Garage conversion vs Garden office shed-which will have the least detrimental impact on buyers?

allygate

Hi,

We live in a detatched house with a medium sized garden (about 13mx13m), front-drive parking for 2 cars and an attached single garage. There is plenty of street parking as well.

My partner has always worked from home and now I will be working from home permenantly as my industry has rapidly changed in recent months and there is no expectation any more of regular physical presence.

To get a dedicated office space for myself, we are considering two options - converting the garage or installing a insulated garden office shed (which will take up about a tenth of the current garden).

We have got lawful development certificates (permitted development) for both plans from the council and they will result in office rooms of similar internal size. The cost is fairly similar as well, between 10-15k all in.

We expect to be in this house for another 5-6 years and can't decide between these two options. However, everything else being similar, we would like to pick an option that has the least negative impact on the desirability of the house to prospective buyers ie puts off the least number of buyers.

I myself would be put off more by the loss of garage storage space but my partner would be put off by a shed in the garden due to the concrete base.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

getmore4less

IMO adding space adds more value than changing existing space

If the Shed is considered for mutli use and positioned with patio area so it could also act as a summer house/garden room/outdoor alfresco kitchen/BBQ etc  or even drop back to just shed space 

I would have electric and plumbing if possible with toilet and small kitchen so you have self contained work space and don't need to be dashing to the house for a wee or a cup of tea.

allygate

getmore4less said:

IMO adding space adds more value than changing existing space
If the Shed is considered for mutli use and positioned with patio area so it could also act as a summer house/garden room/outdoor alfresco kitchen/BBQ etc  or even drop back to just shed space 
I would have electric and plumbing if possible with toilet and small kitchen so you have self contained work space and don't need to be dashing to the house for a wee or a cup of tea.

Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately the garden isn't huge so the larger options with patio space, toilet, kitchen space, etc will take up too much of it. The max size we can put in is 5x3m, the size of a small bedroom. It'll definitely have electric.

numbercruncher8

If you build an office in the garden, it would improve desirability for those buyers who want office space, and decrease desirability for those who don't. Ditto the garage. So I would think unless a balls-up was made, or the cost was way over budget, the overall effect would be pretty neutral.

If the garage is attached, I personally think converting that may offer better value and also be more practical.

lincroft1710

getmore4less said:

I would have electric and plumbing if possible with toilet and small kitchen so you have self contained work space and don't need to be dashing to the house for a wee or a cup of tea.

Creating somewhere with its own kitchen and toilet could lead to it being considered an "annex" for Council Tax purposes and having its own CT band, especially if the building is insulated. 

ameliarate

My feeling would be the garage. Few people put their cars in garages any more, most use them as storage. Keep the garden free. 

Rambosmum

Can you access the garden from outside without going through the house/ garage?

I'd say it is 50/50. Some would be put off by a converted garage, others by the reduced garden size. Either way, I suspect that you will not see the return on your investment. 

Choose the option YOU prefer.

NinjaTune

Personally I would go with the garden office.  That leaves the garage space still available to the buyers as useful storage.  You can also advertise it as 'potential to extend' if the garage is left as it is.

That's just me though because I blimmin' love sheds and would be very excited at having one that big with electricity too!  One tenth of the garden isn't a massive chunk out of it in the grand scheme of things.  I think the shed would offer more versatility as previous mentioned - summer house, man/woman cave, posh playhouse for kids etc.

bouicca21

I have always suspected that a garden office has a limited life unless done super efficiently. 

I’d go for the garage option - assuming you don’t need it for a car.  No need to walk down the garden in the rain, easy for electrics, broadband  and phone. No need to worry about books, files, paperwork suffering from the cold, and surely easier to heat.  

Don’t know about OP but when working from home I find easy access to the kettle and/or drinks cupboard and the loo to be essential.

However if it’s a toss up between the two, I tend to think that whoever is going to use it should choose.

A garage conversion can also double as an extra bedroom.

pinkteapot

ameliarate said:

My feeling would be the garage. Few people put their cars in garages any more, most use them as storage. Keep the garden free. 

But that storage is important. I always wonder - once the garage has been converted, where do people store their tools, paint, lightbulbs, bikes, etc etc. A garden shed will do for some stuff but isn't ideal for everything. 

I wouldn't consider a house without a garage (or rather, I'd be factoring in the cost to convert it back). 

NaughtiusMaximus

pinkteapot said:

ameliarate said:

My feeling would be the garage. Few people put their cars in garages any more, most use them as storage. Keep the garden free. 

But that storage is important. I always wonder - once the garage has been converted, where do people store their tools, paint, lightbulbs, bikes, etc etc. A garden shed will do for some stuff but isn't ideal for everything. 

I wouldn't consider a house without a garage (or rather, I'd be factoring in the cost to convert it back). 

That's why I think a compromise option is the best one whereby you convert part of the garage into extra living space but retain part for storage. This is what the previous owners of our property did when they converted the rear half of the garage into a utility room.