Yahoo Finance 'She-sheds', hammock huts and yoga rooms: garden sheds as you've never seen them before
If you can’t afford a loft, kitchen extension or basement – or you’ve already extended your home in every way possible and still don’t have enough space – a garden room is an increasingly attractive option. Not a rickety shed or draughty summer house, but a fully insulated building with electricity and underfloor heating that can be your office, spare bedroom or yoga studio.
An increasing number of home owners are opting to put up these structures rather than move to a larger property, thus avoiding stamp duty and moving costs. “It’s so expensive to move, yet you can put up a top-of-the-range garden building for £25,000,” explains Katie Langley, who founded JML Garden Rooms (jmlgardenrooms.co.uk) with her husband, John.
The Posh Shed Company says that sales in the capital jumped 35 per cent last year as Londoners chose to expand their home in an original way.
There are countless companies offering insulated timber buildings from as little as £5,000, but according to Jo-Anne Neighbour of Savills in Islington, it’s essential to go for an attractive design and high-quality finish if you want to add value to your home. Buyers, she says, will pay a premium of up to 25 per cent for a house with extra inside space in the garden.
It’s a bit like building a posh den or wendy house – my clients have asked for turrets, neon walls and space to hang a hammock
“They want to be able to work from home or have the option of secondary accommodation,” she says. “A garden room is always factored in to the total square footage of the property when you sell. If it’s attractive and well built, you’ll get your money back.”
This is exactly the kind of space that Chris Hodge set out to create when he founded Shackadelic (shackadelic.co.uk), a building company specialising in trendy garden structures with heating, sound systems and bespoke furniture.
“I used to be a garden designer, so when I started making buildings I realised how important it was to integrate them into the garden setting,” he explains. He now produces bedrooms, offices and chill-out spaces starting from around £10,000 – a snip compared with a loft conversion, side-return or basement.
Hodge works closely with his clients to ensure the structure is fit for purpose, pleasing to look at and an enjoyable space to spend time in. “You can be so much more creative with a garden room than with your house,” he says. “It’s a bit like building a posh den or wendy house – my clients have asked for turrets, neon walls and space to hang a hammock.”
In Balham, south-west London, he’s built a grass-roofed hut with an enormous window and stable door for Thiago de Moraes, a children’s book illustrator, who uses it as an office for 10 hours a day. “It doesn’t feel like I’m working at home because of the physical separation from the house,” explains De Moraes, who used to work upstairs in the attic. “There’s something really special about working in the garden – I’m not far from my wife and kids yet I have my own peaceful corner.”
If it wasn’t for the hut, de Moraes and his family would have been forced to move to a bigger house – which neither De Moraes nor his wife, Ana, wanted. “We love our street and our area. We had no desire to move, so this has been a perfect solution.”
These sheds aren’t just for work and play, but can act as a “granny annexe”, such as one built in Libby Harrison’s garden in the Cotswolds for her elderly parents. Libby and her husband, Richard, live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and they wanted something more aesthetically pleasing than a boxy shed.
A garden room is always factored in to the total square footage of the property when you sell. If it’s attractive and well built, you’ll get your money back
A round building from Rotunda (rotunda.co.uk) seemed a softer addition to their garden. They designed it with an en-suite bathroom and infrared heaters, which can help ease the pain of arthritis and shoulder or joint stiffness. “Libby’s parents enjoy staying in it when they visit from France,” Richard says. “It’s so much more than a room. They have their own beautiful space, yet are still close to the house.”
Creating a garden room can also become a do-it-yourself project: Axa Insurance is sponsoring the “Grand Shed Project” at this year’s Grand Designs Live. Sheds on display intended to spark inspiration include a sewing shack and one decked out like a Miami-themed beach bar.
Garden buildings do not require planning permission unless you plan to use them as self-contained sleeping accommodation or your home is listed. They must also be a single storey and not exceed 50 per cent of the total land around your house. If the building is less than 2m from the boundary of the property, the maximum overall height can be no more than 2.5m from existing ground level. Go to planningportal.co.uk for more information.
While men might crave a man-cave in their garden, the Posh Shed Company has noted that a significant proportion of its customers are in fact women wanting office space or a yoga studio at home: a “she-shed”.
There are also those who want to create a space with no particular purpose at all – somewhere simply to be. This is what Ted Harrison from Surrey had in mind when he asked Chris Hodge to design him a rustic garden room. The resulting building with a log burner and a large outdoor living space is a place to hang out with his four teenage and twentysomething children – away from the house.
“I often have to yell at them to be quiet when they’re still out there chatting at 4am, but I forgive them,” he says. “It’s so easy to lose track of time when you’re there.”
