Affordable Garden Rooms aren’t just a pipe dream. It is more possible than ever to add a stylish, functional garden room to your home without breaking the bank – and what’s more, you may find that it adds significant value to your house.
So whether you are looking to add garden office pods, a creative studio, a man cave or a gym, a garden cinema, or just more storage space, a garden room represents a shrewd investment. In this blog, we want to explore the different ways to create cheap garden rooms (and when we say ‘cheap’, we mean ‘low-cost’, rather than poorly made!). We’ll look at the cost-effective ways to add garden buildings to your property so that you can make the best possible decisions when upgrading your garden.
Finance options
Here at Apex we offer a wide range of finance options when you purchase a garden room, meaning you can split the cost and pay it off over many years. Paying like this makes a garden room a viable option for more people, meaning that you don’t need to spend a large chunk of one in one go. You can have the benefit of more space, without a large outlay.
The self-build option
How are you with DIY? Building your own garden room is the best way to install a cheap garden room for obvious reasons – you aren’t spending money paying people to put it all together for you. This is a significant cost when it comes to the installation of garden rooms, so if you are capable of building it yourself, it’s something you should consider.
However, if you don’t have a background in construction, this may not be for you. Some things are best left to the professionals, and we would only recommend building your own garden room if you are completely, and justifiably, confident in your own ability as a builder. It’s a complex project that needs to be done correctly.
It’s all very well saving money, but your new outdoor office won’t look quite as impressive if the roof starts leaking during an impromptu video call with a client!
Using reclaimed building materials
Acquiring reclaimed wood is not as difficult as you might think it is, and it could be a great way to save some money when building your garden or gym. You can pick materials up from a timber yard or from sites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. If you shop around a bit, you can get a great deal, without compromising on quality, and you can get the right kind of wood for your project – you can create the perfect log cabin! It is also the ‘green’ option – using reclaimed wood means less manufacturing and less waste.
Buying your own reclaimed wood will take a lot more work than buying a ready-to-go kit, of course. It will take more planning to get it perfect. If you are a skilled craftsman, it will be fine, but it may not be the ideal option for everyone. It could add more time and stress to the process.
Avoid costly planning permission.
Planning permission can be costly in the UK, usually costing hundreds of pounds when required. So the best way to save money on building a garden room is to build one that will not require planning permission. To do this, it should follow this criteria:
- Under 2.5 meters high
- Less than 50% of your outdoor space
- Not to be used for sleeping accommodation
There are some other, quite specific, criteria that you should try to avoid, but these three points are the main ones. A simple way to cut back on the cost of your garden room.
Insulation
If you’re looking to cut costs in the long run, then insulation is the way to go. It’s an important factor anyway – the whole point of installing a garden room is so that you have extra space in your home, and that space should be used all year round. For that to happen, it needs to be heated and well-insulated.
Heating costs money – not just to install, but also the energy costs. So the more efficient your insulation, the cheaper the running costs will be. A fully insulated garden office will cost a lot less to heat than one without sufficient insulation, so make sure your new room has good energy efficiency.
Use quality materials, like rigid foam, fiberglass, or mineral wool, and make sure that the walls, roof and floors all get plenty. Consider double-glazed windows, as they are much better at keeping the heat in and the cold out, as well as letting in plenty of natural light. Make sure, if you are having it installed, that the company you use take care to insulate.
This feels like a good point to say that at Apex Garden rooms, all our buildings are fully insulated, with double-glazed windows.
Second-hand décor
Whatever you use your garden room for, you will want it to look nice. Having that extra internal space is only worth it if it is somewhere you want to spend time. The instinct is often to go out and buy brand-new furniture and décor for your new room – but that might not be the most efficient use of your money.
You can get plenty of second-hand items that will add so much character to your garden room, and it’s never been easier to find that kind of thing. Sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Shpock and Vinted all have thousands of items that could be perfect for your space. Whether it’s a comfy chair to read in, some beanbags for a hobby room, an old bar so you can entertain guests, a retro pinball machine or pool table, a small office desk. Whatever you can think of, it may well be on offer second-hand, which is a great way to create your affordable garden room.
Affordable Garden Rooms – Conclusion
A garden room is a great way to make use of that garden space that maybe doesn’t get used all year round and transform it into something special, that becomes part of your day-to-day life. It adds value to your home, but more importantly, it can improve your quality of life – you will have enough space for your family to grow.
By following the advice in this blog, you can work to keep the cost down too. Garden rooms can be affordable without having to compromise on quality. Speak to us today and we will be able to provide you with a free, no-obligation quote for one of our high-quality affordable garden rooms.
- Affordable Garden Rooms On A Budget - January 23, 2025
- Garden Room Planning Permission - January 10, 2025
- Does A Garden Room Add Value To Your Home - November 28, 2024
