Things to check before building a garden room

1. Planning permission

There is a grey area when it comes to planning permission. Garden rooms usually fall within permitted development rights, so don’t require planning permission, as long as they are used for purposes “incidental to the house”. This means that using the space to work from home is allowed, as is using it as a snug or games room, but running an extensive office in such a building may cross the line.

To fall under PDR, garden rooms must also be a single storey and less than 8ft 2in in height. There are rules about how much of the garden it can take up too, so do your research.

If you live in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or want to build on the curtilage of a listed property, check the rules carefully, as you may have to get planning permission.

2. Your budget

Ms Saxon, 29, a chartered surveyor, said: “Tim and I bought the house two years ago, for about £695,000, and have renovated it ourselves to save money.” She lives with Mr Saxon, 27, a solicitor, and his girlfriend, Isy Reid, 29, who is halfway through her architectural training at Emrys, as well as two more housemates.