Member Article

Garden Office Rooms – Key Considerations

The shift to home working, which has been permanent for many, means that home offices are now very much the norm. A bespoke space which is separate to the main home, offering vital separation and also a more professional setting to meet work colleagues and clients, is a great way to upgrade your home working experience.

Increasing in popularity are modular garden buildings and modular extensions, especially for those battling to escape the background noise of a distracting home environment, and to provide more of an insight, Edward Medd, Co-Founder of bespoke modular buildings specialist Vita Modular, shares the benefit of his expertise.

Do I Need Planning Permission?

Most houses, even in conservation areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), have permitted development rights. Planning permission is not normally required for modular garden buildings such as ours, which fall under permitted development.

However, there are a few considerations to be mindful of – for example if you live in a conservation area you would need to build the modular office room behind the rear elevation of your house for the garden room to fall under permitted development.

And notably, if you live in an area that has an Article 4 directive, this means that your local planning authority has removed Permitted Development rights for your area.

It’s important to be aware that flats and listed buildings have no permitted development rights, so will always need planning permission.

A Space For All Seasons

We are often asked if modular garden rooms can be used in all seasons, and the answer is most certainly yes.

Modular buildings are composed of an engineered structural steel sub-frame, and paired with slim-profile uPVC double glazed units, allow for unbeatable thermal properties, so you can remain comfortable whilst benefiting from a higher level of productivity than you may in an office environment or when working from the spare room.

And with passive ventilation included as standard, you will rid yourself of the stereotypical stuffy office space experience.

Staying Connected

A stable internet connection is essential for seamless business interactions, so this is a major consideration to put on your checklist.

You should be looking for a garden building that is able to send your internet signal through the power network of your home, and replicate your home Wi-Fi in your garden room – so you’ll never be the lagging voice on the video call!

Client Confidentiality

A potential concern for those working in more sensitive professions, for example advising clients on legal or financial affairs, is ensuring that they can respect client confidentiality if they migrate their office to an outside space, such as a repurposed summer house.

However, modular garden rooms afford you a virtually soundproof workspace, with the additional option to add 15mm to the cladding for even further sound resistance.

Finishing Touches

I would definitely recommend thinking carefully about any features that you are keen to incorporate in your modular garden office at an early design stage, save you having to retrofit.

Especially key, are features that allow for optimum levels of comfort throughout the year. A range of cooling and heating options including minimalist panel heaters and openable windows are customisable features worth consideration, as are electric underfloor heating solutions and comfort cooling packages for optimal temperature control.

Lighting needn’t be an obstruction when working from a garden home office room – perhaps think about selecting all of your preferred finishes including low energy LED downlights in a range of styles and finishes, and external LED up/down wall lights.

Modular buildings come equipped with glass doors and windows, as well as the option to include added visibility with roof lighting options so your work will never be compromised by traditional cramped studio spaces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Melissa Chawner .