There are two important areas you need to consider when building a garden room; planning permission and building regulations.

Do I need planning permission?

Garden Rooms are considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission*, provided all the following conditions are met. At Hawksbeck we will work with you to make sure these are all met;

  • Garden Rooms must be single storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of 4 metres with a dual pitched roof, or 3 metres in any other case.
  • If the Garden Room is within 2 metres of the property boundary the whole building needs to be less than 2.5 metres high.
  • You can build up to 50% of the area of all your garden.
  • The area of your garden is all your land except the part the house stands on, so the area includes the front garden, side gardens and back garden, less the area of any other buildings, fuel tanks etc.
  • No buildings are to go in front of the front elevation of the house
  • Conservation areas; you cannot build at the front or side, but you can place a garden room in the back garden
  • Listed buildings; need full planning permission.
  • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; maximum size is10sq metres and it has to be at least 20 metres away from the house.
  • Any new building must not itself be separate, self-contained, living accommodation and must not have a microwave antenna. In this case, it would need planning permission.

*Should your garden room need planning permission (does not meet the above criteria), we can provide a full planning service for you. From design through to submitting a planning application

What are building regulations?

Building Regulations are a minimum standard for design, construction and alterations for virtually every building. They are developed by the Government and are intended to protect your safety, health and welfare. The regulations are also designed to improve conservation of fuel and power, protect and enhance the environment and promote sustainable development.

What does the law say about building regulations?

The rules governing building regulations for garden rooms are:

  1. Less Than 15m2Internal Floor Area – Building regulations will not normally apply.
  2. Between 15m2And 30m2 – Building regulations are required if the garden room is built less than a meter from a boundary or it is not constructed substantially of non-combustible materials.
  3. Anything larger than 30m2building regulations is required.
  4. In all cases, building regulations are required if the building contains any sleeping accommodation.

What do Hawksbeck say about building regulations?

At Hawksbeck we believe building regulations is vitally important. That’s why all our garden rooms exceed building regulation standards and have a life expectancy of a minimum of 60 years. It not just about complying with the rules, a Hawksbeck Garden Room gives you peace of mind that your garden room has been checked independently and signed off.

What are the dangers of not building to building regulation standards?

Garden rooms that are not built to building regulation standards will normally have inadequate foundations, making them susceptible to movement, which then leads to the structure weakening. The walls, floors, and ceiling are built with non-structural materials and have minimal insulation. This means the room will sweat in the summer months and be uninhabitable during the winter. Generally no attention is paid to fire ratings. They overlook areas such as allowing air flow in wall cavities and they don’t provide vapour barriers or breathing membranes.

By building a garden room that doesn’t comply with building regulations it will cost you much more in the long run. The structure will last a fraction of the time and you will have additional heating and cooling costs.

How do building inspectors check my garden room?

At Hawksbeck once the deposit is paid, we instruct an independent building inspector. We give them a full set of plans, cross sections and structural calculations for them to check and approve.

We also fill in a project information and appointment form, giving them the schedule of works, and when we will be starting, so the building inspector can coordinate visits to check on the build, normally without warning.

Once the garden room is completed, they will have one final inspection and then the building inspector will issue you a Final Certificate – this will be a valuable asset if you ever decide to sell your home.

Interested in having your own garden room? Call us today on 01277 414 586 to speak to a member of the team!