Permanent, fully insulated garden offices, rooms and studios — built to be worked in all year, not a summer house that sits empty by October. Proper foundations, an insulated envelope, heating, power, data and a full interior fit-out, designed and built by one team under one fixed-price contract, usually within permitted development.
Working from home has made the garden office one of the most wanted additions to a London home — and one of the most uneven in quality. At one end are flat-pack cabins dressed up as offices: single-skin walls, token insulation, a roof that bakes in summer and a floor that is cold by November. At the other is a properly engineered, fully insulated building that you can work in comfortably every day of the year, that holds its value, and that looks like it belongs in the garden. This page is for the latter.
A garden office, garden room or garden studio from us is a permanent building, not a product wheeled in on a trailer. It has real foundations, an insulated floor, wall and roof envelope, double or triple glazing, heating and cooling, full power and data, and an interior finished to the standard of a room in the house. Whether you need a quiet office for video calls, a studio for creative work, a gym, a treatment room or a flexible space that does several jobs, we design and build it around the use you actually have in mind.
Because we are a design-and-build contractor, the whole thing comes from one team under one fixed-price contract — the groundworks, the structure, the services run from the house, and the fit-out. There is no separating “the cabin supplier” from “the electrician” from “the groundworker”; we are responsible for all of it, including getting power and (where you want it) water cleanly across the garden and connected.
Most garden offices can be built under Permitted Development, which keeps the process simple, though the rules on height, position and use matter and are easy to fall foul of. We check your specific garden, advise on the most likely route, and manage any planning application if one is needed. Where you actually need self-contained accommodation for family rather than an office, that is a granny annexe, which we also build — we will tell you honestly which your plans require.
We build garden offices and studios across NW3, NW8, NW11, N6 and SW London — in long terraced gardens, behind semis and in larger plots — each engineered for the ground it sits on and finished to match how it will be used.
The structure is the same high standard; the fit-out and services are designed around what you will actually do in it.
A quiet, well-lit, well-connected room for focused work and video calls — separate from the house, with no commute and no spare bedroom sacrificed. The most-requested use, and the one we optimise for acoustics and daylight.
A light-filled studio for art, music, design or making — with the glazing, power and (for music) acoustic treatment the work needs. Larger glazing and considered north or roof light for consistent daylight.
A reinforced floor for equipment, robust ventilation, mirrors, and the power and cooling a workout space needs. A dedicated gym that keeps the kit out of a bedroom and is ready whenever you are.
An office or studio with its own WC, shower and kitchenette — so you do not need to traipse back to the house, and the building works as a true self-sufficient space for long days or guests.
A calm, private room for treatments, consultations or therapy — with appropriate access, a WC, gentle lighting and the discretion a separate garden building provides. Popular with practitioners working from home.
A room that does several jobs — office by day, guest space, playroom or hobby room — with the layout, storage and services to switch between them. The all-rounder for families who want flexible extra space.
A year-round garden building is a proper construction project. Every element below is delivered and warranted under one fixed-price agreement.
Site clearance and an engineered foundation matched to your ground — insulated concrete raft, ground screws or mini-piles — assessed against soil, drainage and any nearby trees, so the building never settles, cracks or twists.
A robust timber or steel frame engineered to last decades, not seasons — with a breathable, weatherproof build-up and a roof designed for proper drainage and (where you want it) a green or sedum finish.
Insulation in the floor, walls and roof to meet or exceed Building Regulations, with an airtight, draught-free construction — the single biggest factor in whether the room is usable in winter and cool in summer.
Double or triple-glazed windows and sliding or bi-fold doors, positioned for light, view and privacy, with solar control where the building faces the sun — bringing the garden in without overheating the room.
External cladding in timber, composite or render to suit your garden and any planning context, with a durable, well-detailed roof — the finish that decides whether the building looks designed or like a kit.
A dedicated armoured supply from the house, NICEIC-certified circuits, LED lighting, ample sockets with USB, and hard-wired data or a Wi-Fi access point — a reliable connection that holds up on video calls.
An air-source heat pump that both heats and cools efficiently, or controlled electric panel heating — so the room is warm within minutes on a cold morning and comfortable on the hottest afternoon.
Where you want a WC, shower or kitchenette, the drainage connection, water supply and fittings — planned early, because drainage across a garden is far easier designed in than added later.
Plastered or panelled walls, quality flooring, built-in joinery and storage, and decoration to the standard of a room in the house — not bare ply and a strip light.
The path, terrace or steps connecting the building to the house, and making-good of the garden around it — so the office is integrated into the garden, not marooned across a muddy lawn.
We check whether your build is Permitted Development and, where it is not, prepare and manage the planning application — plus a Lawful Development Certificate where it confirms the build is lawful for the future.
A two-stage snag, commissioning of the heating and electrics, a 12-month defects period, a 10-year workmanship warranty and a six-month service visit.
The difference between a year-round room and an expensive shed comes down to six things — all decided before the first board goes up.
An engineered base matched to the ground and trees, so the building does not settle or twist. The invisible part that, skimped, causes doors to jam and frames to crack within a couple of winters.
Insulation in floor, walls and roof with an airtight build-up — the reason a proper garden office is comfortable in January, where a single-skin cabin is unusable for half the year.
