Cheryl Crossley, 37, a new mum from Leeds, saved £500 on her monthly mortgage payments and avoided £20,000 in moving costs by building a garden room instead of moving to a larger property.
Pregnant and needing more space, Cheryl and her partner considered moving but found that buying a larger home would exceed their budget. Instead, they spent £13,500 on a garden room, allowing them to convert their spare bedroom into a nursery and create a dedicated home office away from the main house.
Financial decision
“We had our house valued at around £335k and explored the cost to move, around £20k, as well as the cost of a property with the extra space we needed, which was closer to £450k,” said Cheryl.
“We got quotes for garden rooms as an alternative, and even at the top end, around £25k, it still made more financial sense to go down this route.”
The couple spent around £13,500 on their garden room, compared with an estimated £20,000 in moving costs. By staying put, they also saved a potential jump in monthly mortgage payments from £800 to £1,300.
Added value and usage
Estate agents advised that the garden room could add as much as 15 per cent to the property’s value, around roughly £50,000, if the couple ever come to selling.
“We will still move at some point, but the garden room has probably bought us another three to four years here, which is great,” she adds.
They use the space primarily as a home office, but it has evolved into a multi-functional area with a plant space and occasional gym setup. “It means we could turn our third bedroom into a nursery for our son and still work comfortably from home,” Cheryl explains. “I also love being able to close the door at the end of the day, it helps separate work and home life.”
Fitted with an electric radiator, the room can be heated separately from the rest of the house, helping the couple to control usage and reduce energy costs. “It’s more efficient and cost-effective for us, and even in winter it stayed warm and usable,” she says.
Wider trend
The case study reflects a wider trend among UK homeowners, with new research from heating experts at Electric Radiators Direct revealing that one in five Brits (21 per cent) feel their home is too small, while six in 10 (61 per cent) homeowners would consider building a garden room rather than moving home to gain more space.
According to property buying agent Robin Edwards of Curetons, a well-designed garden room can add between five per cent and 15 per cent to a property’s value, particularly in areas where additional space is at a premium.
He says: “A well-built and insulated garden room can typically add between 5 per cent and 15 per cent to a property's overall value. Buyers increasingly see garden rooms as a genuine extension of the home.”
Planning and heating
Planning permission is not usually required for garden rooms, making them a quicker and more straightforward option than larger structural work.
Ben Rawson, energy efficiency expert at Electric Radiators Direct, explains why garden rooms offer advantages to those looking to renovate over relocating.
“Creating additional, usable space, whether through a garden room or by repurposing existing areas, allows homeowners to improve how their home functions without the uncertainty and stress that typically comes with relocation.
“In these spaces, electric heating can play an important role, giving homeowners precise control over when and where they heat their home. This not only helps to reduce unnecessary energy use but also makes it more cost-effective to keep new spaces like garden rooms comfortable year-round without putting additional strain on the main heating system.
“A big advantage of electric radiators is that they can be safely DIY installed, avoiding the need for specialist fitters and keeping upgrade costs down. This makes them one of the simplest heating solutions for new garden rooms.”
