A proper room at the bottom of the garden — built to last.
Insulated, fully wired garden studios that work year-round as an office, gym or ancillary space. Built properly, planned carefully, no draughty shed — just a well-built room that adds real value.
The fastest way to gain a usable room without touching the house.
Since the shift to hybrid working, a proper garden office has gone from a nice-to-have to something that genuinely affects how people buy homes in South West London. But the difference between a studio that works year-round and one that's too cold in November and too hot in July comes down entirely to how it's built.
We build garden studios the same way we build extensions — proper foundations, structural timber frame, full insulation, and finished internally to a standard you'd expect from a room inside the house. Power, lighting, heating and data are all included in the quote. Many garden studios can fall under permitted development, provided they meet the relevant limits on height, position, use and garden coverage. We check this before we quote.
Three of the most popular uses — all built to the same standard.
The structure is the same whatever you're using it for. What changes is the internal layout, ventilation spec and how we run the electrics. Tell us what you need and we'll design it around that.
Garden office
A dedicated workspace that separates work from home life. Full insulation, hardwired ethernet, plenty of sockets and enough glazing to feel like a real room rather than a repurposed shed.
Garden gym
Reinforced flooring for heavy equipment, enhanced ventilation, rubber matting substrate and the electrical capacity to run multiple machines simultaneously. No gym membership needed.
Guest overflow, lounge or hobby room
A comfortable, insulated ancillary space for occasional use, designed around your property, services and planning position. If you want sleeping accommodation, a WC, shower room or self-contained use, we will advise whether planning permission and building regulations approval are required.
One price. One team. A finished room.
We quote for a complete studio — not a shell you then have to fit out yourself. Power, heating, insulation and internal finish are all in the price from the start.
Foundations & base
Concrete pad or screw pile foundations to suit your garden's ground conditions — no guesswork, assessed properly before we quote.
Insulated timber frame
Structural timber frame with full floor, wall and roof insulation to building regulations standard. Warm in winter, cool in summer, quiet year-round.
Power, lighting & data
Armoured cable run from the house, consumer unit in the studio, lighting circuit, double sockets, and hardwired ethernet — all installed and certified.
Internal finish
Plasterboard, skim, floor finish, skirting and decoration — to the same standard as a room inside the house. We don't stop at the shell.
Garden studio, Barnes — foundation to finished room.
A home office built from the ground up — concrete pad, insulated timber frame, full first-fix electrics and internal plastering. The brief was a workspace that felt like a proper room, not a converted shed.
"We wanted a proper home office in the garden — properly insulated and wired, not just a shed with a socket. Konstantinos came out, looked at the space, and gave us a clear proposal before anything was agreed. The finish is excellent. Very happy with the result."
Mr Alex Zhuri, Barnes
A visual reference for the styles of garden studio we build.
Four clear steps before you commit.
Garden studios are typically simpler and faster than a loft or extension — but the approach is the same. We look at your garden properly before we quote, so there are no surprises once work starts.
Start with a free consultation-
01
Consultation call
A free 20-minute call to understand what you want to use the space for and what your garden allows. We'll give you a ballpark cost range and flag whether your plot has any quirks worth knowing about before the site visit.
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02
Site visit
We visit to assess your garden — access routes, ground conditions, proximity to boundaries, overhead cables and drainage. No charge, no obligation. We'll tell you exactly what size and orientation of studio will work best and whether permitted development covers it.
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03
Itemised proposal
A written, line-by-line proposal covering foundations, frame, cladding, roofing, glazing, electrics, insulation and internal finish. Everything in one number, clearly broken down.
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04
Project kickoff
Most garden studios are complete within 3–6 weeks of starting on site. We handle any required notifications, manage the build and hand over a finished, wired room — with certificates for all electrical work.
Questions we get asked before most garden studios.
Do I need planning permission for a garden studio?
Many garden studios in South West London can be built under permitted development rights, provided they meet the limits on height, position, use and garden coverage. In England, the key rules are: the studio must be single-storey; no higher than 2.5 metres if it's within 2 metres of a boundary; not positioned forward of the front elevation of the house; and all outbuildings together must not cover more than 50% of the garden area around the original house.
To qualify as permitted development, the studio must also be used for purposes incidental to the main house — such as a home office, hobby room or gym — and must not be used as self-contained accommodation or for regular sleeping. Flats, homes in conservation areas and listed buildings may have reduced permitted development rights or need a formal planning application regardless of size. We check your permitted development position before we quote, and if planning consent is required we'll explain the process and likely timescales.
How long does a garden studio take to build?
