This article is part of our garden office tours section. With these tours we are looking at popular garden office designs, examining their key features and looking at ways you can customise them for your own needs.

In this tour we are looking at a 2.5m x 3m garden office with glazed front wall. This is a popular design which normally sits at less expensive end of the market. The room is big enough for one worker to use with comfort and can often be installed in just a day.

We are using scale models to illustrate this article. The buildings and the furniture within them are real world scales so as to show you how much furniture and space you have in this garden office.

This is a detailed article and quite long. We are going to look at the following – click the link to jump to that section if you are in a hurry!

• Overview
• Key features
• Ways to personalise the design to your tastes
• Typical construction
• Price guide

Overview

The 2.5m x 3m garden office with glazed front elevation is popular with buyers as it is quick to install, often only taking one day. This makes it a very cost effective option. It is about the size of a small bedroom in an average house and provides comfortable working space for one worker. You could fit in two desks, but it might feel cramped.

You can see looking down on the room that its a good space for one worker. This office has been furnished with a large desk and 3 Ikea book cases leaving floor space to move around in.

This type of garden office comes in two different styles. One option has an eaves detail whereby the roof overhangs the building. The other style is more cubist with clipped eaves.

This style of garden office either has an full eaves detail as shown in this image or…

…a more cubist look with clipped eaves.

Key features

The key feature of this garden office is its glazed front elevation which floods the space with natural light. The office normally features a single outward opening door – this is a trick for maximising space within the room. The door is coupled with two floor to ceiling glazed panels. In most cases this glazed section is finished in UPVC, higher spec designs might feature aluminium frames. The windows are double glazed and toughened for safety.

As we have mentioned this is often a ‘budget’ design in that it is positioned at the cheaper end of the garden office market. The building normally sits on its own foundation system which the installers can easily adjust for slightly uneven sites. The building will come in panels which quickly go together, meaning your new office can be ready to use in just a day.

The designers of this style of garden office have chosen materials which need little maintenance and are cost effective. This means that you will often find sheet materials used as the external cladding. These materials tend to be an exterior grade MDF that is then painted or a recycled plastic board which has a wood grain effect. Some designs make use of powder coated steel sheets. The steel and plastic sheets are popular because they need little ongoing maintenance.

Some suppliers offer a wooden cladding, this is often Thermowood which can be left in its natural state to weather to a silver colour or painted. Higher spec designs are finished with cedar cladding which is popular for its reddish colour and natural durability.

In some cases external finishes are mixed together. We have seen several examples where the  hidden walls are finished in the plastic sheet materials and any wall that is more visible is clad in cedar.

As with all good garden office designs the building will be pre wired electrically and because of the insulation and double glazing will be a comfortable space to work in all year round. You will need to add a heater for the coldest days of the year.

Ways to personalise the design

This style of garden office has been designed so that it is a cost effective option. The emphasis has been placed on functionality and speed of installation. As a result there are fewer options for personalising the design than there are with other garden office designs we will feature in this series.

As we mentioned earlier in the article there are two different roof styles commonly used with this garden office design – the one with deep eaves detail and the other with clipped eaves. The clipped eaves offer a more cubist design which is popular with people looking for a contemporary look.

The key choice you’ll have is the configuration of the glazing on the front wall – do you want the door positioned to the left, right or in the centre. Its worth thinking about how you are going to position your furniture when making this decision. As you can see from these images having the door at the side allows you to have a desk in front of the windows looking out into the garden.

Having the door to the side means you can position a desk in front of the windows.

Having the door in the centre of the wall offers another potential layout of furniture.

Your choice of exterior cladding will play a key role in the overall design. To keep costs down a sheet material like recycled plastic boards are used as the standard option. Many suppliers offer timber cladding as an upgrade option. You could choose to clad the whole building in wood or just the walls that are visible – this can be a good idea if you have a limited budget!

Sheet materials are commonly used as the standard specification. Dark grey is a common colour finish.

You could upgrade the cladding to timber on all elevations – this has an impact on the look of the building.

Using timber cladding only on walls that are on show is a cost effective upgrade option.

Another option we see is to add a deck area outside the front elevation. This creates a sense of inside / outside space. Timber decking is often used but composite deckings are becoming more and more popular. The composite decks weather well and come in several different finishes such as wood effects or solid colours.

A deck at the front of the building can increase the feeling of space.

