The Short Answer
On our estimates, a small, insulated garden office for one person costs about £12,500 to £20,000 installed with power and a base, including VAT. A large office or studio, around 20 to 30m², is £30,000 to £45,000. A small modular office can go up in a couple of days on site.
For year-round work, get the power and an internet cable run out from the house at the same time. Planning is the same as any garden room: keep it low near the boundary and it's usually permitted development. Customers visiting or staff working there is where business rates and permissions come in.
Garden office prices
| Office | Installed |
|---|---|
| Small, one desk (about 2.5m x 2.5m to 3m x 3m) | £12,500 to £20,000 |
| Large office or studio (20 to 30m²) | £30,000 to £45,000 |
| Per m², insulated garden room | £1,700 to £2,300 |
When we checked in October 2026, Green Retreats' installed offices ran from £12,485 for its smallest (about 2.3m by 2.4m) to £43,370 for 30m². Pods and flat-pack kits cost less but aren't comparable with an insulated, installed office.
Power and internet
- Power: a new circuit out to the garden is notifiable electrical work. Use a registered electrician who can certify it, and keep the certificate.
- Internet: I'd run a network cable (Cat5e or Cat6) from the router to the office and fit an access point there, which gives you Wi-Fi plus a couple of wired sockets, and lay it in the same trench as the power cable while it's open.
Planning and building regulations
A garden office is an outbuilding: usually permitted development on a house in England if it's single storey, no higher than 2.5m within 2m of a boundary (3m elsewhere, or 4m with a dual-pitched roof), behind the front of the house and used for something incidental to it. It's exempt from building regulations under 15m², or up to 30m² if it's at least 1m from every boundary, with no sleeping accommodation. The full rules are on our garden room page.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to install a garden office?
On our estimates, about £12,500 to £20,000 for a small insulated office installed with power, and £30,000 to £45,000 for a large one, including VAT.
Is a garden room cheaper than an extension?
Usually, per m². On our estimates an insulated garden room is about £1,700 to £2,300 per m² against £2,000 to £2,600 for a basic single-storey extension, and it usually needs no planning or building regulations application. An extension adds space inside the house, though.
Do you need permission for a garden office?
Usually not, if it's within the outbuilding limits and used for your own work. Lots of customers or deliveries, or staff working there, can mean council permission and business rates.
Do I need an electrician for a garden office?
Yes. A new circuit to an outbuilding is notifiable electrical work, so use a registered electrician who can certify it, or notify building control.
Do I pay business rates on a garden office?
Not usually, if it's just you working there. GOV.UK says you may have to if customers visit to buy goods or services, you employ people there, or you've changed your home for the business.
How we priced thisView sources (8, 7 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialOutbuildings: planning permission, Planning Portal. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialIs building regulations approval needed for an outbuilding?, Planning Portal. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1, legislation.gov.uk. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialThe Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 2: exempt buildings and work (Classes 6 and 7), legislation.gov.uk. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialThe Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12(6A) and (9): notifiable electrical work and 'special location' (England), legislation.gov.uk. Checked 14 Oct 2026.
- OfficialBusiness rates: working at home, GOV.UK. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialRunning a business from home, GOV.UK. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow much does a garden office cost?, Green Retreats. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
