Here at OGEL one of the first questions we get asked after establishing the improvement that a garden room brings to through its variety of uses is “will it add value to my house?”
The short answer we’re glad to say is yes.
There’s been a growing global trend in the UK to want to get full use of the garden all year round and not just in the summer. After all, the footprint of your garden is normally the same as your home.
The advantage of a garden room, particularly an insulated one, is that it is out of the elements so can be used on the coldest and rainiest of days, but it is not part of the house so has a different ‘feel’ to the main dwelling. So whether it’s peace and quiet away from the throng of the family kitchen/diner, or ridding the house of those noisy computer gaming teenagers, you can have the best of all worlds.
We’ll explore exactly how garden rooms increase property value in this article.
How can a garden room add value to a property?
Garden rooms can add value to your property as they provide you with more dedicated space for a wide range of uses.
From a garden office, providing you a dedicated work space, whilst providing a distinct separation between home life and work life.
A garden room can add extra leisure space, allowing you a room to relax and looking out on your garden with different sights and sounds compared to your house.
Whatever the reason, if it’s adding value to your life now, then it will increase the sale value of your property when you do come to sell.
Here are some key ways that garden rooms can increase property value:
Increased floor space
Much in the same way as a 3 bedroom house is generally more expensive than a 2 bedroom house in the same location. A house with a garden room will have additional square footage that doesn’t require a lot of thinking about.
Check out our guide on if you can sleep in a garden room if you’re thinking about using one as a bedroom.
A real world example…
Emily contacted OGEL as she had a growing family with all the ‘stuff’ that comes with it… bikes, toys, DIY materials etc. Our solution was a garden storage room to the side of the house that took all the clutter out of the house into an easy to use (and find!) place that returned the house to a home.
Attract buyers who work from home
Covid-19 changed the world in so many ways. Perhaps the biggest being the ability to be able to work from home. The term ‘hybrid worker’ didn’t really exist before 2020!!
The big disadvantage of ‘WFH’ is where do you do it and when?
A spare bedroom – Do you have the space to spare in the first place? And if you do then do you have to pack everything away when you finish work to turn it back into a bedroom?
Work-life/home life separation – It’s a very difficult thing to partition different elements of your life when your work laptop is on your dining table.
A Garden Office provides the perfect space to work from home, without blending your work life and homelife.
A real world example…
David reached out to OGEL as he was having his garden landscaped and wanted a garden office to work from 2 or 3 days a week to avoid the commute into central Cardiff.
Given that his journey to work is now 15 seconds and not 40 mins, it is now “the best commute in the world.
With the ability to close the door on work and not have it impact my home life which was the case when I worked from my back bedroom.”
Adds a ‘wow’ factor to the property
Put in the right location, an additional recreation space becomes the ‘jewel in the crown’ of your garden offering something completely different from your main home. When guests come over on a summer’s day, it enables you to entertain them in a controlled environment, whilst still being close to nature. And if it does start raining, you can enjoy the garden without having to decamp to the main house.
A real world example…
Paul had a spacious garden but wanted to use it all year round. “I spend a lot of time working on my garden but surprisingly little time in my garden actually enjoying the fruits of my labour, so to speak. We figured a garden lounge would be the way forward with bi-fold doors that open to let the sights, sounds and smells of the garden in… and they can be quickly closed if the weather turns inclement.”
If his OGEL garden room adds value to Paul’s life then prospective buyers are also going to picture themselves enjoying themselves in a similar way.
Attracts fitness fans
Keeping fit is something that we’re all encouraged to do and enjoying the benefits of a disciplined exercise regime is a benefit of that hard work. But let’s be honest, going to the gym isn’t at the top of most people’s ‘fun’ activity lists. With an OGEL garden room fitted out to be a home fitness centre, you can enjoy all the exercise benefits with the time savings of not having to travel. Your garden gym allows you to train on your time.
A real world example…
Dave struggled to find someone who was able to bring his home gym and chill out space to life.
“I had an awkward space in the garden that couldn’t be built on conventionally for a variety of reasons, the OGEL pod – adapted to meet my requirements – has made a huge difference and I’m training at home but not actually in my house. It’s a huge win/win.”
According to PureGym 14% of the UK population use a gym, so, when you come to sell your home, that’s a lot of people who’ll be tempted by the idea of exercising at home and a major USP for your property.
Great for hobbyists
People with creative hobbies have many problems when it comes to enjoying their pursuit.
Common questions will often include…
“Have I got the space? Do I need to pack everything away when I’m not being creative? Is the environment right? Am I too easily distracted by sights, sounds and smells?”
An OGEL garden room hobby space offers solutions to all these problems… and more.
A real world example…
Christine’s passion is creating stained glass but she wanted to do more from home rather than from her rented space.
