Does a garden room add value?

AdrianC

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

"I've seen it on TV, so it must be true."

What could possibly...?

Like it or not, TV and social media set the trends and therefore make some things more desirable (and more worth spending money on) than others.

Absolutely.

That's different from making them real.

so you're saying that when you for example search for #gardenroom on instagram...those are not real?

Blimey, I thought confusing daytime TV with reality was bad. Now you're confusing Instagram with reality?

Hannimal

Where I grew up these are very very common with outdoor saunas. You would have an outdoor sauna with an attached garden room, that in the summer can be used as a guest room. If I had the money and a large enough garden, I would 100% build that. Does it add value? I would pay more for it.

Doozergirl

AdrianC said:

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

"I've seen it on TV, so it must be true."

What could possibly...?

Like it or not, TV and social media set the trends and therefore make some things more desirable (and more worth spending money on) than others.

Absolutely.

That's different from making them real.

so you're saying that when you for example search for #gardenroom on instagram...those are not real?

Blimey, I thought confusing daytime TV with reality was bad. Now you're confusing Instagram with reality?

I'm definitely confused.   

A key principle of conservation is that whilst doing things sympathetically is aesthetically pleasing,  contrasting additions show the linear history of a building and can have a really positive visual impact.  

Despite applying the roses tinted glasses, buildings and interiors on social media do exist and are heavily responsible for setting trends.  Garden rooms are definitely real and the demand has exploded because people have been working from home, people want to enjoy their British gardens in a bit of comfort from the elements and people want space away from their families!   They can be much more flexible and private than another room in the house.  

Ours is going up a bit earlier than we had planned in case we end up back in an equivalent of Tier 2 and can socialise outside before we can indoors again.  

I'll be putting my new, real but clean kitchen on my Instagram grid later 😬

warby68

I'm not sure you will get a straight add on to the value of your home but they are certainly an attraction at the moment.
My main reservation would be that you plan to move again in a fairly short time of 2-3y. If the reason for the extra bedroom need is a new baby that isn't here yet, you might be able to get by the first year or 2 of a child's life without a 100% dedicated bedroom. Not ideal/perfect but doable. They don't really occupy a room on their own other than for sleeping until a bit older.
If you were there for a few more years I'd just say go for it for the enhancement to those years of living without much expectation one way or the other for its added value.

jamiem1234

Thanks all for your replies.

So to clear it up it will be insulated, have 6 Dow lights, 4 plug sockets with an electric heater on the wall and plastered etc. So for all intensive purposes it will feel like an room should. For anyone confused about what it will look like, see attached link. https://pin.it/5h6bKRU

Granted coffee/toilet trips will mean a walk into the house, but I’d make that trade to have a good split of work/home life as it’s all blending a bit too much at the moment, as it is for many. 

Don’t think it would be movable, I believe it will be on some form of supports dug into the ground rather than a concrete base as we unfortunately have a slope in the area we’d like it. 

Does anyone have any experience with buying something like this off the shelf? They’re cheaper in some cases, and also if anyone has actually made a shed habitable or managed to insulate one? I just don’t want to spend the money on a shed type building I’ll only use for the few warm months we have. 

Thanks 

Greymug

AdrianC said:

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

Greymug said:

AdrianC said:

"I've seen it on TV, so it must be true."

What could possibly...?

Like it or not, TV and social media set the trends and therefore make some things more desirable (and more worth spending money on) than others.

Absolutely.

That's different from making them real.

so you're saying that when you for example search for #gardenroom on instagram...those are not real?

Blimey, I thought confusing daytime TV with reality was bad. Now you're confusing Instagram with reality?

Let me get this straight. I'm now going to take a photo of my nicely decorated living room, put it on instagram, put a nice hashtag to let people find it because...you know...I want them to see my nice living room.

You're saying people who see my photo on instagram are not seeing something that's real?

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? I think this may be the issue

chiff

We got one installed in late 2019, originally as somewhere where the teenage kids could hang out away from the main house (as it's pretty open plan). It's been the best money we've spent on a property ever, particularly during lockdown. We use it for work, xbox, watching films/sport, zoom calls/zoom nights out (so it actually feels like you're going out somewhere!), online dance lessons etc. Work wise I like the having to come back into the house for coffee/toilet as it makes you get up from your desk and move about - no different from having to move about in an office. 

Only gripe is ours is really warm and at the height of summer last year it was roasting - had to have all the windows and doors open, but that was the same in the house too.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you can afford it then it's so worth it, regardless of whether you'll make the money back on a subsequent sale or not.

Mahsroh

I've been working from home for the best part of a year a pretty much agreed with my employer that post-COVID (if indeed that will ever become a thing) and in the longer term that the option to WFH for 2 or 3 days a week would be there. The only thing holding me back is lack of space (he says typing this from the dining table in the kitchen diner). 

We're looking to buy in the next 12 months so have tentatively started looking at properties and anything with a "garden room" / summer house / workshop / sizeable outside storage space I tend to look at and say to myself "could I convert that into a study / office?" I suspect there will be many others with similar plans and the way many people work will change in the long term as a result of the change in the way we've all worked over the last year. 

Whether it will add value is a question that I suspect no one can really answer, and it will of course depend on your potential buyers circumstances, but even if it doesn't add much in the way of value, it will likely make it more saleable / attractive to some buyers. 

As others have said though, I think what would bother me is the proximity to the house. I don't really want to walk across the garden in all weather just to get a cup of coffee or nip to the bathroom. In your circumstances, I think i'd look at the garage conversion first, especially if that's a more cost effective option, but I appreciate that's a personal preference and will depend on how you currently use your garage. 

Maz1963

It was definitely an attraction for me when viewing the house I'm now buying.  The house is around 20 years old with a medium sized garden. There is established planting and you can't see the summer house from the main house as it's tucked away behind greenery and it's not overlooked by any neighbours.   I'm not sure if it's insulated or not, I guess it's more a 'shed' than a 'garden room', but it does have power so I'll be able to light and heat it. It looks nice and I'm looking forward to using it as an extra room.  It was on my 'nice to have' list when viewing and I would probably have had one built if I'd found another house with a garden large enough to take one. The current owner seems to do some kind of alternative therapy and uses it for that, so it has armchairs and carpets in it currently. I did see a little bit of black mould in the upper corners and did wonder if it should be heated in the winter, but if it has no insulation, that might cost a lot. I'll investigate more once I move in.  I also work from home part time so look forward to using it in the summer as a working space, as well as a space for drinking wine and relaxing!

Slinky

maxsteam said:

Some extensions look ugly and, as hazyjo suggests, can reduce a property's value. It's worth making sure that whoever builds it has the sense to try and match it up to the colour of the bricks and the style to the rest of the house.

We've just had plans approved that the designated planner told our architect were 'horrendous'.  Our existing house is an ugly 1960s property. We took inspiration from Your Home Made Perfect, a conservatory conversion in Halifax. I laughed my socks off when the architect told me about the comments. We sent some photos of what we had based our design on and they passed it. Now all I've got to do is convince them of our colour choices of mid grey external walls and dark purple window frames.