Typical construction

We have mentioned several times that this design often sits at the cheaper end of the market. To achieve this the suppliers who offer this design make use of what we call light weight structures. When we say light weight we mean they are pared down versions of the timber frames and SIPS building systems  used in garden office construction which are the same as those used in full scale housebuilding.

This type of garden office normally comes with its own foundation system which can be easily levelled. These are joined to the floor framework which features rigid insulation sheets. On top of the floor frame the walls and door frames are fitted. The walls are normally made of panels which are made up of layers of sheet materials i.e. the sheet material for the exterior, rigid insulation sheet and a board that forms the internal wall. These panels are tied together with timber plates running around the top and bottom of the wall.

Preformed insulated roofing sheets are commonly used in this design. They are light weight so fit straight onto the walls without additional support. Again these are a sandwich of layers, the external finish, the insulation and a white finish that forms the ceiling of the room.

The interior is often a vinyl sheet on the walls which is easy to maintain or MDF which can be painted. The floors are normally laminate – check the suppliers spec as we see some of them add the final floor covering as an optional extra.

This image shows recessed lights which are popular in garden office design. However because of the typical construction of this style of building they are normally fitted with spotlights or track lighting.

This style of garden office comes pre wired electrically. As standard you tend to get two or three double sockets but you can usually upgrade to more. Because of the construction you normally have spotlights or track lighting as there is no void in the roof for recessed lights which are popular with other garden office designs.

We have also noted that with this style of garden office you have to specify a heater as an optional extra. Our years of experience tell us this that this is a must for the coldest days of the year.

Price guide

This size and style of garden office can be purchased for as little as £6,000 for a design that features a cladding such as the recycled plastic sheeting. Prices rise to the £10,000 mark for cedar clad designs. These figures are inclusive of VAT but you can find that you have to pay for delivery and sometimes an installation fee on top of this – the more expensive buildings tend to have these costs incorporated into the list price.

Delivery costs are normally worked out by the mile, so the distance between you and the supplier plays its part.

On top of the cost of the garden office you will also have the cost of connecting the electrical system to the mains supply – this cost will depend on how far you site the office from your house.

Keep an eye on the specification of the cheaper designs to see if items such as the final floor covering are included and that there are enough electrical sockets for your needs.

This article is part of our garden office tours series. In each tour we are looking at the key features of a particular size and style of garden office, and the ways you can personalise the design to your own tastes.

In this tour we are looking at a 3m x 3m cube garden office. This has been an enduringly popular garden office design because of its strong contemporary features and the options you have to personalise the design.

This is quite a long article, if you are in a hurry use these links to jump to the key sections:

• Overview
• Key features
• Ways to personalise the design
• Typical construction
• Prices

Overview

The 3m x 3m cube style garden office was one of the first contemporary designs to hit the garden office market. Buyers like the simplicity of the building, the large expanse of glazing and the different options you have to personalise the design to your own tastes.

3m x 3m is a popular size for a garden office as it creates a roomy environment for one worker, but you could fit two desks in without feeling cramped. This size room is similar to a small double bedroom.

This size room creates a spacious workspace for one worker, but with a different arrangement of furniture you could fit in two desks.

The building is particularly popular because at 2.5m high you have a lot of flexibility over where it is positioned in your garden under the Permitted Development rules.

Key Features

This style of garden office is known for its strong cubist form. This is achieved by using a clipped eaves feature on the roof – this style of garden office with a full eaves detail looks quite different.

The clipped eaves detail is a key element of this garden offices cubist form. This example makes use of a French door set.

The large expanse of glazing on the front elevation is what makes this design popular and you have several choices of doors that make up this section – French doors, sliding doors or the popular bi-folds which open up the front wall. As you can see each type of door set gives this building its own unique look.

Sliding doors are a popular option on this style of garden office.

Bi-fold doors are the current ‘on trend’ favourite.

Another key feature is the exterior cladding. The most popular finish for this is Western Red Cedar. The direction the cladding is fitted has an effect on the look of the finished building. Cedar is a popular cladding because of its natural durability and its colour which starts out a reddish brown but weathers to a silver grey. You can preserve the initial colour by using an ultra violet seal but this needs to be done before the cladding is exposed to the elements.

By choosing vertical cladding another look is created

Graphite grey doors and trims are commonly used as they contrast well with cedar cladding in both its reddish colour and as it weathers. The doors and windows used in this style of garden office are of house quality with double glazing and multi point locking systems. In most cases they are made of upvc but more expensive designs might feature aluminium doors and windows.

