Four homes for sale with useful garden shed spaces

By Liam On Aug 2, 2022

Converted sheds came into their own during the pandemic as people sought to use every inch of available space following several lockdowns.

It meant that covered outdoor spaces in the garden were no longer just a discarded area to store gardening tools and a lawnmower.

Instead, they often became dedicated sanctuaries, whether that was for a relaxing garden room, a quiet office – which coined the phrase shoffice – or a games room to keep children occupied and out of the main house.

We look at four properties for sale with useful outdoor spaces (scroll down for more details about the shed pictured at a proeprty for sale in Kington Magna, Gillingham, and what is inside it)

Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: ‘Shoffices unquestionably grew in popularity during the pandemic as homeowners tried to maintain a sense of work/life separation during a prolonged period of working from home.

‘These adaptable spaces can not only be used as a home office but can also be repurposed into a gym, yoga studio, bar or indeed a children’s playroom.’

Below, we take a look at four properties for sale that have different outdoor spaces – including a games room, a hair salon, a dog grooming facility and a music studio.

1. Games room

This property in Farlington, Portsmouth, has a large outdoor cabin in the garden with mirrored window and door panes

Inside, the outdoor cabin has a significant amount of space that can easily accommodate piano, pool table and a tennis table

The four-bedroom house is currently on the market with an asking price of £750,000 via Bernards Drayton estate agents

The outdoor space at this property in Farlington, Portsmouth, has plenty of room to house numerous entertainment facilities.

As well as a large screen TV and seating area, there is currently a pool table, a piano and table tennis.

The exterior gives no indication of what lies inside as the windows and double doors have mirrored panes, reflecting nothing but the well maintained lawn outside.

The grey garden cabin is part of a four-bedroom property that is currently on the market for £750,000 via Bernards Drayton estate agents.

2. Hair salon

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary garden shed that houses standard gardening equipment

But the shed in the garden at this cottage in Kington Magna, Gillingham, houses equipment needed to run a hair salon

The three-bedroom detached cottage is for sale via Chaffers estate agents, and has a current asking price of £430,000

The shed in the garden at this cottage in Kington Magna, Gillingham, currently houses all the equipment needed to run a hair salon.

As well as being insulated, the shed also has a useful electricity supply, providing the required energy for hair dryers and straighteners.

The shed is at a three-bedroom property that is for sale for £430,000 via Chaffers estate agents.

3. Dog grooming

This shed sits at the rear of the garden at a property for sale in Surrey – behind a lawn surrounded by secure fencing

The outdoor space at the Surrey property currently houses equipment needed for running a dog grooming business

The three-bedroom semi-detached house is in Old Coulsdon and is for sale for £575,000 via Woodcote estate agents

If you’re an owner of several dogs – or fancy running a dog grooming business – this outdoor space in Surrey may fit perfectly.

It contains all the necessary equipment to keep pooches well groomed and cool during the summer with a shorter hair cut.

The facility is at this three-bedroom semi-detached house in Old Coulsdon and is for sale for £575,000 via Woodcote estate agents.

4. Music studio

This shed is part of a well-maintained garden with a lawn and a pretty patio where there is plenty of room to entertain

Inside, the shed of this Leicester property houses a music room that allows you to make music without waking up those sleeping in the main house

The shed is currently used as a music room and has an essential electricity supply, but could be used for other purposes

The three-bedroom semi-detached property is in Blaby, Leicester and is on the market with an asking price of £300,000

If you love playing the guitar late at night, but don’t want to disrupt the rest of the family, this property provides the solution with its outdoor space.

The shed is currently used as a music room and has an essential electricity supply.

It is part of a three-bedroom semi-detached property in Blaby, Leicester and is on the market with an asking price of £300,000.

Can you run a small business from your shed?

There may be questions about using a garden shed to run a business, but as long as it remains small scale, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Chartered town planner and author Martin Gaine explains: ‘The planning system is hostile to larger scale businesses operating from houses because of the possibility of traffic and noise and disturbance from customers and staff coming and going.

‘However, running a small scale business from home is not a change of use – as it is still primarily a residence – and therefore no planning permission is required.’

He adds: ‘It is not exactly clear where the line is drawn between a small scale home business that doesn’t need planning and a larger one that does.

‘Some small scale businesses are well known – a tutor teaching piano or maths from their living room, a child minder with a few kids being dropped off, someone making pottery in a shed etc.

‘The rule of thumb is that your home business shouldn’t cause disruption – with lots of customers or deliveries -, or much noise or activity, probably shouldn’t have staff and shouldn’t have signage visible from the front. A hair salon where the homeowner worked on their own and had a few clients a day is ok, one with a couple of staff and a few appointments every hour would need planning – and probably wouldn’t get it.