Garden rooms are a beautiful and handy addition to any outdoor space, but before you go hell for leather and build one, stop and read this article to ensure you've taken everything necessary into account first.
There's more to a garden room than simply erecting a 'big shed' and, if part of your garden is going to be sacrificed in order to create this glorious building, at the very least ask your gardener for some advice before you start trampling lovingly planted blooms.
Let us walk you through the seven questions you need to ask yourself before building a new garden room!
There are a myriad of garden room styles to choose from, so don't simply plump for the first one you see. Think about colours, sizes, shapes and actual aesthetics and go from there.
Also, think ahead to the kind of roof you'd prefer!
Do you know the size limitations for a garden room that won't need planning permission?
If not, you need to start researching. There will be boundary issues to take into account, as you have to build a certain distance away from property borders and your main house, so ask experts for help!
You need to think of the garden room as an extension of the main property so aim to keep the styling cohesive and complementary.
At the very least, your colour scheme should be mirrored and select similar windows if possible.
Your garden room will be the main focus of your outdoor space but if you want it to look amazing, it needs to blend with your landscaping.
It can be as simple as choosing a stain colour that will work with the surrounding flora and fauna.
Once you know the planning permission limitations, you can use them to assess exactly how large you want your garden room to be.
Never forget that you will be losing a significant portion of green space, so think about how much you're happy to sacrifice.
Some potted plants or climbers could be a great way to add more natural charm to a brand new garden room.
However, if you want to go all out and make it look like a longstanding part of the space, some pretty borders will never go amiss. The last thing you want to do is leave your garden room standing alone and looking like it doesn't belong!
If you're thinking about adding a garden room to your property, you clearly have an underlying reason, so what is it? Storage? An adults-only chill out space? A yoga studio?
Whatever you want an extra room for, keep that driving force in mind to make sure you don't compromise on the size or style you need.
For more garden inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: These 19 gardens will make you want to improve yours.