Home improvements will often, if executed properly, add value to a home and increase its saleability. Adding a garden room will not only enhance and add to everyday living experiences, but will make an excellent contribution to adding value to a property. In very real terms, garden rooms are an extension of the property’s living space, and the flexibility they offer will appeal not only to current owners but future prospective buyers.

BENEFITS OF CHOOSING TO ADD GARDEN ROOMS
Unlike a traditional extension to a home, garden rooms can be added quickly and at a significantly lower cost than traditional extensions. The disruption, debris and interruption of family life are also far less, as is the environmental impact. Because they are sited away from the main property, the construction of garden rooms does not intrude into a family home. Many garden rooms are constructed of eco-friendly materials, making them a far more environmentally friendly choice than an extension.

A garden room offers great flexibility of use. It can be used as a summer house during warmer months, as a workshop or office, or as a playroom. Although garden rooms cannot be permanently occupied as can extensions, they can also be used to provide guest accommodation for periods of time.

A SOUND INVESTMENT
Figures will vary from area to area and supplier to supplier, but many have suggested that those investing in garden rooms will see at least 75% of their financial outlay returned in the increased value of their property on resale. Prospective buyers have the option of choosing to use garden rooms for whatever purpose they wish, often opening up lifestyle changes and options they have not thought of before. This gives a return of not only increased living space and enjoyment, but the financial outlay incurred in installing one.

FLEXIBILITY
Garden rooms are available in a wide choice of materials, construction methods and styles. Often garden rooms are constructed using the latest eco-friendly methods and materials, reducing environmental impact and making maintenance and running costs sustainable and economical. Eco-friendly LED lighting can be installed and building materials such as cedar wood and aluminium windows keep maintenance at a minimum.

Garden rooms can be used for additional living space, overnight accommodation for guests, a home office, gym, playroom or den. The size in which garden rooms can be built varies from small through to larger constructions that can be separated into several distinct areas, offering even more versatility.

LEGAL CONSTRAINTS
Planning permission is not generally required for the construction of a garden room, providing the room is single storey, does not result in more than half of the land on which the main property is sited is covered, and does not exceed 2.5 metres in height at the eaves and an overall height of 4 metres with a dual pitched roof, or 3 metres with any other roof. This means garden rooms will be single storey. There are also restrictions on raised levels such as verandas. Garden rooms cannot be built on what is known as the area of principal elevation, which generally means at the front of the main property, and restrictions will apply if the site is in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or is a World Heritage Site. These restrictions will not apply to the majority of garden rooms, but it is advisable to get some advice before planning and construction is undertaken