Focus on conservatories
Adding a modern conservatory can be a good alternative to a garden room, especially if yours is a period home where the structure won’t look out of place and connects well to the garden.
Contemporary versions now come with bi-folds, so you can open up the entire space up. Traditionally made from white UPVC, they can be built using aluminium, timber or composite – a combination of a timber inside and aluminium outside.
Unless your home's listed or in a Conservation Area, adding a conservatory is usually classed as permitted development. It can't be more than four metres high (three if within two metres of a boundary), nor take up more than half the garden, and the top point of the roof can’t be higher than the property's eaves.
DIY kits are available and will cost around £3,000. For a professional service using UPVC, expect to pay from £10,000, with timber and aluminium versions costing upwards of £30,000.