What is a Shoffice and Should You Get One

We think the word has already made it into the official English language dictionary, and it’s become common parlance. A Shoffice is a crossover between a shed and an office, and it describes a contemporary garden office.

The coronavirus pandemic changed our working lives completely. As an example, in December 2019 an estimated 4.7 million people in the UK worked from home. By March 2022, that figure had more than doubled to 9.9 million (source: Office for National Statistics Homeworking in the UK – regional patterns - Office for National Statistics).

As we don’t all live in mansions with plenty of spare rooms for a home office, what could we do to create a dedicated working space for business? Setting up on the dining table or putting a desk in your bedroom just isn’t a long-term solution compatible with family life.

Many people simply shifted their work paraphernalia into shed offices. Why not? But a draughty garden shed isn’t ideal either, so interest in insulated garden rooms began to soar and the Shoffice was born.

It’s a great way to create more room without the cost and upheaval of building an extension and gives you a workspace you can shut the door on at the end of the day and return to the family home.

With all the benefits of a really short commute in the shape of a walk across the garden!

What do we mean by a Shoffice

It’s important to make the distinction between a shed and a shoffice. At Make Room Outside, we do supply a range of quality pressure treated sheds and summer house choices, but these are not a great fit for working purposes as a home office. Our shoffices are fully insulated garden rooms complete with all the necessary services, from power and heat to wifi.

They’re perfect for use as an office all year round, creating a bespoke garden area designed specifically around your garden and your requirements.  

Benefits of a shoffice

• You can have a shoffice installed quickly in your garden with minimum disruption and trouble, much easier and cheaper than an extension or a loft conversion

• It’s unlikely you’ll need planning permission for this shed office

• You get a dedicated garden office and a professional area where you can work in peace – no more banishing the dog from your Teams calls!

• You can keep your work life and home life separate, off the kitchen table of course!

• It’s a great investment for the future as it’s likely to increase the value of your property

Should you get one?

So it all sounds appealing. Should you consider investing in a shoffice? It will depend on your circumstances.

• Will working from home continue for you? Some employers are now expecting staff to consider returning to the office environment, even if it’s just on a hybrid working basis.

• Even if you’re only working from home a couple of days a week, you’ll still need a distraction-free area - why not a shed office?

• If you’re struggling to keep working and living in your family home, the additional space in a garden building will be ideal - it can even double as a meeting room!

• Maybe you’re considering going self-employed – a shoffice could be the perfect salon, art studio, leisure area or even dog grooming parlour! 

How much will a shoffice cost?

That will depend upon what you’re looking for in terms of size, finish and facilities for your office. As a guide, garden room prices start at around £10,000. They are available in a wide range of styles and finishes including timber and low-maintenance composite, and you’ll have a choice in terms of window and door styles as well as interior finishes.

The price can also be impacted if you need levelling work in your garden if the plot isn’t flat, so you’ll need to think about this too. Read our dedicated blog post for more information on costs.

What every shoffice needs

Remember you’ll need to kit your shoffice out – here are a few things to consider budgeting for garden buildings.

1. Internet connectivity – it’s unlikely you’ll be able to work from home without it! Make sure your internet connection is reliable and robust.

2. Heating and possibly cooling – comfort isn’t an option, it’s a necessity! The British winter dictates you’ll need an efficient and effective form of heating, and you may even want to include air conditioning too for the summer months – although the beauty of a garden office is that you can just open your doors!

3. Spend on lighting to suit the main purpose of the office – choose LED options with dimming so you can set the lighting at a level to match your working requirements.

4. A smart desk – chosen to meet your working preferences. A desk is not just a support for your laptop, it will provide useful storage and set the scene for your interior style.

5. Security to protect your physical assets and/or business information – consider how you’ll keep your office equipment safe. If security is an important issue for you, you may want to install a suitable alarm system with remote monitoring.

Losing the shed

If you’re giving over the garden shed space to build a shoffice, you might wonder what on earth you’re going to do with your bikes, lawnmowers, power washers, tools and other garden necessities that reside in the shed?

At Make Room Outside, we can supply options featuring different partitioned spaces, even with differing levels of insulation dependent upon their proposed use. You don’t need to lose the garden storage space, just transform it.

Take a look at our garden room designer app and configure the garden room you need, or visit our show village to get inspiration from the wide range of examples we have on site.  

Do you need planning permission?

Most garden offices don’t require planning permission, as they come under the description of ‘permitted development’, but there are some situations where it will be necessary. If you live in a listed building, for example, or in an area of outstanding natural beauty, it will be a prerequisite. Proximity to other buildings may also be an issue.

Other factors meaning you will need formal permission include if the finished garden room is larger than 30m2 (internal floor space), occupies more than 50% of the land around your home or if the structure is located in front of the front elevation of the house.

In general, if your garden room is a single-storey building and none of the above apply, you won’t need to secure planning permission. However, it is always worth checking with your local authority.

Key takeaways

A shoffice could be the perfect solution to match your working requirements, if you’re struggling for space, peace and quiet when working from home, or your work regime is affecting your work-life balance. Why not visit the Make Room Outside show village to see how a garden building could match all your specifications, or just give us a call for a chat about the possibilities?