26/08/2026
A garden room is one of the most-wanted upgrades this year, and it's easy to see why: a quiet office or studio at the end of the garden, without the disruption of extending the house.
But there's a real gap between the flat-pack shed and a room you'll actually use in January. A budget build tends to start around £12,000–£18,500. A mid-range, properly insulated room, professionally installed, is more like £25,000–£35,000 — roughly £1,200–£2,500 per square metre depending on glazing and insulation.
The trade-offs, plainly: a garden room usually adds less resale value than an equivalent extension, and a cheap one won't be warm enough to use year-round without proper insulation. But it's faster and far less disruptive. Many fall under permitted development and need no planning — single-storey, low eaves, not used as separate living accommodation — though conservation areas and boundary distances can change that, so it's worth checking before you commit.
Getting the size, glazing and position right is where a bit of design thinking pays for itself. Wondering if yours would work — and what it'd cost? See if your project's feasible with our free tool — link in bio.
