Garden Rooms; The New-Era Home Extension

Garden rooms have quickly risen in popularity as a quality, stylish and more cost-effective way for homeowners to permanently expand their living space.

To understand more, we turned to experienced estate agent Grant Letts – Partner at Curchods – to get his take on why more people are turning to garden cabins to extend their homes, and what factors should help guide whether a traditional extension, loft conversation or garden room is right for them.

Grant Letts – Curchods

weybridge@curchods.com

When it comes to adding extra space to your home, the lead contenders have long been house extensions and loft conversations.

However, garden extensions (garden rooms) have surged in recent years as a quality alternative offering year-round comfort, high-quality build materials and craftsmanship, and fully plastered and painted finishes.

Before we start, let’s first establish a clear understanding of the differences:

• House Extension: Expands the existing footprint of your home by adding extra rooms, or enlarging existing ones. This involves structural work, such as removing internal walls, extending the roofline, and integrating the new space seamlessly into your existing home. 

• Loft Conversion: Transforms an empty or underutilised space in the roof of your house into a functional living area, without extending the footprint of your home. Converting your loft or attic requires installing a new staircase, and possibly some structural changes. 

• Garden Room/Garden Extension/Garden Cabin: A standalone structure built in your garden that provides additional living space separate from your main house. Garden rooms are designed for year-round use with full insulation, heating, lighting and power, and optional plumbing and WiFi.

Bespoke Build – Into the Garden Room 

House extensions have long been recognised for their potential to increase property value and offer good levels of customisation, and design flexibility. However, they come with a set of drawbacks including higher costs, potential planning permission challenges, long build times, and often having to temporarily move out of your home.

Loft conversions maximise existing space seamlessly and offer the potential for multiple rooms (where space allows). However, they’ve hugely increased in cost over recent years, may involve structural changes, offer limited views, and cause significant disruption to your daily life during construction.

Garden rooms are a more cost-effective and versatile alternative that often don’t require planning permission. The main benefits include quicker build times, design flexibility, multi-use possibilities, aesthetic enhancement of your garden, less disruption and an increase in both property value and resale appeal. The main drawback is whether your garden is large enough to accommodate the extra space you need. 

I’ve put together a summary table at the end of this blog for a more detailed rundown of the pros and cons of house extensions, loft conversions and garden rooms.

Luxury garden rooms have transcended their image as a ‘posh shed’ and are now rightly recognised for their year-round comfort, quality construction, superb craftsmanship and compliance with building regulations.

Built similarly to loft conversions, garden extensions are less disruptive to build and offer a faster, more customisable, cost effective and environmentally-friendly way to create more space.

Garden rooms offer freedom to tailor the space to your lifestyle – far more than a loft conversion, or traditional house extension, allows. Trying to blend an office, bar, storage, and a workout area within your main house is often impractical.

Plus, certain elements – such as a gym or yoga studio – may be better suited in a dedicated garden space that doesn’t compromise the overall look and feel of your home.

There’s also the advantage that if you have a large garden, but are not an avid gardener, a garden room can make that space work well for your lifestyle.

Bespoke Build – Into the Garden Room 

A significant investment of around £1.3m could achieve a wrap-around extension with loft conversion, yet you can create the same amount of space at only a fraction of that cost with a garden room.

Loft conversions alone are often still more cost-effective than a house extension, but the prices have rocketed in recent years. You used to be looking at around £30k on average when they first rose in popularity, but it’s now more likely to be around £80-£100k.

While quality garden rooms offer the most cost-effective way to create extra living space, they should still be treated and viewed as a significant home improvement investment. 

The cost for a high-quality build is determined by the size, materials used, design and customisation complexity, level of craftsmanship and the area you live – with London and Surrey typically commanding higher build costs. 

Increasing the value of your property

The key point to consider is the value derived from your investment. If a well-crafted luxury garden room costs £100k and raises your property value by £75-80k, your investment goes beyond the financial return.

The enjoyment of having a personal gym, office, bar, and storage space, coupled with independence away from the main house (for both parents and teenagers), makes the investment even more valuable.

There are also ways to make savings without compromising on the build quality, such as only adding wood cladding to ‘visible’ sides of your garden cabin – offering around £2-£5k in savings. These types of choices allow you to tailor costs to your budget, without compromising on the overall quality and functionality.

Bespoke Gym – Into the Garden Room

Choosing between a garden extension, a traditional house extension, or a loft conversion requires careful consideration of your needs, circumstances, budget, lifestyle and priorities.

Each option has its pros and cons, so it’s essential to think about the desired size, location and intended use of your extra living space to ensure it aligns with your budget and timeframe, the existing layout and characteristics of your property, and any practical constraints like available space and planning permission.

Ask yourself – what’s the best way to achieve what you want to use the extra space for? If you simply want a bigger kitchen, then a house extension will achieve that goal at a cost of around £3.5k per square metre of new space.

However, if you’re looking for more space to accommodate particular lifestyle or working goals, a garden room can be a faster, more cost-effective, and flexible option.

Bespoke Build – Into the Garden Room 

As the cost of moving continues to rise (£150-£160k on average), a garden room is an increasingly compelling alternative – offering not only functional living space, but also an increase in property value and resale appeal.

Garden rooms symbolise a new era in home design; they’re a testament to the evolving preferences of homeowners looking for distinctive, practical, and stylish solutions for expanding their living spaces.

While traditional extensions and loft conversions risk blending into the ‘expected’ during property viewings, a well-designed garden room captures peoples’ attention and imagination.

Garden rooms provide a personal touch, allowing you to create a unique and versatile space that meets the evolving demands of everyday life. You get a separate, detached building in the calm and tranquillity of your garden that doesn’t need to tie in with the existing look and feel of your house.

Countless clients have shared how a garden room extension has been the best decision they’ve made. If you’re considering one, I recommend consulting with a reputable garden room company to understand the available options and how they can be tailored to your specific needs, budget and goals.

Here’s a more detailed checklist of the pros and cons of house extensions, loft conversions and garden rooms.