Help! We need more space

This former outbuilding was converted into a garden room office to blend seemlessly with the rest of the house exterior. Picture Garden Room Designs (Image: Archant)

A playroom, office, a dining room or simply a space to sit and enjoy the garden out of the hot sun – or showers – and wind.

Adding a conservatory, garden room or home office can genuinely add a year round useful extra space to your home.

The key to a usable all year round space, said Mary Harrison, director of Norwich based Garden Room Designs, is insulation.

'Our garden rooms have a solid roof with insulation, orangeries have an insulated flat roof with a roof lantern both built to current building regulations, which enables the room to be a proper extension used every month of the year,' she said, adding that the garden rooms and orangeries are the most popular projects Garden Room Designs build.

Garden rooms and orangeries are available in a variety of different styles and designs. Picture Garden Room Designs (Image: Archant)

'Many customers tell us that they love their new bright, comfortable extensions and spend a lot of time in them,' she said.

Mary said when deciding what additional space you need and the best way to achieve that, an expert's eye can be very worthwhile.

'When we visit a potential customer's home we can come with a fresh outlook, many people already have a good idea what they want and need from an extension and have already thought about how they use their current space and what improvements would benefit them.

'However some find it really helpful to have the input and ideas from a fresh outlook from a company such as ourselves,' she said. A completely separate building, rather than an orangery, conservatory or garden room, can sometimes be the answer too, she added.

A garden room with a solid roof makes for a year round usuable space. Picture Garden Room Designs. (Image: Archant)

'In some circumstances a free standing garden office can be the perfect answer to the current needs of your home. We have built them in small and large gardens. Some people especially if using it as a home office like to have a separate space away from the house, giving them a very short commute. It can fill in an awkward spot in the garden and become a lovely feature.'

There are a variety of different types of designers for those preferring something attached to the house too, from gable conservatories to the lean-to style.

The idea is to consider what you need – a small office, useful dining room, large living space and then consider what you can have designed to suit the space and budget available space – rather than choosing a conservatory and discovering it's not what you need.

For more inspiration, check out the digital edition of Beautiful Homes & Gardens.