How to Plan a Gorgeous Garden Office
Are you dreaming of having a cozy office right in your backyard? If you are, you’ll be happy to hear that getting one is not that difficult, and it doesn’t have to be expensive either.
Working from home is so much easier if you can have a dedicated space that helps you separate your home and work life. A gorgeous garden office is a great way to have some peace and quiet and maximize your productivity during work hours.
How can you make your dream come true? Here are some tips to plan for the garden office of your dreams.
DIY or Professionals?
If you like doing DIY home improvement projects, you might be considering building your own garden office. This is perfectly doable, but it could take some time and skill. Depending on your skill level and experience, you can even decide how much you want to do yourself.
Many suppliers offer garden office kits that provide you with all the necessary parts, so you just need to assemble them yourself. There are also kits that provide only the basic framework, which you can then build on and design as you like.
However, no matter if you want to design your office yourself or get a professional design, you can always enlist the help of professionals to build it. This is the quickest, easiest, and safest solution if you’re not crafty or have no interest in the building process and just want to have that first cup of coffee in your new workspace already.
A professional company will know exactly what to do about the technical details, such as insulation, materials, electrics, etc. Moreover, they can bring your vision to life with ease.
Check the Legal Requirements
Before you get to the fun part of planning your office, its design, and decor, first, you need to check if there are any legal requirements you need to fulfill. Depending on where you live and what kind of building you want, you may need to obtain planning permission.
In the UK and Ireland, outbuildings are usually exempt from planning permits, i.e., they are categorized as permitted development. This is especially true if you’re planning a small office. However, it’s best to check the relevant regulations or get in touch with your local planning authority just to be on the safe side.
Bear in mind that even if you contract a team of professionals to install or build your new garden office, you’re the one responsible for making sure your project is in compliance with the local regulations.
Pick the Right Spot
Before settling for a spot where you’ll build your garden office, think about its purpose. This is the place where you’ll spend hours of your day focused on your work or other activities that require the right conditions.
First, you need peace and quiet, which means it’s best to keep the office away from the street and noisy neighbors if possible. If you have a private, secluded spot behind your house, that could be convenient.
Next, you want to maximize the natural sunlight, without having it directly in your face all day. That’s why you also need to think about the room’s orientation. It’s best to have the windows face north.
Garden offices usually have a lot of windows or huge, wall-to-ceiling windows so that you can enjoy the view. That’s why you can also consider placing it among some greenery, shrubs, and trees, or planting some around it once you build it. After all, it’s called a garden office, so it’s best to make it feel like one.
Build, Insulation, Installations
If you’re looking for the perfect cladding material for your office, it’s smart to go with timber. However, you’d want to avoid pine and other softwoods because the material deteriorates quickly when exposed to the elements.
You might go for Larch, Cedar, or Douglas fir, which are all durable and inexpensive options. Modified wood, such as Kebony, is another great option. Avoid oak and similar woods as they are difficult to work with and expensive.
Of course, you can also go for metal, plastic, or other options.
Next, you want your office to be insulated so that you can be cozy any time of the year. Without insulation, winters will feel like you’re sitting outside. This is also why you should consider getting heating. There are numerous options for heating your garden office, including electric radiators, log-burning stoves, underfloor heating, etc.
If you want your office to be usable, electricity is a must-have. It’s best to make a connection with your home using armored cable buried underground. However, it’s best to let certified electricians handle this part.
Finally, depending on how you want to use the outbuilding, you may also want to have water supply and wastewater management. If you’re lucky, these can also be connected to the systems of your house.
Choosing the Right Interior Design
Your garden office is your safe haven, so you should pay a lot of attention to its interior design. You want the space to feel welcoming and tranquil and motivate you to focus and be productive. Different people find different spaces inviting, so it’s really up to you to design your office.
However, if you’re not sure what theme to choose, you can always go for the main one — a garden. Connecting the inner and outer space will make your room feel like a tiny vacation home somewhere in the woods.
This essentially means comfortable furniture, warm colors, wood, plants, and a lot of thoughtful details, such as artwork, decorative rocks, and figurines, to make the space Pinterest-worthy.
You may also do a one-eighty and make the space minimalistic, austere, and polished if that’s the kind of surrounding that inspires productivity and creativity in you — there are no rules as long as you have everything you need at hand.
If you’ve been dreaming about your garden office for a while now, we’re sure you already have plenty of design and decoration ideas. Hopefully, this article helps you with the practical part as well.
