Choosing a garden room involves several considerations to ensure it meets your needs, complements your outdoor space and matches your budget.
Here are 6 specific key factors to keep in mind when planning your garden building, and remember, if you have any questions at all, Rubicon Garden Rooms are here to help you every step of the way.
1. Purpose and Usage
You probably already have a good idea of why you need a garden room, so figuring out its intended use should flow easily. Determine how you plan to use the space and consider that it may be required to pull double duty as a multifunctional building, functioning as one thing in the day and another in the evening for example.
Your intended use will also determine the necessary size of your garden room. A self-contained granny annexe for example will need far more space than a basic home office might.
2. Size and Space
The space that you have available for your garden room plot is going to largely dictate the size and shape of the options available to you.
Measure the area in your garden where you plan to install the room. Ensure there's enough space for the garden room itself and any additional outdoor space you might want immediately surrounding.
Keep in mind that your new building should not take up more than 50% of your overall garden space. More info on this can be found on our planning and building regulations page.
Based on the intended use, decide on appropriate approximate sizes. For instance, a simple home office may require less space than a self-contained guest annexe or a gym.
As a general rule you’ll need a plot that is large enough to allow for a little bit of additional space around the building for maintenance purposes.
Typically, we ask for 500mm, however, if exceeding 15m2 in size, you will need to be 1m away from your boundary. though we are on hand to carry out a free ground survey to ensure there is adequate space and that ground conditions are suitable.
Read our detailed blog about garden room foundations.
3. Design and Aesthetics
Choose a design that complements your home's architecture, the style of your garden and of course that matches your own tastes!
Garden rooms purchased from Rubicon are contemporary in design, blending seamlessly into most environments.
Select materials and finishes that match not only your aesthetic preferences and blend well with your garden, but that also fit within your budget.
We offer high quality, zero-maintenance composite cladding, which is available in a range of colours and styles. We can also offer Cedar, and Thermowood, although keep in mind that this will require ongoing maintenance.
Finally, for those interested in matching more closely to the aesthetics of their home, we can offer Render and Brick-Slip finishes.
Internally there are a host of different options you can choose from, and we’d always recommend talking through your ideas and preferences with us as you could find that a fully bespoke garden building could be better suited to your requirements.
4. Futureproofing
Although it’s not always easy to predict how your circumstances or home life may change in the future, there are certain things you can consider now that will help ensure the garden room that you choose will be flexible enough to adapt to meet your future needs.
A garden office building may be a priority now, but once retirement looms, the space might benefit from being repurposed somewhat. Perhaps you’re planning to use your garden room as self-contained living accommodation for an older child, but when they move away from home, you may wish to reclaim the space at utilise it as a home gym or for a different purpose.
A garden building can often contain just one room for it to function effectively as an office with a view to nipping back to the main house to use the bathroom facilities there, but in practice, especially in winter, you could find that making a decision to include a sink and toilet could be a shrewd investment in the long run.
It's always good to keep future use in mind, though of course, don’t let that dictate or hamper your current needs too much!
5. Lighting and Electrical Needs
Although the thought of keeping your garden room off-grid might appeal, you’ll need to think carefully about electrical services and any plumbing requirements you might have.
Rubicon garden buildings are all designed to maximise natural light with strategically placed windows and additional features like bi-fold doors, flooding our garden rooms with ample natural light.
That said though, you’ll also want to plan for sufficient artificial lighting for evenings and cloudy or dark winter days. Consider a mix of task lighting, ambient lighting, and accent lighting.
Electrical outlets are a vital consideration too, so don’t scrimp on the number of outlets you plan to include inside your space to meet your needs, and ensure they are located in convenient places too.
6. Planning Permission and Regulations
Check if you need planning permission for your garden room. Typically our garden rooms do not need planning permission, but we’d urge you to read this detailed guide all about garden room planning permissions.
By considering these factors, we can help you to design and build a garden room that perfectly suits your needs both now and in the future, that enhances your outdoor space, and provides a comfortable and functional extension to your home.