Experts reveal that a garden office shed (otherwise dubbed as a 'shoffice') can add up to £33,000 worth of value to your home, not to mention the fact that it's a garden room idea that acts as the perfect at-home retreat.
It's been a while now since working from home has more or less been the norm, but if you still haven't sorted a home office space or are just looking for a change of environment, there's probably no better time than now to look into a garden office – especially now that the weather is finally looking up.
Blending a 'shed and office', the shoffice is not a pointless home improvement that won't add value to your house – in fact, it'll add even more.
The garden shed office (or 'shoffice')
It's no secret that hybrid or remote working is here to stay. According to data released by the Office for National Statistics, between September 2022 to January 2023, 40% of the workplace had worked from home at some point during a 7-day period. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that homeowners are looking to expand their garden ideas to help maintain a much-needed work-life balance.
'Having a dedicated space to be able to work from home isn’t always available inside the house, therefore as the workforce settles into a hybrid work week, they're looking for long-term solutions – a 'shoffice' is exactly that,' explains Jamie Jones, founder of bespoke outdoor structure specialists, Open Space Concepts.
According to figures released by estate and letting agents, Barrows & Forrester, installing a garden shed office alongside energy-saving measures like solar panels could add up to £33,000 of value to your home when you plan on selling your house.
If you choose to not opt for energy-saving measures, you could still be looking at up to £22,000 worth of added value to your home – which is worth the investment, considering the value outweighs garden room costs.
'People are spending more money on, and time in, their gardens,' explains Jamie Jones at Open Space Concepts. 'Understandably, COVID accelerated this and the types of spaces that have become the norm in Europe are now becoming a big hit in the UK.' More and more people are investing in garden building ideas.
'The inclusion of garden bars, hot tubs, swim spas, outdoor kitchens and shoffices has changed the landscape of how we view our once-neglected outdoor space.'
Jamie Jones adds: 'Creating a space that allows us to concentrate whilst feeling happy and relaxed is the future of working from home, it's why we've been seeing such an increased demand for garden shoffices over the last 6 months.'
