A garden office is a great way to create extra living space in your home. If you are using a spare bedroom as an office, building a wooden garden office can get you out of the house and into a purpose-built structure.
No matter what your needs are for work, there will be a garden office that can accommodate you. In addition to housing your work space, a garden office can include a small shed that will help you keep all your gardening gear organised.
When you begin to look for a new home office in the garden / shed combo, you will encounter three distinct levels of quality and function in the market place.
Keep in mind that on the lower end of the range you will be sacrificing space, and past a certain point quality as well.
Level 1
The first range of garden offices are the models that you can get into for £13,000 and under. In this level you are going to be buying a structure that was not meant for use as a year-round office space.
It may be possible to retrofit it with insulation, but when you try to install an outdoor office cheaply you will get what you pay for. You will have to add the amenities that will make the structure work as an office, such as electricity, heating and Wi-Fi, and this will add costs.
In this price range, there will be almost no way for you to add storage space, so a combined shed space is nearly inconceivable. In fact, many of these lower-tier buildings effectively are sheds. It is the suitable garden office space that you will be missing. One of the biggest benefits to having a professionally designed garden office with shed is the convenience that it provides, with both parts of the garden building serving their purpose perfectly.
The longevity of these cheaper structures will also not be as good and you may find that in a few years’ time the structure needs to be replaced. Many of these buildings were not really meant for daily use, or were designed to be a place to store tools or other things that don't really care about a draft or the damp.
If you are planning on keeping computer equipment or documents in your office, thinking this through will keep you from having headaches later.
Level 2
From the £13,000 level to around £20,000 you will find structures that are very usable as year-round office spaces, with extra capacity for shed storage. The major differences between level 1 and 2 is the use of materials and the design of the structure.
Level 2 structures will be designed to be far more like a home-room, and will have a base, insulation, flooring and good exterior sheeting included in the design.
In this range, many of the structures are essentially prefabricated. This is a good thing, and will help you to get your garden office up and running quickly.
It is also in this bracket that the addition of a shed becomes possible, and is worth considering. There are many things you can use the shed for. Keeping all your garden implements close to where you use them knocks down the prep time for garden work. Also, having a dedicated storage shed will keep the dirt from your garden out of your house and garage.
The downside to this level is the size. Because you are buying a good quality of construction, the square meters you can afford are pretty small in the £13,000 to £17,000 range. You will get a good, no frills space, but it may just be on the small side.
Every person has different requirements, and for some a small, well made structure will be fine. It is surprising what you can do in a compact space when it is well designed to suit your needs, but figure out in advance how much space you need for the shed and how much for the office component. If you are planning on using your garden office on a daily basis, don't buy anything less than a level 2 structure. It will end up being cheaper in the long run.
Level 3
When you get into the £20,000 to £35,000 range the quality of the structures is excellent, and you will get a wooden garden office that will feel like home-from-home to any professional with a quality shed extension.
On the lower side of the range you may still be buying a standardised prefab building, but you can outfit it with many of the custom options that make your garden office look and feel nice.
Things like extra windows and more than one set of doors can give your level 3 structure a lot of class. If you are going to have clients at your office, thinking about a porch or lounge area inside is a good idea.
The addition of a shed in this range can take almost any form that you want. Making space for motorised tools can be very helpful, and Cabin Master can work with you to find the perfect solution for your storage needs. Have a chat with us about what you need the space for and we can design something around your lifestyle.
As you climb up in this level you will start to get into custom designed spaces that use the best building materials there are. A custom designed garden room is purpose built for the size and layout of your garden, so will always make better use of your space than a standardised building. You won’t have to worry about wasted areas or an awkward fit.
It is fair to say that you will probably get more for your money with a custom garden building, especially when working with a specialist like Cabin Master.
What Is Right For You?
You know your needs better than anyone, so start by sketching out what you feel would give you enough working space in your garden office and enough space to work with in a shed. A garden office with shed will cost a little bit more than a standard garden office, depending on the size and layout you need, but the extra space will make your life a lot easier – and you’ll get a lot more value from your space.
Custom structures are a good option for accommodating all your requirements and are surprisingly affordable. A company like Cabin Master can be a lot of help when you start pricing out your options.
We have a wide range of bespoke options, and we only deal in Level 2 structures and up. Find out all you need to know about contemporary garden buildings in our free Ultimate Guide to Garden Rooms. Click here to access your copy, and find out how a garden room can transform your property and your lifestyle.
