Garden Offices Can Transform Your House And Freshen Up The Garden

"There is a corner of the garden that is forever unloved," says Guy Henderson, echoing Rupert Brooke and betraying his roots as an English teacher. And When Henderson left teaching and set up his own business designing educational software, it was towards the unloved corner ("resembling a mini council tip") that he looked to in order to solve the issue of where to work. 

Determined to cut overheads, Henderson was resolved to work from home but, with four teenagers creating a never-ending whirl of activity around him, the question was: 'Where?' 

"I thought about a loft conversion," he explains, "but the time it would have taken and the sheer upheaval, not to mention the expense," meant he became one of a growing number of people who started looking into building offices in their garden. Henderson contacted one of the specialist installers of this latest trend in urban living. A fortnight later, he had his own dedicated office in that 'unloved corner': lined, insulated, double-glazed and spacious. "This place has changed my life", he says of the wooden structure which also boasts a shower-room and doubles as an overspill bedroom when guests come to stay. 

The dank old sheds we remember from our childhoods bear no relation to the timber garden buildings of today. Usable 365 days of the year, they are a contemporary solution to the need for extra space which can add up to 20% to the value of your home. Another plus if your office is intended for serious work, is that they are away from the noise and chaos of the main house. 

Coming in off-the-peg versions or bespoke designs customised to your needs, your plans are not constrained by the size of your roof space like in a loft conversion. Besides work areas, the rooms may become therapy rooms, gyms, kids play rooms, home cinemas, games rooms or simply as a space to relax and entertain friends in the summer. 

For Henderson, the transformation of that unloved corner has not only given him the "perfect working space" but also improved the whole look of the garden. Landscaping work subsequent to the build, also carried out by installers Bakers' Timber, has created a patio/barbecue area which has, according to Henderson, turned the formerly unloved corner into the most popular zone of the house. 

To not only make your house more flexible when it comes to working from home, you'll be amazed what building in your garden can do for you and your family. Your new garden space can be multi-functional, so it can be your office as well as your own gym, hobby room, jacuzzi, spare room, or anthing else that takes your fancy!

For more ideas, look at www.BakersTinber.co.uk.