Why Are Garden Rooms so Expensive in the UK?
In this article, we are going to uncover the truth about garden rooms and their cost. What makes garden rooms so expensive and are they even expensive compared to other space-adding options you can have for your property? These are just a couple of the questions that we will answer together with a look at the factors that affect garden room prices.
Factors Influencing Garden Room Costs
The reality is that garden rooms are one of the cheaper options if you want to add space to your property without moving house. Building extensions typically cost £30,000 upwards, while loft conversions can cost a similar amount.
Conservatories are probably the cheapest option but can cost as much as a garden room and are not as flexible or usable all year round. So, yes, garden rooms may seem expensive, but comparatively, they are one of the better choices. Below I take a look at the different factors that can affect your garden room cost.
High-Quality Materials
Premium-quality garden rooms use high-quality materials including timber, cladding, insulation, doors and windows, and roof.
These are not bog-standard grade items that you will find a BNQ or your local DIY store. To make sure that your garden room will last and withstand the weather, high-quality materials are essential. Although these cost more, they have the benefit of allowing you to enjoy your garden room for decades.
Size and Design Complexity
Simply put, the larger your garden room is, the more expensive it gets. This is a no-brainer – larger garden rooms require more materials and more labour and these extra costs have to be covered somewhere.
The design complexity can also ramp the price up for example if you want more windows and doors, or an angled ceiling, or multiple rooms, for example. Basically, anything additional from the standard “off the shelf” garden room design will increase the cost.
Skilled Labour
Garden rooms don’t make themselves! Someone has to build it and in the UK, labour costs are often one of the biggest factors involved in any project. Skilled labour is at a premium so the more work involved in building and customizing your garden room, the more it costs.
There are multiple stages that involve labour too. For example, the materials to construct the garden room have to be good to size and machined so they are suitable for use. Next, there is the actual construction of the garden room which is either done in the showroom premises or on-site.
Either way, unless you are going to build the garden room yourself (I don’t advocate this!), you have to pay for the skilled labour.
Transportation
It is common practice for your garden room to be built off-site and transported to your house as a complete unit. It is then usually lifted into position on the base via a hiab loader crane fixed onto the delivery lorry.
Oftentimes the company will work with a third-party haulage firm who are responsible for deliveries. The hiab crane is usually an additional premium and obviously, the company has to cover their fuel and driver expenses.
The transportation cost is also highly dependent on your location relative to the garden room showroom. Oftentimes companies use a band method with specific regions in the UK having fixed delivery rates for garden rooms.
Site Preparation
Lastly, there is an element of site preparation that must be accounted for. To house a garden room properly, you need an appropriate flat piece of stable land. It might transpire that you need a space clearing in your garden including the removal of soil and rubble.
Even if you have a flat surface, garden rooms require a solid base to be installed on. This can be a sturdy timber base or something more durable like a concrete slab. These obviously are extra costs that must be accounted for.
Why You Shouldn’t Try to Save on a Garden Room
Hopefully, you now have an understanding of the cost of garden rooms and why they may appear expensive. I want to reiterate that they are one of the cheapest options for home extensions too and compared to a building extension or loft conversion, you will save a fortune.
Also, it’s important to understand the implications of trying to save money on a garden room and “do it on the cheap”. I get that it’s tempting to try and cut corners or opt for basic options with no extras but ultimately, this reduces the longevity and ROI of the garden room.
It’s far more wise to spend that little extra cash initially to get a better quality garden room that will last for years. The alternative is cheaping out and potentially having to replace your garden room much sooner, or even pay for expensive repairs and maintenance.
