Should you add a garden room to your home?

The nights are drawing in, summer flowers have faded and the temperature is dropping but instead of putting your garden to bed, now is a great time to reconsider how you use your outdoor area.

Adding an external room to your garden not only increases the amount of usable space during every month of the year, it can also increase the value of your property beyond the cost of construction.

Is it worth it?

Let’s look at the figures. Although there is no definitive stat that shows how much value a garden room can add to a property (there are too many variables to take into account), reports suggest somewhere between 5% and 15% of extra value can be expected.

Now let’s look at the UK’s average house price – a figure that is £266,094, according to Nationwide’s latest House Price Index. If you take the average amount of value a garden room can add as 10 percent of the average house price, a homeowner can see their property’s value rise by £26,609 if they add a garden room.

Average costs illustrated

Don’t forget, to work out the true value added, the profit has to be offset by the cost to build a garden room. Using Checkatrade’s garden room expense report, we can see a medium log cabin costs an average of £6,500, while a home office pod would set a homeowner back an average of £11,500.

These are just typical figures, however. The final cost of building a garden room will depend on its size, whether its brick or timber built, the quality of materials used, whether the homeowner is self-assembling or paying for professional assistance, how much glazing is specified, whether there is light, heat and power being run to the room, the thickness of the insulation, the standard of interior finish and whether a base or foundations are required.

Sustained demand for garden rooms

As well as the potential to add value to a home, installing a garden room will meet current demand among the population. According to Google data, there are hundreds of thousands of searches conducted online for outdoor rooms. When Legal & General analysed the stats in more detail, it found there were 726,000 searches for ‘garden rooms’ between August 1st 2023 and July 31st 2024. Additionally, the term ‘summer house’ was searched 1,086,000 times, and 'garden offices’ 397,200.

Pack it up & take it with you

If the ‘spend versus profit’ calculation isn’t stacking up, don’t dismiss the idea of a garden room outright. It’s possible to install a garden room that can be taken with you when you move house. A pod-style and modular garden room means your investment can be dismantled and reassembled somewhere else – or even sold to a new owner.

Creating a garden room that’s usable

Today’s garden rooms are much more than simple sheds. Instead, they are an extension of the main property offering all the same home comforts. Adequate heat, light, power and Wi-Fi are the four main pillars of a successful garden room, especially if it’s to be used year-round. If it’s cold, dark and damp, it will be a poor investment.

Also consider how far away the garden room is from the main house, whether the journey from the back door to the structure is safe and well lit, and the size of the room, especially if it’s to be used as a home office or a gym. Always check with your local planning office ahead of works. Even though most garden rooms don't require planning permission, any electrical work will need a certification to prove they meet Building Regulation standards.

We have sold a number of homes with garden rooms over the years and we find buyers are impressed with the extra space they afford. If you are considering adding a garden room and would like a professional opinion on how much value one could add, please contact our sales team today.