Planning your dream garden room?
Not sure where to start?
We’re here to help you with our Top 5 Tips for planning your garden room.
1. Positioning on your property
Garden rooms can be positioned almost anywhere on your property; ideally somewhere flat and dry.
Most people prefer their garden room to be in the backyard, and position it so the best angle is visible from the house.
You can also position your garden room to solve other problems on your property; such as:
- in a shady area where it’s difficult to get plants to grow
- so that it blocks a view of neighbouring homes
- so that it improves privacy within your garden.
If your property has a lot of ‘dead space’ down the side of the house, or you have a large front yard & your house is set back, there are Garden Room designs that would work well in those spaces as well.
Most garden rooms are required to be at least 900mm from the boundary. Aside from keeping within regulations, this space between your garden room and the fence is also useful when it comes to maintenance such as cleaning your gutters or repainting.
Click here for more information about NSW and ACT council exemptions.
For personalised advice on your garden, click here to book one of our virtual or in-person Site Visits. One of our experienced team will be able to assess your property, discuss your plans and help you make the right choice for your garden.
2. Size & Proportion
Your garden room should be big enough to be useful and to evolve as your needs change, though not so large it overwhelms your garden or throws too much of it into shade.
To visualise your garden room, we recommend you step out or mark out the area in your backyard. This will give you an idea of the area it will cover. Download the Melwood price list here for dimensions of the entire range.
To visualise the interiors of your garden room, we recommend visiting one of our Sydney Display Centres. Here you’ll be able to walk through a range of garden rooms of different sizes and see the quality and options for yourself. It’s invaluable to be able to step inside, and get a real feel for the size and how much you can fit inside it.
3. Door & Window Placement
Wanting to make the most of natural light all day long?
Or keep out the light for an ultra-private garden room?
Melwood Garden Rooms are made-to-order. You choose the number of doors & windows, and where they go in your building.
By positioning your doors & windows correctly, you will be able to control the amount of light (and winter warmth) that your garden room receives.
Popular Window Combinations:
- Double Doors & Sidelights – to create a ‘full glass wall’ look, and a wide opening.
- Highlight windows – available only with Mod Designs, these sleek highlight glass windows are amazing for letting in natural light – which makes the Mod Design a firm favourite with artists and creatives.
- Sliding 1200*900 Aluminium Windows – great for if you have a desk or other furniture to go underneath.
- Sliding 1200*300 ‘ventilation windows’ – these small, discreet windows are often added to the back wall of a cabana, as they let in light & fresh air, whilst leaving plenty of useful wall space underneath.
You can have all windows and glass for a light-filled room, or no windows and solid timber doors for a dark and private space.
4. Selecting a Style
Whether you want your garden room to look ‘meant to be’ & blend in with your property, or stand out as a statement in your garden, either objective can be achieved with your finishes and paint colours.
Most of our customers want their garden room to look like part of the property – which is where a made-to-order garden room is so useful. By painting the garden room the same colours as your home, it looks like a natural extension of the home, and adds tremendous value to your property.
Traditional homes on Sydney’s north shore, and Hamptons-style or weatherboard homes are a great match for our pitched roof designs and cedar cladding.
To make your garden room stand out, we recommend the Espace or Mod Designs. Both of these styles are designed to impress, and sure to wow your family & friends.
5. Adding finishing touches
Once you’ve chosen your garden room, it’s time for the finishing touches.
Planting around your garden room will complement it, and as the plants grow they’ll help the garden room blend in with the backyard.
Adding decking means you can boost the useable space that your garden room provides. Claudia has added decking here to create an alfresco area in front of her Porch No.12 garden room.
Ready to get your own Garden Room?
If you’re ready to give your backyard a boost with a garden room made just for you, the next step is to fill out this form & download our brochure. If you’ve already done that, it’s time to visit a display centre. Honestly, you’ll find it’s the most helpful part of planning your garden room. Click here to schedule your visit.