This style of garden office is designed for year round use. To achieve this the building is highly insulated making it warm in winter and cool in summer. Despite the high levels of insulation you’ll still need a heater for the coldest days of the year – check the specification to see what the suppliers offer.

The interior of this office is like a modern room in your house which can be decorated to your tastes. Laminate or wooden flooring is often specified.

Ways to personalise the design

We touched upon this earlier but the key choice you’ll have to personalise this garden office design is your choice of doors on the front wall. French doors with floor to ceiling glazed panels each side are normally the standard option on this style of building. These doors offer you flexibility in that you can have one door or both open. These doors open outwards so as not to steal space inside the office.

French doors are normally the standard option on this style of garden office

You will also have the option of sliding doors which have a very contemporary look and are great if space is at a premium.

Sliding doors are popular as they offer a contemporary look.

The current ‘on trend’ option is bi-fold doors which fold back to open up the whole wall creating indoor / outdoor space. Bi-fold doors are the most expensive option available.

Bi-fold door will open up a whole wall.

Bi-folds really bring the outside in.

Whilst the doors on the front elevation are a key feature of this design most suppliers will offer you the option of adding a window or two to the other elevations. A popular option is to add a floor to ceiling window on a side elevation, this give the impression of the glazing wrapping around the building.

A full height side window is a popular upgrade option.

A full length window helps flood the office with natural light.

Having an opening window is a good idea in a garden office. Lozenge style windows have become popular. They are narrow top hung windows. Some buyers choose to situate them at desk height whilst others position them higher up in the wall.

Lozenge style windows are a popular addition to this design.

Many people position these windows at desk height so you can work with a view

Another choice you’ll have is the exterior cladding. Most examples of this garden office are cedar clad but cheaper designs might feature Thermowood or a pressure treated redwood, these finishes can be left to weather, stained or painted. A popular finish we are seeing at the moment is to stain cedar cladding black. With this option you have the durability that cedar offers mixed with a dramatic and modern finish.

A new trend is to stain cedar cladding black

The direction that the cladding is fitted has an effect on the look of the finished building. As you can see from these images vertical cladding has one look, horizontal another.

Horizontal cladding offers one look…

By choosing vertical cladding another look is created

Typical construction

There are several building systems used in this style of garden office. Each supplier has their own preference. Some choose to adopt the same building systems used in timber frame housebuilding, so make use of insulated timber frames whilst others use SIP’s (Structural Insulated Panels). Other suppliers have redesigned these house quality building systems specifically for the garden office market. They have taken all the key elements and honed them for this type of building. This has allowed the suppliers to create manageable panels which join together to form the building. These panels make maximum use of standard size materials and are lightweight enough to be quickly and easily installed. This reworking of a traditional building method means that these suppliers can pass on cost savings to their customers making these designs very competitively priced.

Internally this style of garden office has the feel of a room in your house. Depending on the construction method this may mean the room is fully plastered and decorated. Other finishes used include a decorative wall panel which comes in a neutral colour. More basic designs make use of MDF sheets which can be painted.

This building is fully insulated for year round use. They come pre-wired electrically with sockets and lighting. Its possible to include data cabling for the internet etc but this is normally an extra option. You will need to read the specification to see if heating is included. Some suppliers offer this as an extra option – you have all sorts of choices from a wall heater to underfloor heating and air conditioning.

Prices

This style of garden office has a wide price bracket. This is because of the different construction methods used and the type  of doors chosen. We have been reviewing the market and we have found the starting price to be around £7,900 inc VAT for a redwood clad example with upvc French doors. Thermowood clad options with upvc French doors start at about £9,000 inc VAT with house quality SIP’s versions costing about £12,000 inc VAT. We have found that cedar clad options with French doors start at about £ £10,300 inc VAT. Top spec cedar clad designs with aluminium French doors come in around £16,000 including VAT.

Any upgrade options you choose will have an effect on the final price. Depending on the supplier you may also need to factor in a delivery charge. This is normally priced per mile distance between you and the suppliers workshop.

On top of the purchase price you will also have the cost of connecting the garden offices electrics to the mains supply.

This article is part of our garden office tours series. In this series we are looking at popular sizes and styles of garden office. We look at their main features and how you can tailor the design to your own tastes.

In this tour we are looking at a 2.5m x 2.5m cube style garden office with corner glazing. This style of garden office has become popular because of its compact size, yet it doesn’t compromise on design features.

