In most cases, garden rooms and garden offices don’t require planning permission. This makes them a great choice for anyone who wants a hassle-free way to create a bespoke home office, guest bedroom or simply gain some extra living space.
Depending on their size they do have to take account of building regulations. These are relatively straightforward, however, and rarely present any problems.
How do you ensure your new garden room/office is compliant with building regulations?
The differences between planning and building regulations
Planning Permission, Permitted Development and Building Regulations are often confused. Planning regulations are concerned with the positioning and size of a garden office and how it might impact on the immediate environment, whereas the building regulations deal with how a garden room is built.
Garden room size
According to the Planning Portal, garden rooms are classed as outbuildings when it comes to Building Regulations. If the floor area of your garden room is less than 15 square metres and doesn’t contain sleeping accommodation, then it won’t need to comply with building regulations.
If the floor space of the garden room is between 15 and 30 square metres. then you will not usually need to apply for Building Regulations approval unless it contains sleeping accommodation. It will also need to be at least one metre from any boundary and be substantially constructed of non-combustible materials.
Garden rooms with floor space larger than 30 square metres will always need to comply with Building Regulations.
Electrics
The electrics in every garden will need to comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. This states that anyone carrying out an electrical installation in the home must make sure that the work is installed and designed to protect people from electric shocks and fires.
Garden rooms are usually pre-wired with lighting and sockets. It will also have its own consumer unit that will need to be connected to the mains supply in your home by a properly qualified electrician. An armoured cable will be run from your home to the garden room/office from the house. The electrician will then comprehensively test the system, checking for faults and any risks. If the electrician is confident the system complies with Part P of the Building Regulations, then a certificate will be issued.
Sleeping accommodation
Because of the extra health and safety risks involved, any garden lodge that contains sleeping accommodation will need to comply with Building Regulations. This is still the case even if it’s only very occasionally used for sleeping, so if you’re planning on creating a garden room guest bedroom it’s something to bear in mind.
Boundaries
If you are trying to maximise space in your garden, you may be tempted to build your garden room close to a boundary wall. Any garden room with a floor space larger than 15 square metres will need to be sited more than a metre from a boundary. There are design modifications that can help you overcome the risk of ‘dead space’ between your garden room and walls. The experienced team at Garden Room Sanctuary will be able to advise about how to site your garden room and any modifications that may be possible.
Shower rooms and toilet facilities
Many homeowners like to have a toilet and even shower facilities fitted into their garden rooms and garden offices. This can make the room more versatile and practical for either a home office or as living accommodation.
As you might expect, where waste, water and drainage connections need to be installed, Building Regulations need to be complied with.
Keep your certificates
Your Building Regulation certificates will be needed when you come to sell your property. Garden Rooms can add value to your home as well as increase its appeal to buyers. Keeping all the associated certification for your garden room safe and easy to find will save you extra work and hassle if you decide to move house.
What to expect
The team at Garden Room Sanctuary are well-versed in building and planning regulations and can help you through the whole process. We will be able to advise about how your bespoke garden room or garden office will need to comply with Building Regulations and ensure that they’re all properly met. The process is relatively simple and shouldn’t stand in the way of creating the perfect garden building for your needs.
Why not contact us to find out how straightforward it can be to have a garden room of your own?