Garden office builders
Brick and block garden rooms and outbuildings, built on proper foundations as a solid, insulated room at the bottom of the garden.
Garden offices and garden rooms built like a small house
If you are looking for garden office builders, the first question is what the room is made of. We are bricklayers and builders, so our garden rooms are masonry outbuildings: a concrete or strip foundation, a brick or block shell, an insulated roof and floor, and proper windows and doors. The result feels like part of the house rather than a shed with a desk in it, and it sits comfortably next to brick boundary walls and patios.
A brick garden room suits people who want a quiet office, a studio, a gym or a hobby space they will use all year. Masonry holds an even temperature, deadens sound better than a thin panel wall and can be finished in a brick that matches the house.
What the build involves
Every outbuilding starts with the ground. We set out the footprint, check for drains, tree roots and changes in level, then dig and pour foundations sized for the walls they carry. The shell goes up in brick or block with a damp-proof course, followed by the roof structure, insulation, and the openings for doors and glazing.
Garden offices need power and usually data, and most people want lighting and heating too. We liaise with the other trades a job needs, so the electrics are planned before the walls are finished. The floor, walls and roof are insulated so the room can be used in winter without the heater running flat out.
Paths, steps and a small patio outside the door make the room easy to reach in the rain, and they are part of the same job if you want them. One of our case studies shows steps down to a converted part-garage home office as part of a two-tiered garden overhaul.
Planning permission and outbuilding rules
Many garden rooms are built under permitted development, which allows outbuildings in a back garden without a planning application as long as they meet set limits. In general the building must be single storey, sit behind the front of the house, cover no more than half the garden with all other outbuildings, and stay within height limits that are lower when it is close to a boundary. It must be used for something incidental to the house, such as an office or hobby room, not as a separate bedroom or home.
Conservation areas, listed buildings and Article 4 directions can remove those rights, and parts of Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Redbourn fall into one or more of those. We talk this through at the site visit and point you to the local council before you commit to a design.
Building Regulations are a separate test. Small detached outbuildings with no sleeping accommodation are often exempt, but size, distance from the boundary and construction all matter, so we check this at the start rather than at the end.
Converting an existing outbuilding instead
If you already have a garage, workshop or old brick outbuilding, converting it can be quicker than building new. Our garage extension for a separate music-practice room away from the house is an example of that route: an extra-high ceiling, a glazed apex and French doors onto the courtyard. Our outbuilding conversion guide covers what that kind of job usually needs.
Questions people ask
- What is the maximum height for an outbuilding?
- Under permitted development in England, an outbuilding within 2 metres of a boundary is generally limited to 2.5 metres high overall. Further from the boundary the limit is usually 4 metres for a dual-pitched roof and 3 metres for other roofs, with eaves no higher than 2.5 metres. Local restrictions can change this, so check before designing.
- What is the difference between a shed and an outbuilding?
- A shed is one kind of outbuilding. In planning terms an outbuilding is any detached building in the garden used for something incidental to the house, from a shed to a brick garden office. What changes is how it is built: a masonry garden room has foundations, insulation and services, which a typical shed does not.
- What is outbuildings insurance?
- It is the part of a home insurance policy that covers detached buildings in your garden and their contents. Policies differ on limits and on whether home-office equipment is included, so tell your insurer about a new garden room and check what is covered.
- What is an outbuilding in home insurance?
- Insurers usually mean any permanent building on your property that is not attached to the house, such as a garage, workshop or garden room. A brick garden room is normally treated as part of the buildings cover, but the wording varies between insurers.
- Do I need planning permission for a garden office?
- Often not, if it meets permitted development limits and is used as an office or hobby room. You are more likely to need permission in a conservation area, at a listed building, where an Article 4 direction applies, or if the room will be lived or slept in.
- How much does a garden room cost?
- It depends on size, foundations, access, the brick or block chosen, glazing and services. Our garden room cost guide explains each factor, and we give a free estimate after a site visit.
Related: garden room cost guide · outbuilding conversions · garden games rooms · hardscaping · conversions · case studies.