Double or triple glazing positioned and specified for light without overheating — a south-facing glass box bakes in summer unless the glazing and shading are designed properly.
A heat pump or good electric heating with proper controls, so the room reaches temperature fast and runs efficiently — comfort you will use, not a heater you fight with.
A dedicated power supply and hard-wired or strong wireless data — because a garden office is only useful if the laptop charges and the video call holds.
An interior finished to the standard of the house — plaster, good flooring, built-in storage — so it feels like a room you want to spend the day in, not a workshop.
A garden building is a contained project, but it rewards the same disciplined process as any of our work.
We discuss what you want the building to do, where it should sit, and your budget — at your home so we can see the garden. No charge, no obligation.
A survey of the garden, ground conditions, drainage, trees and access, plus the route for power and any water — the basis for the foundation design and a firm price.
The size, layout, glazing and external finish developed and presented with a 3D view, refined with you, and checked against Permitted Development limits.
A Lawful Development Certificate where the build is Permitted Development, or a full planning application where it is not — prepared and managed by us.
Site clearance, drainage and services trenching, and the engineered foundation laid and cured — the platform everything else depends on.
Frame, insulation, cladding, roof, glazing and doors, then first fix, plaster, second fix, heating, flooring and decoration. Weekly updates throughout.
Heating and electrics commissioned, the path and landscaping completed, a joint snagging walk and handover of your finished building.
A 12-month defects period, a six-month service visit and a 10-year workmanship warranty.
What a garden office costs depends on size, glazing, services and finish. Here is how our four tiers differ.
For a representative high-end garden studio at around £55,000, here is the honest breakdown of where every pound is spent.
A year-round garden building is built to the same principles as a house. Here is what is designed and installed.
Most garden offices can be built without a full planning application — but the rules are specific, and getting them wrong is costly.
A garden office is usually treated as an outbuilding, and outbuildings often fall under Permitted Development — meaning no full planning application is needed — provided they meet the conditions: single-storey, incidental to the enjoyment of the house, within height limits (generally 2.5m where within 2m of a boundary, otherwise up to 3m for a flat roof or 4m for a dual-pitched roof), and not covering more than 50% of the garden. We design within these limits where you want to keep it simple.
Permission is usually required in a Conservation Area or for a Listed building, where Permitted Development is restricted; if you exceed the size or height limits; or — importantly — if the building is to be used as self-contained living accommodation rather than a workspace incidental to the house. That last point is the one people most often get wrong: a garden office is an office; a place for family to live is a granny annexe, which needs planning permission and is assessed differently.
We check your specific garden, advise on the route, and obtain a Lawful Development Certificate where the build is Permitted Development — which is well worth having to prove the building is lawful when you come to sell — or prepare and manage a full planning application where one is needed. For an early budget, use the cost calculator, and see our garden rooms & outbuildings page for the wider range.
A representative programme for an insulated garden studio with a shower. Yours will differ by size and access, but this is what a properly run build looks like.
There is a wide gulf between a flat-pack cabin and a building you work in for years. Here is what ours gives you.
Real foundations, a full insulated envelope and proper services — a permanent building, not a product on a base.
Groundworks, structure, services from the house and fit-out under one fixed-price contract — no separate cabin supplier and electrician to coordinate.
Designed for January and July alike — insulation, glazing and heat-pump heating and cooling that make it genuinely usable every day.
We confirm Permitted Development, obtain a Lawful Development Certificate, or manage a full application — so the build is lawful and future-proof.
Our core trades are PAYE staff — continuity of standard, not a rotating crew.
Professional indemnity and public liability at £10M, well above industry standard.
A dedicated supply and wired data — designed for working, not just lighting a room.
An insurance-backed workmanship warranty protecting the building long after completion.
A garden office is one way to add space. Start here, or speak to us about the alternatives.
The wider range of garden buildings we design and build, for every use.
Light-filled studio buildings for creative and flexible use.
Our installation process for insulated, serviced garden rooms.
Creating a home office inside the house — a room, a loft or a garage.
Self-contained accommodation for family — the route when you need living space, not an office.
An office in the roof — the indoor alternative to a garden building.
Adding the space within the house footprint where the garden is precious.
A garden office as part of a wider whole-house renovation.
Comparable projects and finishing standards across our work. Browse the case-study hub and the wider portfolio, and for advice on the right space-gain for your home, contact us.
The full range of insulated, serviced garden buildings we design and build.
Explore →Real projects with real budgets, planning context and finishing standards.
View hub →Light-filled studio buildings for creative, flexible use.
Explore →Browse the full portfolio of buildings, extensions and renovations across London.
View portfolio →“I would like to thank Ross and his team for their consistent commitment to quality and their unerring reliability. They delivered our property to specification and on time, proving to be an extremely effective, experienced, and proactive contractor.”
“We have worked with Ross and his company many times. They are extremely professional and hardworking individuals who can work under any circumstances. There was no variation to the works.”
Book a no-obligation consultation at our Finchley Road design studio or in your home. The first meeting is free, lasts 60–90 minutes, and concludes with an honest indication of feasibility, programme and budget band. No salespeople. No pressure.
Site visit · feasibility assessment · outline cost estimate · programme indication. No obligation. Saturday appointments available.