When we were on the lookout for a house we had lots of dreams but very few definite requirements. We wanted a room for the boys – we only had two back then, – a room for ourselves and a guest bedroom. When we finally found our current house, we fell in love with it immediately for all its quirks and its well-established garden. As well as meeting our basic requirements, there was also a second bathroom. Best of all though was the fact that the former outbuildings, adjacent to the house, had been converted into two rooms. The previous owners used them as bedrooms. Not needing five bedrooms ourselves, The Bavarian and I quickly made up our minds to treat ourselves to a hobby room each.

Better quality of life

There’s hardly a person I know who doesn’t have, want or need an extra room, be that an office, a reading room, a home gym or a work shed. Having his ‘n’ hers rooms to do with as we please is a big luxury and we are fully aware of that.  Being able to close the door on the busyness of family life and retreat to my crafts, sew or simply flick through a magazine in peace is priceless. I know that The Bavarian appreciates having his own space too. He settles in there with his hunting books or ties some flies for his next fly fishing trip. Its his space to sit with a friend and have a chat and beer in peace.

These rooms, allowing us as they do to be ourselves and not just Mammy and Daddy, add a lot to our quality of life. They may in fact be be what’s keeping us sane.

A bit of distance

Not everyone has a couple of spare rooms about the place. Building an extension can be a solution but isn’t always an option, depending on building regulations, the layout of the house, finances, and so on. Sometimes, too, you just need that bit of separation from the rest of the house. A garden room – a purpose built room in the garden – can work really well as a space to fulfill your dream of an extra room.

An all-weather room

Having a work shed in our garden and a lean-to where we’ve created an outdoor kitchen, I know that once you identify an available space and you have a function for it in mind, it doesn’t take long to get used to the idea of having a garden room. Our own outdoor rooms are pretty basic but they do have properly fitted electricity and roofs. For planning a garden room, I recommend spending time on the layout you want and the fittings  you get installed. That’ll ensure you can make the most of your space and use it in all kinds of weather, as you would a room in the house.

Every so often I get a notion to close in our outdoor kitchen so that we can use it year round. I’ve been nosying about Pinterest lately looking for inspiration. Feel free to have a look at my board. I’ve named it “My Own Space”. If  I ever need to sacrifice my hobby room to one of the children then I’ll have plenty of inspiration for building in the garden.

[Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post, however all words, photos and opinions are my own.]