Saturday 13 April 2013

Dithering

http://decorativecountryliving.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/this-is-how.html

It's probably not going to come as much of a surprise to anyone who reads this blog to find out that we love our cottage. But that doesn't mean that we are blind to it's drawbacks. It is rather small; we have two bedrooms and while they are both very good sized rooms, there are still only two of them.
So we started thinking about what we could do to add on a bit of space. 
Loft conversion? No - roof too low. 
Extend over the kitchen and bathroom? No - too expensive and would involve carving up our second bedroom whilst not gaining all that much space.
Extend into the side return? No - would give a bigger kitchen but that's about it
Garden room? Hmmm.....

Image from wild-and-precious.com

The initial idea started out as not being that much bigger than our garden shed, with electricity and lighting so that my husband could use it as an office. Then we got an architect friend involved and, boys being boys, the idea took on a life of it's own. Now it is going to be much bigger than the shed and house a shower/W.C so that it can be used as a office-come-guest room.
The only problem is that this encroaches a bit more than I had anticipated on my much beloved garden. I'll admit the idea of losing a section of my garden (even though it is the shadiest part) brings me out in a cold sweat. So, with a rather old version of Photoshop, I mocked up an image of what our garden might look like if we went ahead with the project.


Holly looks sceptical, but what do you think? It's certainly not the prettiest photo I've ever produced and it's most definitely not to scale, but the width of the garden room is probably about right although it may be slightly higher. And it certainly gives a much better idea of what it might look like if we do go ahead (I still have cold feet and we have yet to agree and submit plans).
Of course, all this dithering hasn't stopped me accumulating a large number of garden room ideas on Pinterest!

17 comments:

  1. Charlotte, I think your plan is wonderful and your photo that you produced looks good. Taking over a little of the shadiest part of the garden is a great idea, what is left of your garden will still look absolutely beautiful, linking your cottage and the new dwelling. I think it is a fantastic solution and I wish you all the very best. Ann

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  2. I'm sure it's worth losing some shady garden space to have your new office/guest room. My cottage is a similar size and I've often thought of doing something similar.

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  3. Do it! It looks completely as though it was meant to be there. I know what you mean about losing part of your garden - ours is so small and I am precious about every inch - but you can make it an integral part by planting around it and using climbers to grow over it. I think it will look lovely x Jane

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  4. Great idea and you will be glad for extra space.
    betsy

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  5. I think it will look fabulous I am very envious I would love a shed that I could use as a craft room :-)

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  6. I would make it into a guest bedroom, or a place to hang out but not an office. You would not enjoy an office. Your garden would survive and flourish and you would be able to lay in your own little world and look out on your garden..............well that's what I would do (smile)
    Janice

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  7. I think it will work, especially once painted and decorated with pots and flowers outside - good luck!

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  8. Would you have heating in?Otherwise it would be quite cold for our british weather!Needs lots of thought about gains and losses!

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  9. Yes, it's fab, you should go for it. It will give you more than it takes away and you can always plant around and over it. The first picture from Country Living is just gorgeous! Good luck! Love Linda x

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  10. We have thought about doing the same thing to extend the small bungalow that we bought on return from France. I would use it as a sewing room/office. But, yes, I would lose a bit of garden. so far we remain undecided!
    (Came via Maria)

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  11. Ooh I love it, we've got a garden shed and our garden is about half the size of yours...I still wouldn't be without the shed though ! Its great for pottering in and adds an extra dimension to the garden without taking up too much space..!

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  12. You absolutely should go for it. What a lovely space it would be looking out on your garden!

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  13. As Janice (Bluebell Woods) says, I would not make this an office! Perish the thought. My husband built me a little summerhouse in the summer of 2010. We have a very small garden and the summerhouse is only 8ft by 6ft but I love it! I don't work in there - that's for our study which has the computers (his and hers), phone, printer, shredded, books, etc. No, the summerhouse is purely for relaxation. Having built it himself (and he's no spring chicken!) the cost was kept fairly low, but he did insulate it and run electricity to it, so that we can use it all year around. However, it sounds a bit more than a mere garden shed or summerhouse when your husband is now, with his friend the architect, thinking along the lines of loo/shower as well. Funny, when you think about it. Until the latter half of the 20th century, most homes had an outdoor loo, har, har! (Only joking, I do appreciate this would simply be a garden loo!)

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  14. It looks lovely. We too live in a small cottage and needed extra room for my business. So, we built a studio at the bottom of the garden where we store things and create. It's settled in now, and we are so happy we did it. The cats love it too! Minerva x

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