This is a collaborative post
If you are looking at getting a garden room for your home then there are so many things to consider from whether you need planning permission to what you will use it for and if it needs electricity!
Budget what you can afford
Whilst you might want a huge garden room with a swimming pool or hot tub and the latest Alexa-controlled lighting for a home bar. Is this something you actually can afford? There are two things to consider when you are looking at your budget.
Firstly any savings you have available to put towards this project or any money you could have access to easily such as selling anything you have or expected income from overtime at work etc.
Secondly, look at your borrowing options. The first port of call should be any low-interest-rate borrowing you have available. If there really are no other options then look at higher interest rate borrowing or secured borrowing where you borrow money alongside your mortgage or use your house as the guarantee. Lending like this is risky as if you do not keep up payments your house could be at risk.
Unsecured lending options are definitely the better option unless you really need your garden room and really have no other options.
A garden room or garden shed
One really important thing to consider when looking at the budget you have for your garden room is whether you want a building with its own electricity, insulation, heater etc or simply a shed with somewhere to sit inside and where the shed sits on the base of paving slabs.
The former, a garden room will cost you significantly more with prices in the tens of thousands depending on the sizes you want. A garden room like this is likely to be fixed securely into the ground and take weeks to complete. The uses for a garden room like this are vast and it does literally become another room of your home.
The latter, a garden shed is perfect if you only want to use the building in the summer and have a smaller budget. Remember that with the smaller cost, you will also get less for your money. The building will likely not last as long and won’t have insulation, be secured or concreted into the ground and is likely to be less bespoke.
Paying for your garden room and choosing a supplier
When you have the budget sorted the next thing you need to do is to choose a supplier and pay for your building. Here are a few things to be aware of and consider.
Pay by credit card if under £30,000 to get some security that you won’t lose your money. With this even if you only pay £1 on your credit card the credit card company becomes jointly responsible so if the company takes your money and doesn’t deliver you can get money back from the credit card company. This is called Section 75 protection.
Check the company you choose with companies house and online to ensure they are genuine and have good reviews.
Never pay in cash or bank transfer if you can as there are fewer guarantees that way and you have less security.
Do not pay the final balance until the work is complete to ensure that you are happy with it. It is easier to refuse to pay the full balance than it is to get a refund!
