5. The Shoffice
A sculptural design by Platform 5 Architects shows just how far the limits of garden buildings can be stretched. The 7 sqm Shoffice (where shed meets office) is formed with two steel ring beams, timber ribs and a stressed plywood skin. We just love this garden office idea. It cost £67,845 and is located in St John’s Wood, London.
The Shoffice garden office in St John’s Wood, London, by Platform 5. Photo: Alan Williams Photography
6. The Light Shed
Architect Richard John Andrews set himself a brief to design a cost-effective 16 sqm garden studio for his practice in east London, self-building it with his assistant in 21 days using a timber-frame modular system with sheets of plywood. The garden office is clad in lightweight corrugated fibreglass panels and topped by a polycarbonate roof. The project cost £12,500.
Photo: Chris Snook
7. The customisable timber-frame
Crane Garden Buildings has a number of pre-designed garden offices to choose from, all of which are fully customisable. The Holt Studio is fully insulated, lined and double-glazed. This W3.6m x D3m x H2m version with ivory matchboard walls and ceiling and an electric pack with a heater for year-round use costs £19,620, including delivery and installation. There are also options for flooring, roofing and Farrow & Ball paint colours to customise the cabin further.
Photo: The Holt Studio by Crane Garden Buildings
8. The eco-friendly shepherd’s hut
Created using low-carbon materials and processes, Out of the Valley’s eco-friendly cabins put the environment first. They are built using wooden panels and plant-based insulation, and completed in larch with a natural silver or black finish. The 9.88 sqm Nomad Studio comes on a mobile chassis with wheels – perfect if you want to shift your office for maximum sun in winter and shade in summer – or a more static skid chassis and costs from £39,000.
Photo: Out of the Valley
9. The Victoria glasshouse
Inspiration for this Edinburgh studio came from the dilapidated Victorian glass house it replaced. WT Architecture maintained the same footprint, building new Douglas fir timber frame ribs that extend beyond the original brick walls, allowing for a deeper desk pushing out into the garden. Overlapping glass to glass details were used in the eaves inspired by the traditional fish-scale lapped panes. This style of garden office is perfect for cooler climes.
Photo: Gillian Hayes
Photo: Gillian Hayes
10. The modular studio
Field Studio Architects set up Mökki modular studios using off-site fabrication techniques and CNC cutting technology for speedy manufacture with almost zero wastage. Based on three basic shapes, the studios can be configured in various ways. The structural panels and windows are in precision-cut spruce plywood, and the external cladding is an open rainscreen made from Siberian larch. A 6.3 sqm Mökki costs £13,200 including foundations and installation.
Photo: Mokki modular studios
How to choose a desk for your garden office
The desk you opt for in your new garden office depends on your current workspace and what you’ll need to use.
If you work from a laptop, a smaller desk will be sufficient. Although, if you need multiple screens or a flat surface for sketching or other activities, a larger desk might be needed.
If space is at a premium in your garden office space, consider a bench desk that will fit into an alcove, side return or corner. This preferably will have a window nearby so you can enjoy a nice view whilst working.
Try and ensure you have plenty of natural light within the garden office, as that will be much better for you than artificial options.
Garden office ideas to divide your space
If you are lucky enough to have the space and budget to have a larger garden office space, you may be able to have more than just a desk there.
Obviously dependent on the nature of your work, a desk might be all you need. However, if you have your own business or need to host clients or colleagues, seating on one half of the garden office can create a more harmonious layout.
If meetings aren’t commonplace in your line of work, the ‘breakout’ area could be another use for the new outbuilding. Be that as a home gym, storage area, games room or something else entirely.
A room divider, different floor coverings, or even paint, can help split the room.
How to control the temperature in your garden office
Often, garden offices will have large glass doors and glass windows to enable plenty of natural light to get into the space. As aforementioned, this is great but it can also mean the room will get very warm very quickly, in the same way that a greenhouse or conservatory would.
A window treatment will help you to control the atmosphere inside the building while you are working. You could also have an awning to reflect the heat away from the building and to help bring some shade. For larger garden offices, you could also consider having multiple doors and windows to ensure there is plenty of air flow.
On the other hand, you also need to consider the winter months. The building will need to be insulated to ensure the warmth from any heaters or radiators is retained.
How to light your garden office
In the winter months especially, it’s likely you’ll be working in the garden office in the dark so it will need to be well lit.
A desk lamp is definitely a necessity, but you’ll also need light from the ceiling to ensure you can clearly see around the whole room. Avoid hanging ceiling lights as these can make the room appear smaller. Similarly, wall lights can make it tricky when it comes to placing furniture. Therefore, it’s best to choose built in ceiling lights to go alongside a desk lamp.
You should also consider outside lights on the outside of the office, or along the pathway back to the main house for those winter nights.
How much do garden offices cost to build?
In 2025, the average cost of a garden office is £12,000.
Typically, they take around one week to build, depending on the size, design and materials. The £12,000 price is for a blueprint building, ordered, with the components supplied and ready to assemble.
If you were to hire an architect to design your building, unique and particular for your space, with a construction team providing materials, this would cost more, but it would be tailored. A large, brick garden office would cost between £23,000-£25,000.
You can get a clear idea on the costings of your garden office project by using myjobquote.com.
Do I need planning permission for a garden office?
In most cases, you will not need to seek planning permission for a garden office.
Local councils allow outbuildings as long as they fit into particular criteria. For example, they need to be under 2.5m in height externally (or under 3m in height if 2m away from your garden boundary).
The exception would be if you live in a listed building, or if you live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Conservation Area.
A garden office or garden studio which is used for leisure or occasionally when working from home may be viewed in the same way as a garden shed or summer house and shouldn’t need planning permission. However, the exception to this would be if you’re using your garden office five days a week as a business which clients come to visit. This may require a planning application.
Do you need foundations for a garden office?
Generally, yes, sturdy foundations will be needed when building a garden office.
Before building the frame, level your surface and dig down around 10cm into the soil. Then, fill this area with aggregate, which will help with drainage below your structure and prevent any flooding.
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