Outbuildings

Whether it’s a garden office, a home gym, a games room the possibilities are almost endless when it comes to what an outbuilding can offer you and your home. In terms of outbuilding design again the possibilities are almost endless, owing to their nature of being detached from the host property there is usually a lot of flexibility when it comes to itheir external look, as with extensions there are permitted development rights in place that will allow you to potentially design and construct an outbuilding without formal planning permission.

If you’re thinking about an outbuilding project or you’re unsure about how to go about your outbuilding design, take a read of the below to get you started on your journey.

What Makes Great Outbuilding Design?

Unfortunately, as with most aspects of the architectural industry there are an equal number of examples of great outbuilding design and poor outbuilding design.

Part of the issue here is that whilst the adoption of permitted development rights allows for quick and easy outbuilding construction it also takes away the local authority’s opportunity to review the outbuilding design and ensure that the project is of a quality that is suitable to be approved.

At GBS Architectural we treat outbuilding design with as much care and thought as we do to an extensions design or even a new dwellings design. Understanding our client's brief is the most important aspect of the outbuilding design process, we will ask questions such as what is the aim of the outbuilding now and for the next 5 years? What activities are conducted within the outbuilding? And how will the outbuilding link to not only the garden but also the main home?

It is vital that for great outbuilding design that a holistic view is taken on the project, whilst it may look like a ‘box at the bottom of the garden’ it absolutely isn’t, it is a detached extension of the home and therefore we need to look at the outbuilding design from an internal and external point of view. Ensuring that the outbuilding ‘connects’ to the home and to the garden is key to great outbuilding design.

Including some feature glazing can act as a real highlight to the outbuilding design, whether this is some large sliding doors or roof windows you can always ensure that all areas of the outbuilding are well lit with much needed natural light.

Material choices are a fun part of outbuilding design, owing to their usually smaller nature there is a great deal of flexibility into how the outbuilding is constructed whether this be a traditional construction such as brickwork or something lighter and ‘greener’ like timber cladding.

Can I have an outbuilding at my home?

This is always a tricky question to answer with full confidence without knowing the exact conditions of your property in terms of its local planning constraints, we can however offer a broad overview of what may be achievable for you and your potential outbuilding design.

Having access to permitted development rights can make building an outbuilding easier than ever and mentioned earlier, have a read of our permitted development blog post for more in. Provided that you fulfil the criteria set out within the guidance you go ahead and start the architectural process with full confidence that you will have no issues from the local planning authority.

If your outbuilding design falls outside of the parameters set out within the permitted development rights or if your property doesn’t have access to the rights, there are of course options available to you. Formal planning permission would be required in this instance and this is where proper outbuilding design is important to ensure that the local authority takes no issue with the proposal; provided that you engage an architectural practice specialising in outbuilding design such as ourselves you can maximise the potential of your outbuilding.

GBS Architectural provides bespoke Architectural Design Services in London. It includes detailed drawings, proper planning, consulting and project management services.