There are two timeframes to consider: lead time and on-site build time. Most of our studios are complete on site within 3–6 weeks once groundworks start, depending on size, specification and access. Smaller standard designs can be quicker; larger bespoke builds or those with complex groundworks take a little longer.
If your studio falls within permitted development and doesn't require building regulations approval, there's no need to wait for a planning decision — though there will still be a manufacturing and scheduling lead time before work starts. We'll confirm an indicative programme at the survey stage, including any additional time needed if planning or building control are involved.
How much does a garden studio cost?
A professionally installed, fully insulated garden studio with electrics typically starts from around £15,000 for a compact standard design. Most year-round studios with full specification — foundations, insulation, wiring, heating and internal finish — land in the £20,000–£40,000 range. Larger or bespoke studios with premium finishes, extensive glazing or complex groundworks will cost more.
Adding a WC or shower room, reinforced flooring for heavy equipment, or a larger footprint can also bring the building into the scope of building regulations — particularly above 15–30 square metres or where plumbing is involved. After a site visit we'll give you an itemised fixed-price proposal based on your garden, access and chosen specification, so you have a real number rather than a headline estimate.
Can a garden studio be used year-round?
Yes — if it's designed and built properly. Full floor, wall and roof insulation, high-quality double-glazed doors and windows, and a permanent heating source are what separate a studio you'll use every day in January from one you abandon in October. We specify all three as standard, and include permanent heating options such as electric radiators so your studio works as a genuine extra room throughout the year.
In very warm weather, additional measures such as blinds, opening windows or air-conditioning can improve comfort further — worth discussing at design stage if your studio gets a lot of direct afternoon sun.
What size garden do I need for a studio?
There's no legal minimum garden size, but under permitted development in England, all outbuildings combined must not cover more than 50% of the garden area around the original house — so you need to leave enough space for the garden to remain usable. You also need working clearance around the building, typically at least 400mm to a boundary, for installation and ongoing maintenance.
The building itself can be as compact as 3m × 3m for a single-person office. At the site visit we'll assess your plot, discuss how you want to use the space, and advise on the largest footprint that fits comfortably within permitted development limits while keeping the garden feeling balanced.
Does a garden studio add value to my home?
Evidence from UK estate agents suggests a high-quality, insulated garden studio can add around 5–15% to a property's value, depending on size, finish and location. In South West London, where garden space is at a premium and hybrid working is now the norm, a properly built studio that functions as a genuine extra room often recoups a significant part of its build cost — and sometimes more — when you come to sell.
Estate agents increasingly market a good garden office as a key selling feature, similar in appeal to an additional reception room. The crucial factor is build quality: a professionally finished studio with mains power and proper insulation will always be more attractive to buyers than a basic timber outbuilding.
A full-service design-and-build team, based in Twickenham.
You always deal with the people actually doing the work. We handle everything from groundworks to electrical sign-off in-house — one team, one contract, one point of contact.
One team, start to finish
You meet the same team that builds your studio — no handover to a site manager you've never spoken to.
Fixed-price contracts
An itemised, written quote before any work starts. Any variations are explained, costed and agreed before extra work is carried out.
Permitted development handled
We check your PD position before we quote and manage any required notifications — you don't have to chase the council.
Built to last
Proper insulation, structural timber frame and certified electrics — not a garden shed with a desk in it.
South West London — TW, KT, SW and W postcodes.
We're based in Twickenham and work across the TW, KT, SW and W postcodes — from Hampton Wick to Hammersmith, and Kensington to Kew. If you're just outside that area, ask anyway.
Honest reviews from homeowners we've worked with.
"We hired Distinct Spaces to fully renovate our property in Kingston, originally with the intention of putting it on the rental market. However, once we saw the quality of the work, the finish, and how beautifully the house had been transformed, we decided to move in ourselves. Konstantinos was professional, reliable, and easy to communicate with throughout the project, and his team worked to a very high standard. We are extremely pleased with the result and would highly recommend Distinct Spaces."
"We asked Distinct Spaces to renovate both of our bathrooms in our Twickenham home, and we are very pleased with how everything turned out. The bathrooms look beautiful and the finish is excellent. Konstantinos was easy to speak with throughout the job and kept things clear whenever we had questions. His team were respectful, worked hard, and clearly knew what they were doing. It was a well-managed project and we would be happy to recommend them."
"A big thank you to Konstantinos and the Distinct Spaces team for our loft conversion. They transformed an unused loft into a bright, practical room with a great finish. Communication was clear, the team were hardworking, and any questions we had were dealt with quickly. We would definitely recommend them for loft conversion work."
Every project starts with a conversation.
Send us a few details and we'll be in touch within one working day.