. There’s also an armoured data cable that runs from the house, a backup power supply, and Wi-Fi repeater discs to ensure I'm always connected.

Have you invested in a garden office? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.