To put it in unequivocally simple terms: yes, a garden room will indeed add value to your house. This can be in terms of both the financial value and the ease of salability. Most experts agree that a garden room will see a return on investment of between 1.4-1.6x its value. A high return like this seems like a no brainer, especially when considering just having a garden room installed can already attract new buyers.

Putting an exact figure on how much value a garden room from Essex Garden Rooms can add to your property can be tricky as there are lots of different variables to the building itself and the housing market at the time. A ballpark figure of 5%-15% is widely used online for a high-quality garden building.

A garden room, whether it is purpose built garden office/home office, can add not only that wow factor and extra space/external office space, but can also vastly add value to your home. 

As we can see, a five-figure increase in value is easily achievable with a garden room. Areas with strict planning controls could see the biggest benefit from a garden building increasing floor space. Installing a garden room even when you are not planning on selling allows plenty of time for you to enjoy the building yourself, as well as the knowledge of a future increase in property value.

How does a garden room add value?

There are various reasons why a garden building can increase the value of the property, particularly for certain buyers. With the building already in place when the property is purchased, it saves new buyers the time and effort required to complete the work themselves.

The complete project from start to finish usually takes several months and involves a variety of trades including a landscaper to lay the base and an electrician to get the power connected.

Appeal to homeworkers and hobbyists

The last year has seen more of us working from home than ever before. This trend is expected to continue with a permanent change to our work-styles and the flexibility of a hybrid work set-up that most employees are asking for. The result is buyers purchasing properties with this in mind and a home office or extra room now being a top priority on new buyers wish lists. 

While a home office is great, we believe a garden room office is even better. Unlike using a spare bedroom, a garden room is completely separated from the house and creates the perfect location for some peace and quiet away from the kids. A garden office also creates a separation between work and home life, with the ability to leave the garden office at the end of the day and step away from your work.

An increase in floor space

The number one way to increase a property’s value is to increase the floor space. Additional floor space means more property to sell as buyers see the additional value. Usually, increasing floor space is not a quick job as it will mean a property extension or loft conversion. Both of these take considerable time due to the need for planning permission. The cost can also be incredibly expensive, with the return on investment not being great depending on other properties nearby.

A garden room is one of the easiest ways to increase the floor space of a property. Most garden rooms do not require planning permission, reducing restrictions and the time it takes to complete the project. Most extensions take over 12 months to complete from start to finish. A garden room can go from design to installation within a matter of weeks, with most projects being completed within a few months. 

A high-quality garden building can be seen as an additional room for the property. The same features of any in-house room are there including insulated walls and electricity. For smaller properties with large gardens, the increase in floor space can be significant and make the house stand out from surrounding homes.

If you plan to use the garden room as an annex with overnight sleeping accommodation, planning permission will be required which can add time to the project. For most uses such as a garden office, it will not be needed if staying within Permitted Development rights.

How to maximize value

Not all garden rooms are created equal, and getting the most value can mean following a few bits of advice. To reduce costs for yourself and increase the value for a future buyer, take a look at our top tips below.

Pre-built save costs

When it comes to designing a garden room, pretty much anything goes. Most garden building manufactures will supply both ready-made and custom-designed buildings. For those with unusual shaped gardens or additional requirements, a custom building can be tailored to their exact needs and specifications. 

The thing with custom designs is that they often cost more and all of the extra design work comes at a premium. Where possible we recommend sticking with a ready-made design to maximise your return on investment. Manufacturers existing designs are used regularly by customers and usually result in reduced prices as they are made at scale. The time the project takes to complete is also reduced as they may also have the parts for buildings in stock or with reduced lead times. 

Stay within planning regulations

Staying on the right side of planning laws is essential if the garden room is going to add value to your property when the time to sell comes. The good news is that most garden buildings do not require planning permission as they come under Permitted Development rights. But to keep within the scope they must meet a certain specification related to their size, use and location.

Garden rooms, summerhouses and log cabins are considered as ‘outbuildings’ for planning purposes and therefore fall under Permitted Development rights. These are designed to give homeowners the ability to make changes to their property which can increase the value, without the need for lengthy planning applications. Garden building manufacturers are fully aware of Permitted Development, just be sure to let them know you wish your building to fall within this scope.