Top 5 mistakes to avoid when buying a garden room
13th February 2023
A new garden room is a costly purchase; after your house, it could be one of the most expensive things you buy. Although there are huge benefits, whether it’s used for business or personal use, it’s something you really want to do properly so you end up with the garden room that you want and deserve. Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when buying a garden room; and how to avoid making them!
Top 5 mistakes to avoid when buying a garden room
1. Not considering planning
As your mum probably told you, if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. A garden room is a big expense and it’s certainly not the time for an impulse purchase.
Firstly, you need to know the relevant planning law. Although most garden rooms don’t require planning permission, you could land yourself in very hot water if you go steamrollering ahead without checking that it’s all legal first!
If you’re considering using a garden room as guest accommodation, it fills more than 50% of the garden or is taller than 3-4 metres depending on the type of roof, this does not fit within permitted development and you will need to seek planning permission first.
A decent garden room design company will of course advise you on this, but you really need to make sure you know before you buy as no complying with planning law could be a very costly mistake to make when building a garden room.
2. Siting your garden room
If your garden is large, you might have several options for siting your garden room. Once you get your garden room in situ, it isn’t going anywhere so make sure you think carefully about where you want it to go and how big you want it to be.
Think about light, noise, the distance from the house and from the boundary/neighbours. You want your garden room to be full of natural light, but you probably don’t want the sun streaming through directly onto your desk, so think about which way it should face.
The further from the house, the more expensive it will be to run electricity to your garden room, but you may enjoy the seclusion of being further away, so consider your options.
3. Scrimping on materials
If you’re spending thousands of pounds on a new office, home gym or hobby room, then fitting it with bad quality cladding, paint, doors, windows etc can really ruin it. Think of your garden room as an investment; a little spent now on better quality materials can save a lot more down the line!
4. Not getting insulation
When looking to build outside, it can be tempting to get a shed as it’s so much cheaper than a purpose built garden room, but believe us when we say that this is one of the most common mistakes made when buying a garden room!
A garden room without insulation is something you will bitterly regret as soon as the cold weather sets in. It will be very costly to heat and won’t retain the heat at all; you may well find that it’s unusable as a work or hobby space in the winter. An insulated garden room on the other hand is a space that you can use all year around.
5. Buying without a guarantee
Good quality garden rooms are designed to last for decades so it is absolutely vital that when buying your garden room you opt for a reputable company who offer a long guarantee.
We back up our Modern Garden Rooms with a 10 year warranty for peace of mind.
