The lockdowns of last year sparked a new trend among homeowners.
Suddenly and for a very good reason, many desired a room in their garden.
For the first time in the UK’s history, the population could not attend work unless essential.
Overnight, busy cities emptied.
Trains and buses ran without passengers.
Worldwide, millions of people set about creating workspaces in their homes while familiarising themselves with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other virtual online meeting platforms.
What became apparent was that working from home wasn’t a great option for many people.
Working from home offers some fantastic quality of life benefits.
Days seem longer and less tiring when there’s no commuting to be done. There’s more time for exercise and hobbies.
However, for those working from home, there are drawbacks the biggest being distractions from children, pets and TV.
And lack of space could be an issue too unless you were lucky enough to own a spacious property.
What was needed was a fast but practical solution because extending a house with an extension or loft conversion is costly.
Plus extensions need planning permission, and loft rooms must meet building regulations.
Both issues can slow the building process down.
Enter beautifully designed and solidly built garden rooms.
Of course, our gardens have always had structures within them.
Sheds, Gazebos, Summer houses and Greenhouses are all part of British gardening tradition.
However, these new structures are something very different.
They are rooms designed for a specific purpose.
Offices, exercise rooms, studios and sanctuaries are examples of what these new generation garden rooms offer their owners.
And, unlike some of their predecessors, they are not flimsy or temporary structures either.
Typically, they have thick layers of insulation, underfloor heating and the kind of windows and doors you usually see in house extensions.
Evergreen’s garden rooms are constructed around steel frames and clad in long-lasting Cedarwood.
As bespoke design projects, homeowners can create rooms according to their particular taste.
No planning permission is required, and the only constraints for owners are the size of their garden and budget.
The cost depends on the size and the bespoke elements an owner wants to include.
Typically, prices for the kind of building described range from £14,000 and upwards.
Will a garden room add value to your home?
According to The Personal Property Shop, an online website for landlords and tenants, they will.
“Garden rooms are a great way to make your property more saleable. There’s bags of potential for a variety of different buyers – so it could appeal to families living with teenagers (who would like a bit of extra space), or those with elderly relatives (who are looking for a home that can accommodate the whole extended family). Effectively making an extra room or two available, garden rooms are also a fantastic plus point for people with their own businesses who need an office at home, or those with hobbies that require a separate space, whether it be art, music, pottery or collecting.”
A financial gain is a nice bonus, but the biggest reason for adding a garden room to your home is for the quality of life it adds.
Additional living space is precious and highly valued.
Moving work files, exercise equipment hobby paraphernalia to a garden room creates space in your house.
Uncluttered rooms look bigger and more spacious.
And you no longer have to worry about the dog barking while you’re in the middle of an important call or an untidy background during your Zoom meeting.
To discuss creating a beautiful and bespoke room for your garden, email mike@evergreen-gardenrooms.co.uk or call Evergreen Garden Rooms; 01702 969959.