Increasing converts to garden offices

Garden offices are starting to crop up with increasing frequency in the press. The latest is this piece in The Newcastle Journal by Karen Wilson which includes an interview with North-East entrepreneur Angela McLean. Angela has a business consultancy service and has the marvellous title of 'entrepreneur in residence' at the Newcastle University. "I've always worked from home," says Angela. "However, it was always in the spare bedroom. Four years ago we decided to convert the stables. I had planning permission to build a house there and had toyed with making a granny flat but decided to create an office instead."
The work took six weeks and cost around £25,000, including internal finishing, flooring and decorating. "It has probably paid for itself in the value it's added to the house," says Angela. "And you're not paying rent and rates to someone else."

The article also quotes Victoria Machin from Sanctuary Garden Offices who says Sanctuary saw a 40% growth in demand for garden offices last year and expects it to be even greater this year.