Transform your shed into a guest room

Do you need a spare room for guests, but simply don’t have the space in your home? Do you find you have to put your friends on your living room sofa, or give up your own cosy bed?

There is a growing trend to transform your humble garden shed into a stylish and confortable spare room. Buying a suitable shed to modify is cheaper and less hassle than paying for a brick extension – or even moving house.

Planning permission

Local authority building control teams help homeowners comply with building regulations. They will give feedback on plans and providing site inspections, and enforce standards. Contact them to check if you need planning permission, and to clarify what regulations you will need to meet. You can apply online at the government’s planning portal.

Once you’ve confirmed where you can site your guest shed within your land, and what kind of construction is permitted, it’s a good idea to assess the ground and position itself. We can offer a free site survey – just ask.

Making room

Opt for a decent-sized model – like the Dart 10×8 or the Norfolk 10×8 – that will fit a bed and extra furniture like a bedside table or dresser. Your guest also needs to be able to walk around easily – because nobody likes being cramped, even when they are in a shed!

Insulation

Have your shed properly insulated using inexpensive polystyrene or fibreglass insulation. This can be easily fitted into the shed and covered with plasterboard or drywall. This hides the insulation and leaves a more pleasing finish and an easier surface to decorate.

Install electricity

A reliable supply of electricity in your shed doesn’t mean running an extension lead up the garden, or worse – using candles. Planning permission will have established the need to get a new consumer unit installed by a professionally qualified electrician. Since January 2005, all electrical work needs to be completed in accordance with IEE wiring regulations and British Standard BS 7671.

Sort the heating

You can use one of your shed’s new electric sockets as a means of providing heating for your guests during the winter months; alternatively try an oil radiator or a fan heater.

Have a couple of windows

This has a couple of obvious benefits: it allows natural light to enter the shed; and it enables air to circulate, stopping the room getting too hot and stale, or even damp. Most of our models have windows, especially the larger models suitable for turning into a new room, and we options for glass rather than Perspex.

Bed, décor and other comforts

Once you have electricity, insulation and some decent air circulation covered you can decorate your shed. Paint or paper the walls, add soft furnishings and of course, don’t forget the bed! Your hospitality and ingenuity will be appreciated – but let’s hope it’s not so comfortable that your guests never want to leave!