How to make the most of outside space

For those that want to make the most of their gardens there are lots of different options for you to consider.
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With many of us now working from home, there has been a rise in people searching for garden rooms or outside offices.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, search data revealed by Daily Business Magazine online that the term ‘garden office shed’ increased by 200 per cent and ‘garden office pod’ by 180 per cent.

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The appeal of garden rooms is that they are quick and easy to build, taking as little as two days to install. In most cases they don’t need planning permission, but make sure you check before you start any work just in case.

There are lots of options for outdoor buildings.There are lots of options for outdoor buildings.
There are lots of options for outdoor buildings.

Garden rooms are also seen as a good investment and can potentially add up to five per cent, or 1.5 times build cost, to the value of your home.

If you have the space summerhouses are popular and can also be used in various ways, while a shed is most often used as a storage space.

Summerhouses provide a versatile outside space. A summerhouse can be an office, an ideal space for entertaining or a breakout space for teenagers.

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Depending on the size it can be also be as guest accommodation or a home gym.

Sheds are usually smaller and provide storage solutions for your gardening equipment and bikes.

If you want something as a shelter outside but not something too domineering in size, there are options.

A pergola is an outside structure consisting of columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters.

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The roof can be open or slightly covered if you want shelter from the weather. Many people use pergolas to grow things on so it truly becomes part of the garden. Pergolas may be freestanding or attached to a house.

An arbour is smaller in scale and frequently has curved arches. They are often freestanding and seen as more decorative than pergolas, which are larger in scale. An arbour is a vertical structure that can provide shelter, privacy, shade, and serve as an decorative feature.

If you like the idea of a pergola but want something that you can use all year round, you may want to invest in a gazebo.

There are a number of gazebos on the market – some are permanently fixed whereas others you can take up and down when you need to.

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A gazebo or a pavilion offer full coverage from the rain and sun, while a pergola allows for sun to shine through the slatted roof and provides partial shelter.

There are lots of things you can do in the garden and much of it will be down to time, money and space, while also taking into consideration what you need it to do.

Need storage? Try a shed. Looking for somewhere away from the house you can work from home? Then a summerhouse or garden room. Want shade outside? Pergola or gazebo.

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