Anyone done this?
I really like my house and the location and I haven't been in it long, but we really need more space.
It's a three bed, but one of the rooms is a general office come shit tip and we really need to free it up and make it into a bedroom at some point if we want to have more kids.
I've hit upon the idea of maybe building a garden office. Scanning the internet it looks like al lot of these are essentially just sheds, but I'd need one that had some decent insulation so I could use it all year.
Would be interested in anyone who's done it and how much it cost.
I'm guessing it would be about £10-15K?
Comments
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
I can't see that adding a glorified shed in the garden will (a) come to the notice of the council or (b) cause them to amend the rateable value (or whatever it's called nowadays) of the property such that it falls into a higher band.
Planning restrictions have been relaxed substantially, so I *doubt* that you'd need any permissions, but worth double checking. Things to watch for are how much extra floorspace you'd be creating (as a % of the original building floorspace) and the height of the building within so many metres of a boundary.
There are others on here with more detailed knowledge of those matters.
We've got two wooden buildings in the garden. One is my workshop (aka glorified shed). That's 12*10 (I think) in old money. It was a simple timber shed, which I then insulated (polystyrene sheets), lined (plywood sheets) and "double glazed". It stays warm enough with an oil-filled rad on anti-freeze setting during the winter. We also have a 4*3 (metres) summerhouse, which is a lot more solid construction, much thicker walls, and warmer. That doesn't need lining - in fact it needs blinds on the windows to keep the temperature down!
Take a look here;
http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins
Specifically;
http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins/premiumplus-coronet-w3-0m-x-d3-0m
(dual therm, double glazed, £2200).
You'll need a solid (concrete) base. You can pay to have the cabin erected, or diy. It's worth investing in decent paint to give it weather protection - it's expensive, but its worth it. Ditto decent security for your kit out there (wireless alarm). Site it where it'll get a decent amount of sun (if poss), to cut down on the heating bills - though with all the insulation, you'll not need much heating (oil filled rad again, perhaps). Get a sparky to run power out there. I think you'd get something pretty reasonable for £5k (all-in) rather than £10k-£15k.
As far as I am aware the dreaded Poll Tax was abolished. Council Tax is based on the value of the house - I can't see it adding much to be honest.
http://www.thegardenoffice.co.uk/index.html
http://www.extrarooms.co.uk/
http://www.greenretreats.co.uk/
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
I know a couple who had some portakabins in the rather large garden of their cute country cottage. The council insisted they pay the tax appropriate for a house twice the size of the cottage they were living in.
That's why I brought it up.
@ossyrocks and @TTony are right about there being rules concerning the height of the building and its distance not only from your house but also your boundaries.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
And read this book !
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Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
when you extend your home, the new banding comes in for the NEXT owner
http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/CouncilTax/increasesFollowingImprovements.html
the best ones I have found for the money are:
http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk
My conclusion was that if you are paying beyond £8k you should first consider garage conversions and one storey extensions: many "garden offices" cost more than a similar sized conservatory