In the realm of luxury home improvements, the bespoke garden room is soaring in popularity amongst British homeowners. These beautifully crafted structures do wonders in elevating a whole garden. They are warm, comfortable, and private; offering all the benefits of a traditional extension with more than a little unique charm. Garden rooms invite sunlight and nature into your newly expanded living space as well as conveniently bolster the overall market value of your property.
Chic, contemporary, versatile, a luxury garden room will bring a sense of modern sophistication and special character to your outdoor space.
If this does indeed spark your curiosity, here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about garden room construction and maintenance. For further inspiration, visit our dedicated page to The-Oi’s own bespoke garden rooms, offices, and studios. Otherwise, you can make an in-person visit to our fully operational showroom situated in Solihull.
Do I Require Planning Permission for a Garden Room?
The simple answer is no. Garden rooms are classed as a type of outbuilding and therefore thankfully don’t require an abundance of paper working in order to construct.
There are a few basic rules to keep in mind, the first being that a garden room ought to be situated at the rear of your home rather than the front and should cover less than 50% of the surface area of your total property. Next is that a garden room free from planning permission requirements needs to be a single-storey unit, less than 2.5m in height.
The vast majority of garden room designs fall well within these regulations. The only circumstances where this may not be the case are if you live in a listed building or a designated area (such as a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty). These specific buildings and regions often follow a separate standard of regulation due to their historic and/ or aesthetic significance. If this applies to you and your home, the most efficient way to determine whether or not you’ll need planning permission to install a garden room is to contact your local authorities.
Can I have separate rooms?
Yes! Here at The-Oi we offer free 3D visualisation services which allow you to personally detail every aspect of your luxury garden room. We use these examples of the latest technologies to ensure your dream vision is realised, and for many that include the construction of internal partition walls at various points across the garden room space. This design is especially ideal for garden rooms intended as guest houses divided into living, sleeping, and bathing quarters.
Will the garden room studio have an electricity supply?
Absolutely! Every one of our garden rooms comes with a complete electrical package covering a consumer unit, lighting, and electrical sockets. Upon construction, our team of professionals will include a highly qualified electrician who will provide the necessary checks and additional expertise to ensure safe and working readiness to connect your garden room to your mains electricity.
Can I have a bathroom and/or kitchen in my garden room?
Another big yes! Once again, this involves running power for lighting, heating, and ventilation into the garden room. This will provide your luxury retreat with fresh and hot water and the removal of wastewater. Our team here at The-Oi has many years of experience dealing with bathroom and kitchen areas as part of our luxury garden room designs. The only risk is that you’ll begin to enjoy your garden room more than your home.
Can I have a garden room with a veranda?
Where conservatory garden rooms are the traditional method of bringing nature into the home.
Extremely popular in the states, verandas are a beloved feature of home design that allows comfortable garden viewing and relaxation but isn’t always ideal for UK weather. And so, our innovative conception of the glass veranda involves glazed oversails and bars that cocoon its residents from the worst of the British sky whilst still very much enabling time in nature and the outdoors.
Verandas, balconies, and raised platforms are typically safe from planning permission requirements, however, do note that platforms exceeding 0.3m in height may be in need of official certification in order to go ahead with construction.
Will my garden room studio be warm enough throughout the winter?
Your garden room will be cosy and comfortable enough to use all year round. The-Oi utilises only the best quality materials, and each of our timber structures is properly insulated. Rainscreen cladding is an additional layer of warmth, and the windows are proven thermally efficient, coming in either uPVC or aluminium.
We know how crucial warmth and security are for being able to truly unwind in your luxury garden room. And that’s why we consider comfort, functionality, and aesthetics in all our bespoke designs. With heightened energy-performing panels SIPS, you can rest assured that your garden room won’t lose its use no matter the climate.
What will maintenance be like?
Thanks to the quality of our products and the professionalism of our skilled team, maintenance of your garden room should be simple and effortless. The-Oi operates to the highest of standards to guarantee products that last for decades not years. This way you can be confident you’re making a worthwhile investment into your home.
How can I contact you?
If you’re interested in learning more about garden rooms or any other kind of home renovations, you are very welcome to visit our Solihull showroom or contact us online or via phone.
Our team is eager to answer any questions you may have without fee or obligation. Whatever it is you may be after, The-Oi can help with just about any unique personal configuration. So don’t hesitate to begin making your visions of a luxury garden room a reality.