This is a lengthy article, if you want to skip to a particular section click the links below:

• Overview
• Key features
• Ways to personalise the design
• Typical construction
• Prices

Overview

The 2.5m x 2.5m cube style garden office with corner glazing is popular because it is perhaps the smallest garden office design that still creates a comfortable spacious place to work. This garden office is about the size of a small bedroom.

This size of garden office is similar to a small bedroom

This style of garden office is also popular because it is 2.5m high which means it offers the greatest flexibility when it comes to positioning it in your garden under Permitted Development rules.

Garden office suppliers have interpreted this design in different ways. The key things that tie this style together are the cubist form and the glazing situated at the corner of the room.

There are three key interpretations of this building. One has timber cladded walls – normally cedar that wrap around the building with one corner finished in upvc which incorporates the door and window – higher spec versions might finish this section in aluminium.

With this variation the cladding wraps around the building

Another design makes use of cladding panels. The four corners of the building are finished in coloured upvc or aluminium with cedar cladding inserts. This design makes a real feature of the cladding.

Another option features coloured corner columns with cladding inserts

The final variation we see emphasises the cubist form of the building. With this design the two outward facing walls tend to be inset creating a frame around them. The door and window sections are positioned within these inset walls with a panel of cladding beside.

The walls are slightly inset making a feature of the frame.

Key features

Thanks to the positioning of the glazing you have maximum wall space in this design for arranging furniture. To illustrate this we have added a good sized desk and an Ikea bookcase and this still leaves room to move around. The door on this style of garden office normally opens outwards so as not to encroach on your valuable floor space.

We have added a good size desk and Ikea bookcase to the room, it still leaves space to move around.

Internally this garden office has the feel of a proper room. Depending on the specification level you choose this may mean that the room has been fully plastered and decorated. Middle of the road designs might have a decorative  wall board which comes in neutral colour finishes. The cheapest designs are often finished in a painted MDF.

The garden office will be pre-wired electrically with sockets and lights. As standard you will be offered 2 to 4 double power sockets, but you can normally increase this number as an upgrade. The type of lighting will depend on the construction system used. If the office has been built using a traditional timber frame or SIP’s then recessed downlights are an option. Many examples of this style of garden office are designed to make use of an insulated roofing sheet. Using this type of roofing means that surface mounted spotlights or track lights have to be used.

Track lighting is often used in this style of garden office.

Check the specification to see if a heater is included in the design. Not all suppliers include them, but our experience tells us that you will be pleased to have one on the coldest days of the year.

Ways to personalise the design

Your main design choices with this style of garden office are the exterior form and finish of the building as we discussed earlier. You will also want to think about the positioning of the door so that it makes your access easy.

You will also have choices over the internal finishes, the number of power sockets and whether you want to include things like blinds at the doors and windows.

You will have choices about the external finishes and where the door is positioned.

Typical construction

This style of garden office can be constructed in different ways. The choice will depend on your suppliers preferred building system and how much you are spending.

House quality timber frames and SIP’s are popular. They create a very sturdy frame and are highly insulated. These house quality building systems sit at the more expensive end of the market.

Some suppliers have created their own versions of these building systems. They incorporate all the key elements in a pared down form – they tend to use narrower sections of material creating a thinner wall which has the advantage of creating more floor space. The designers of these building systems have created them to be material efficient and quick to install. As a result garden offices built in this way are competitively priced.

The doors and windows used in this style of garden office are house quality. In most cases they are finished in upvc but higher spec designs might feature aluminium doors and windows. These doors are double glazed and the glass will be toughened for safety. The door will feature a multi point locking system for maximum security.

House quality doors and windows are used.

The cladding plays a key role in this design. The cheapest designs are finished in pressure treated redwood. This has a very knotty appearance but it can be stained or painted. Middle of the road designs are finished in Thermowood which can be left to weather to silver or painted. The most popular option is cedar cladding as it has a natural durability. Cedar starts out a reddish brown colour but will weather to silver if left untreated.

Prices

Looking at the market this style of garden office is currently costing between £6,500 and £8,500 inclusive of VAT. If house quality SIP’s are used we have noticed the price rise to around £11,000.

Your choice of exterior cladding will play a part in the final cost. Pressure treated redwood cladding is normally the cheapest option. Thermowood sits in the middle of the price range whilst cedar clad designs are the most expensive.

Some suppliers will charge delivery on top of the cost of the building, this is normally based on the distance between you and the suppliers workshop.

Another cost you need to factor in is the connection of the garden offices electrics to the mains supply in your house.