Working in a garden office

Garden studios come in various shapes, sizes and prices. We look at setting up an office in a garden studio.

Cost

Prices start from around £2,500. A modest 14ft x 10ft building, suitable for most office-style businesses, would cost around £4,000, plus fittings (see below). A top-of-the-range product, 30ft x 12ft, fully fitted, could set you back around £20,000

If you need finance, extending your mortgage could be the cheapest option.

Land and siting

Do you have a suitable site on your property and is it large enough? Garden offices start at 8ft (2.4m) x 8ft and go up to roughly 30ft (9m) x 16ft (4.8m). You need clear, level land to install it, and good access.

You also need to consider where visitors and staff will park without creating a nuisance to your neighbours let alone spoiling your garden.

Planning permission

In general, if you are planning a separate building and it is no larger than 30m2 and is not closer to a public highway than your existing home, you are unlikely to need planning permission. Other restrictions include: that a ridge roof must be no higher than 4m; a flat roof must be no higher than 3m - ie single storey; it must take up no more than 50% of the plot; it must be no bigger than 10m2 if it is nearer to the house than 5m.

If you are in a conservation area, national park or listed building, you may have to get planning permission regardless. If you don't own the property, check any restrictions on the lease with your landlord. Even on freehold properties there may be restrictive covenants, so check your property deeds.

Environmental considerations

If your business generates noise or smell, consider the impact on your neighbours. Whilst this may not apply to most businesses, faxes ringing in the night or rasping dot-matrix printers may not be popular. Remember, most planning hassles are caused by disgruntled neighbours. So it is good sense to involve your neighbours from the start and invite them round to launch the new venture. Prevention, again, is better than cure.

Business rates

Planning permission is one thing; getting clobbered for business rates is another.

Business rates apply when a building or even part of a room is used wholly and exclusively for business purposes.

Ideally, keep your 'office' as 'domestic' as possible, so you don't become liable. Maybe keep a television and an armchair there, or a bed folded into a wall 'for guests'. It also helps if you can show the kids sometimes use the room to do their homework, perhaps working on your PC.

Site preparation

When you've identified a suitable site, you'll need to prepare it. A concrete base is ideal, but it is usually enough to clear and level the land, filling the area on which the building will stand with 4" of hard-core and shingle. Don't forget to allow for the provision of telephone and electric cables (see below). If you have staff or visitors, you may want to install a kitchen or even a loo, which will require drains and a water supply.

Construction

Your chosen supplier will try to adapt to your needs. However, because many structures are partly pre-built and installed on site, the easier the access, the better. Expect installation to take about five days.

It is important to talk to a number of previous customers to discuss how the installation went and, if any follow-up was needed, how that was managed. You might also ask about any unexpected benefits or drawbacks to their arrangements that might influence you.

Fitting out

Depending on the interior finish, a coat of clear varnish may provide a good preservative and improve its aesthetic appearance. Then you can consider floor covering. The fittings will, naturally, depend on your type of business. If the building is to be an office, you will need carpet, blinds and office furniture.

The choice of the latter is large, but companies like Randall's Office Furniture offer good value and service. www.randallsoffice.co.uk

Heating and lighting

Any good electrician will be able to meet your needs. The distance from your mains supply will affect the overall cost. Don't forget heating (although the levels of insulation are usually excellent in most garden offices) and a fan for the summer.

Telephone and wireless connections

Depending on your new office's proximity to your house, you can buy a cheap extension to run from your existing system and simply install a new socket. Another clever solution is to use a modern digital cordless phone with a base unit in the house and just a charging unit in the office. Then you can also use it as an intercom or to pass calls between house and office. Meanwhile, broadband and local networking are opening up exciting new opportunities.

Insurance

Don't assume your insurance policy will automatically cover you, but you should have no problem extending insurance cover provided your garden office is properly constructed and secure. If the underwriter perceives there is an additional fire risk, then you may have to pay a small extra premium.

Remember, a domestic policy will not necessarily cover your office equipment or other business liabilities (for which you will need separate cover). Indeed, usually the small print of your household insurance policy has a clause that if you use a house for business purposes without informing your insurers, you may invalidate all claims.

David Hide

This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate.

© 2008 Published by Cobweb Information Ltd