Room in the tool shed

5 April 2012

Now we British have learned to make the most of every inch of indoor space, we are turning our attention to our gardens, finding ever-more ingenious and pleasurable ways of enjoying the time we spend outdoors while at home.

"We have seen a dramatic shift in recent years," observes architect Paul Archer. "The British have loved their gardens for generations, but it is only recently that we have realised the opportunities for connecting inside with out.

There has been a complete reversal of how older homes and gardens are made to work together: in Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian homes the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom were at the back. Now our homes have swung right round and we want living spaces that connect with the outdoors."

This often means looking to the back garden. Whether it's a summer house or a humble shed, all additions to the garden have the potential to become exciting new spaces.

Often as a contrast to the house itself, these garden structures can be whimsical and witty, they can be places to sit and dream, breezefilled rooms for entertaining friends or perhaps valuable practical space for a home office or self-contained guest accommodation.

And, if you have no shed to convert, why not consider a glass Solardome. Designed for self assembly, these geodesic domes measure from 12ft in diameter, providing 120sq ft of usable space. From £4,500 (call 02380 767676)

Pergola modern

Paul Archer Design Budget: £3,000

This Victorian house was typical of so many of its age. Before its transformation, the kitchen, utility room and bathroom all backed onto the rear garden, while the living room was at the front facing the street.

"It was precisely the wrong way round for the way we like to live today," says architect Paul Archer. His work here involved pushing the kitchen into the middle of the house and bringing the living room to join the garden. To make the transition between inside and out, Archer added an unusual contemporary version of a pergola. "The outside work involved building two structures - one large and one small - to fit round a tree at the side of the house," he says.

An area of the garden was excavated by around 600mm so the floor of the new pergola was level with that of the living room.

Archer adds: "The small structure acts as the everyday doorway to outside, while there is a pair of large glass doors to the main deck which is used for sitting out or dining."

The pergola sits like a stage in the garden. Its frame is constructed from galvanized steel, which was bolted together on site, and the deck, side panels and roof fins are in Douglas fir. This wood is fixed in an ingenious way: for every three planks of wood on the deck there are two vertical planks at the sides and only one to make the roof.

Archer explains: "The spacing was calculated to give privacy and a sense of enclosure; it also provides shade and still lets plenty of light onto the deck." Cost for galvanised steel frame and timber, (without excavation costs): £3,000.

Paul Archer Design (020 7288 0188).

Shed loads of chic

The Pike Practice Budget £35,000

Where once stood a row of ramshackle timber buildings now stands one of the capital's most superior garden sheds. While it incorporates lots of space for garden tools and equipment, this new structure, set in the garden of a stylish 1930s flat-top villa in south London, is a delightful pavilion complete with timber deck and veranda.

"We had refurbished and extended the house, then the client asked for advice on what to do with the range of old sheds which stood against the garden fence," says architect Tom Pike of The Pike Practice.

"My first response was that they could be knocked down to make a larger garden, but the outside storage space was useful because the house has no attic. So our solution was to make two large wooden boxes for storage, one for garden tools and the other to take all the paraphernalia that usually goes into the attic, and use these to flank a glassfronted summerhouse."

No planning permission was necessary because this was replacing existing sheds. The calm, white-painted central space, facing east, makes an ideal garden room, study or playroom; it is a simple structure built in pine and then stained a rich, gleaming blue-black.

New garden fencing has been built and treated in a similar way and this further integrates the sheds with their surroundings.

Cost of the new structures, the summerhouse, decking and veranda was £35,000. The fencing was extra.

The Pike Practice (020 7924 6257).

Somewhere to put your visitors

Toh Architecture Budget: £60,000

When Liz Bliss had her fourth child, it meant the guest bedroom had to be put to full-time use. "We seriously thought about moving to gain some extra space," explains Bliss. "But at the same time, we put in a planning application for a guest annexe to be built at the bottom of the garden. To our surprise and relief, we were granted permission and so decided to stay."

Because other homes locally have brick-built stores or structures used for workshops and home offices, the precedent was set for such an addition. The new annexe has a neat bedroom and shower suite plus a store for garden tools and bikes; together, they span the width of the bottom of the garden.

The structure has a glass-front wall with timber-framed pivoting windows and a zinc-clad, barrelvaulted roof. Inset rooflights draw daylight into the back of the space. Underfloor heating and Welsh slate is used throughout the interior.

The design is by Toh Architecture, which has established a long relationship with Bliss and her family, having worked on upgrading and extending their house in recent years. "The new structure echoes the style and materials used in the extension to the main house, which was completed three years earlier," explains architect Yuli Toh.

"The idea was always to be modern - sympathetic to the main house but without having to slavishly copy what was there. Also, because the house and garden are in a conservation area, the new annexe has been sunk into the ground to fit inside the wall heights and to reduce its impact on the surroundings." The project cost £60,000.

Toh Architecture (020 7928 9171).

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