Garden rooms FAQ page

Our Garden Room Office range is designed for simplicity.

We offer the full end-to-end service, from ground works to installation, to electrical connection and commissioning. The costs for these services will be provided on our quotation following your site survey.

What about Electrics?

All Smart Offices are fully equipped with integral electric sockets, lighting and consumer unit (fusebox).

We can also arrange for our electricians to connect your Smart Garden Office to your household consumer unit (fusebox) by way of an armoured cable. We are proud to partner with House Rewire Dublin and Dublin Electricians to ensure that all of our electrical wiring is installed by a fully qualified electrical contractor. Armoured cable does not normally need to be buried and is usually secured to the boundary walls and often, the electrician will complete the task in around a half a day. Alternatively, you can use your own electrician to perform the connection and installation if required.

Do I need Planning Permission?

Generally you do NOT need planning permission for a Smart Garden Office. Despite a 25-year design life, Smart offices are not considered to be permanent fixtures (as they do not have their own foundations). Being sectional and below 2.5m in height, the Smart range is within the new planning guidelines (October 2008).

However, you may need planning consent if you live in a conservation area or;

The building will occupy more than 50% of your garden
The building will be located between the home and the road.

What is the order process?

Once you contact us we will come out to meet you and conduct a site survey to see what your project needs and requirements are. Then you will need to agree your final garden room design and place your order. Before commencing work, we need the site to be clear of existing structures from a H & S point of view, trees and shrubs, ground rubbish etc but existing grass is fine. We will start any foundation work required which we do in one day. We will return in a few days or an agreed time once the concrete is fully set and start construction of the floor, walls, and roof. We then seal the building making it airtight from the elements before finishing the external wood cladding, internal panelling and electrics.

Can I add additional decking, pathways and lighting?

Yes, we are experts at designing and installing decking and have been building decks around Ireland for over 15 years. We have an extensive design catalogue you can view and select your design.We’d be happy to discuss with you what can be done to maximise the look and feel of your garden space.

Does my garden room income qualify for rent relief?

Depending on your final design, your garden room MAY qualify for rent relief and offer a tax free earnings amount of up to 14,000. However, there are some stipulations to qualify for this.
1)The unit must be attached to the house.
2) The unit must be accessed via the main house.

Rental income from things such as Air B&B lets are taxed in the usual way as the scheme only applies to long term lets. For more info, please visit https://www.revenue.ie/en/personal-tax-credits-reliefs-and-exemptions/land-and-property/rent-a-room-relief/index.aspx