Can I build a room in my garden (UK)?
Who would say no to a bigger home? We could all do with an extra room to enjoy – whether it’s for a gym, office, spare bedroom or simply a private area to relax. Building a garden room is one way in which you can make use of your outdoor space and add an extra living area to your home.
At Pegasus Garden Rooms (UK), we’re highly experienced in building garden rooms of all shapes and sizes. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about building a room in your garden.
What is a garden room?
When you think of a room in your garden, you might imagine a shed or summerhouse. But these flimsy structures aren’t proper rooms. Neither are conservatories, which are poorly insulated and rarely comfortable.
Garden rooms, however, are very different. A garden room, also called a garden room extension, is just like any other room in your house – except it’s in the garden. They’re well-insulated and extremely sturdy.
Provided you own your home, you can build a room in your garden to expand your home’s floor space.
It’s like having an extension built. However, garden rooms are usually more affordable than home extensions, and you don’t usually need to seek planning permission. They’re also separated from the main house, offering some privacy.
What are garden rooms made of?
Garden rooms are built to extremely high standards. They have solid walls made of residential-grade building materials.
A garden room can be made of various materials, but wood composite is the most common. Composite garden rooms have various external cladding options, available in many colours, all of which are fully weatherproof.
You also have several choices when it comes to garden room finishes: flooring, roofing, doors and windows. For example, you could have a garden room with bi-fold doors, French doors or sliding doors.
Bi-fold doors are the most popular choice, as they can be slid aside on sunny days to fully open one side of the room to your garden. For chilly days, garden rooms can even be fitted with radiators and underfloor heating.
What can I use a garden room for?
Because they’re sturdy and well-insulated, garden rooms have incredible potential. Their use isn’t limited to storing garden tools or housing plants.
For example, you could use your garden room as a:
- Study, library or home office
- Kids’ playroom
- Bar
- Garden gym
- Cinema room
- Beauty salon
- “Man cave” or “she shed”
- Art studio
- Workshop
The options are practically endless. Garden rooms are perfect for noisy activities that might disturb others, because they aren’t attached to the main house. For the same reason, they’re also ideal for getting away from the home for a moment of peace.
You can even put a bed in your garden room and use it as a guest room. However, if it’s going to be used for sleeping, planning regulations might apply.
What are the rules for building a garden room (UK)?
It’s perfectly legal to build a garden room. In most cases, you can build a room in your garden without even needing to apply for planning permission. That’s because garden rooms usually fall under “permitted development rights”.
However, to fall into this category, the room must meet certain criteria. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to make a planning application.
For example, you can’t build on more than 50% of the area of your garden, or in the front of your house. The room must not be used as self-contained accommodation or have a microwave antenna. There are also rules regarding the height of your garden room, which vary depending on the type of roof.
Additional regulations apply if the room is close to the property boundary, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a conservation area, or the grounds of a listed building.
Read more: Garden room planning rules explained
The best thing to do if you’re unsure is to contact Pegasus Garden Rooms. We’ll assess your plans and explain the rules in more detail.
Do I have to follow Building Regulations?
If you want to build a room in your garden with less than 15m2 of internal floor area, it usually won’t need to conform to building regulations.
However, there are some exceptions. Building regulations will apply if:
- The garden room contains sleeping accommodation
- The room is between 15m2 and 30m2, and is built less than 1m from a property boundary or is not built substantially from non-combustible materials
- The garden room is larger than 30m2
If you choose Pegasus Garden Rooms to design and build your garden room, we’ll take care of this for you. We ensure that our garden rooms comply with all applicable building regulations, and we’ll provide you with CAD drawings if you need to make a planning application.
Where can I find garden rooms for sale?
For the best garden rooms for sale in the North West, discover Pegasus Garden Rooms UK. Our incredibly talented team of joiners and carpenters have over 50 years of combined experience. We’ve built hundreds of garden rooms for satisfied clients, from gyms to granny annexes and everything in between.
On our website, you can browse our stunning designs at a range of price points. Or, if you’re in the market for something completely unique, we also offer fully bespoke garden rooms. So, whatever purpose you need it for, we’ll help plan and build the perfect garden room extension for you.
To start your garden room journey, call or WhatsApp Pegasus Garden Rooms today on 0755 540 7288. You can also fill out our online contact form for a free garden room quotation.
Contact Pegasus today!
Are you ready to get started on your dream garden room? If so, start your free quote now or contact us on 0755 540 7299.