“Working in glass I have to be very careful for health and safety reasons but myself and my partner have dogs so we want to spend time with them. Working from a dining room table isn’t an option so having a room in the garden seemed the ideal solution. My OGEL garden room gives me all the benefits of being at home, yet I can work safely and know when I close the door that the hounds are not at risk.”
According to AYTM, 24% of the UK population engage in hobbies. So when it comes to selling your property, having a dedicated hobby garden space is going to be a strong selling point.
How much value does a garden office actually add?
According to Halifax, a garden room can add up to 5% to the value of your home.) This can be 1.5 times the amount of actual construction costs. This figure will vary depending on factors such as location, quality of build and materials used.
A real world example…
One of our customers, Leanne, was looking to sell her property and had planned to dismantle her OGEL pod and move it with her.
“When the buyer found out we had plans to take our OGEL garden room with us, they upped their offer… which meant we would have made £5,000 profit on the sale.”
Factors that affect how much value a garden room will add
When it comes to adding to the value or your property, a number of factors that require careful consideration come into play.
The property type
Having the wrong type of garden building for a property will not add to the value of your home and could potentially devalue it. For example, will an OGEL office pod benefit an elderly couple’s bungalow? Probably not. But a garden room fitted out to be a second lounge with a nice view will.
Garden size
One of the planning considerations that must be considered when building a garden room is that it must not be more than 50% of the outdoor space available.
Relative garden room size
Similar to the garden size. If you put a large OGEL garden building in the garden of a small 2 bedroom semi-detached, whilst the outdoor space will add value, it won’t necessarily make back the cost of the original purchase as the demographic for that kind of property (eg a couple with young child) will most likely value actual outdoor space over the additional room.
Garden room condition
Most garden rooms are made of wood. is a great and easy to use material, but has one big disadvantage. Wood is organic and therefore rots, usually from the ground upwards. This makes a wooden garden room harder to maintain, more importantly, from a property perspective, it is liable to detract from and not add to the value of your home!
The big advantage to an OGEL garden room is that it’s made from plastic, meaning it’ll NEVER rot and will always hold its value.
Why is a garden room such an attractive feature?
As already highlighted above, there may be some disadvantages in adding a garden room to your property, but the advantages, as a rule, far outweigh them. For example:
- Flexibility of use
- Flexibility of positioning
- Cost (relative to many other forms of construction)
- Speed of construction
- Inconvenience during the construction process
- Lower planning permission requirements and building regulations
So in conclusion “will a garden room add value to my home?” The answer?
Yes… probably. But give serious consideration to the pros and cons and make sure you use a reputable company.
If you’d like to discuss your garden room options in greater detail, you can contact us at sales@ogelworld.com or 0800 056 0078.
FAQs
The short answer is no. But there are a number of specialist finance companies who are happy to help in this area. Speak to us and we can put you in touch.
The short answer is… it depends what you want. Our garden rooms begin at £8,500 for the cost-effective Solo pod building design and rise to £45,000 for our golf simulator buildings.
For more details on the cost of garden rooms and what is included, refer to our comprehensive guide.
David Smith at Browns Estate Agents, an expert in this area, says it best… “The pandemic has significantly impacted the priorities of homebuyers and with widespread remote working, home offices have become a crucial consideration for many prospective buyers.”
David notes that having a garden office detached from the main house can be a deciding factor in property deals. He says, “Daily commutes have diminished. That’s a demonstrable fact. But the desire for a structured separation between home and work life remains. A garden room provides both the physical and mental distance necessary for maintaining this distinction.”
OGEL garden rooms are fully insulated, ensuring year-round use, even in the coldest months. The construction methods and materials mirror those used in modern home building, making your garden room feel more like a detached extension of your home than an outbuilding.
OGEL provides a garden room of superior construction, backed by an extensive 10-year guarantee. Our guarantee is structured similarly to what you would expect for a new-build home. The buildings are specifically designed for a 40-year lifespan, incorporating standard materials that are entirely maintenance-free.
As a rule, garden rooms do not require planning permission as they are classed as ‘outbuildings’ and therefore fall under permitted development rights, allowing for construction without the need for council intervention. While some regions – such as national parks – may have specific restrictions on permitted development, OGEL can usually manage the application process on your behalf, alleviating any additional concerns for you.
Yes, a garden room makes for a good investment. It will help increase the property value. It also will allow you more space to improve your quality of life.
Homeowners looking to expand their living space may find that adding a garden room is a less intrusive and more cost-effective option compared to converting the loft or garage.
Opting for a reputable company like OGEL ensures compliance with local planning regulations. Furthermore, in the future, if you wish to repurpose the room from an office into a guest annex, you can trust that an OGEL structure is well-suited for such adaptations.
On average, a garden room can add approximately 1.5 times the cost of the build and installation of the garden room to your overall property value. Additionally, the importance of considering the convenience value for homeowners plays a significant role.
