Working in the Garden

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By Katherine Sorrell

Working in the garden

Setting up an office or studio in the garden may be the ideal solution to pressure on space inside the house. Here we outline some points to consider before you start. If the future of work is at least partially at home, many of us are going to have to think long and hard about where to set up permanently. Sharing the dining table with the kids or perching on the end of the bed are not going to suffice long term, and although using a spare room as an office can be a great solution, it’s not ideal if you have regular guests to stay, or simply need the storage space. The answer may be a garden building that’s set up as a fully functioning work area – with the bonus of some welcome separation from domestic distractions, but an enjoyably short commute. The first place to start is with an assessment of how you’ll use the building. While a tiny office with not much more than a desk, chair and shelf will suit some, others may require a lot more floor space, specially designed storage, larger-than-average windows or additional security, for example. Most people will want electricity in their new outdoor office, but will you also need a landline, a sink with running water, a kitchenette or a WC? Next come decisions about quality, size and position. For comfortable working, and to add value to your property, a garden office should be built using good quality materials and to a high standard. Ideally, its style will complement that of the house and garden, adding to the overall aesthetic appeal. On a practical level, insulation is vital. Think walls, floors and roof if the space is going to be used beyond the summer months, with double glazing and draught proofing around doors and windows. Heating is important, too. Many owners of garden studios use electric convention heaters, which can be thermostatically controlled on 24-hour timers. Electric radiators are great, while wood burners look gorgeous and are super-cosy (but must be professionally installed). Considerations of security are equally important. If anything valuable is going to be stored in the space, glass windows (perhaps even double glazed) are infinitely better than plastic, and a

sturdy door with a proper lock will

be necessary. 2Size-wise, your garden office must be big enough for your needs but not so large that it decreases your outside space to a problematic degree. A very modest example might not be much over 4m square, while the grander types could be 15 to 20m square or even more. In many scenarios, there will be a maximum size possible, and also an obvious location. Where there is a choice of position, however, think about how close you want the room to be to your home, whether the ground is sloping, where there are trees or other potential obstructions, how the sun falls at certain times of the day, and which way you want the windows and door to face. Unless you’re opting for solar or wind power, and have your own bore hole, consider how you will connect utilities. The closer you are to the house, the cheaper it will be to lay pipework and cables, whether for lights and plug sockets or a flushing loo. If using the internet is essential, you may be able to access your usual router wirelessly, or extend its signal relatively easily; if not, you may need to lay a wired connection across the garden. And don’t forget how you’ll get from your back door to the new structure. You might need a new path, because it’s no fun trekking across a squelchy lawn in the middle of a rainy winter’s day. Whether you’ll need planning permission is another thing to consider. Most garden buildings are deemed ‘permitted development’, but it’s vital to check with your local authority. If the structure is going to be larger than 15 square metres, or used for sleeping in, then it will have to pass building regulations, too. Bear in mind that, unless you have been granted planning permission to do so, you can’t put an outbuilding in your front garden; nor are you allowed to take up more than 50% of the area of land around the original house. Design-wise, a garden office could take the form of a glorified shed, a futuristic dome, a traditional shepherd’s hut, an all-singing, all-dancing structure that offers every conceivable luxury – or anything in-between. Whatever you decide, whether it be off the shelf, customised or entirely bespoke, your new garden office is limited only by your imagination and your budget.

1 This high-quality garden building is one of four designs, each customisable in terms of size, style and budget. TGO4 Garden Room, 5m x 4m, £25,245, Green Retreats. 2 Garden office painted in Cuprinol Garden

Shades Honey Mango and Black Ash, £19.99 for 2.5l, Brewers. 3 This unique garden room has a removable desk top. Medium summerhouse garden pod, £18,995,

Lime Lace.

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STOCKISTS

Brewers: 01323 576 555; brewers.co.uk Green Retreats: 01296 325 777; greenretreats.co.uk Lime Lace: 01423 900 522; limelace.co.uk