Outdoor SunSpaces News

One of the many ways that homeowners up and down the country can add value to their properties is by building an extension that provides more space and greater functionality to their home.

However, building a full-blown extension requires a lot of time, planning and money, a heavy investment that comes with plenty of hassle and potential to go wrong. 

Garden rooms, on the other hand, are a much easier choice that homeowners can opt for. They still add value to a property but come with far fewer issues as a result of their quick and easy installation and often little to no planning permission requirements.

But how does a garden room add value to your property exactly? In this blog, we take a look at the main areas where a garden room can boost the worth of your home!

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Staying sane throughout the current lockdown has been a challenge at times, but one thing we've heard from a lot of SunSpaces customers recently is that their garden rooms have been enormously helpful in that regard.

Take Mr Usher, who added a SunSpace to his home in Middlesex a few years ago:

"We purchased our garden room (as well as some decking) from SunSpaces in June 2017. The room added the one thing our garden was lacking: additional covered space that we could enjoy late into the day, and which would give us shelter from the breeze and rain.

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A customer in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire recently decided to add a lean-to sunroom to her property. She got in touch with the SunSpaces team, explored our product range, and eventually settled on a Panorama glass room.

This project was a little unusual because the customer opted to have her sunroom installed with the roof sloping upwards from the house in the manner of a reverse pitch conservatory. This resulted in a very striking aesthetic, as the photo above shows!

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If you're thinking about putting your house on the market, you'll want to make sure it's in the best possible condition. Ther's a lot of competition on the housing market and obvious problems, dirt and general dis-organisation will really put potential buyers off. Here are a few things you can do to prepare your house for sale:

Cleaning

Before you have photos taken of your house, or before you have people come to look round, it's important that you give your home a deep clean. This means, tidying away any children's toys, piles of documents, toiletries and shoes. Windows and surfaces should be wiped to remove dust and sticky hand-prints. 

As part of your cleaning process, we'd recommend removing most of your 'family' items, including photos and children's drawings. Remember, the person viewing your home needs to be able to imagine living there, which can be tricky if the home is clearly yours. Stripping the house back and depersonalising it makes it easier for people to see it's potential!

Small details

People notice when you've put effort into every detail of your home. Spending the time to freshen up the decor, invest in some eye-catching pieces and create focal points can catch people's eye and spark their interest. We'd generally recommend sticking to neutral tones rather than bright pops of colour as this can distract from the beauty of your home.

Improve kerb appeal

If you pop a 'for sale' sign in the front garden, then it's important that your home gives a good first impression. This means it needs lots of kerb appeal! One of the ways you can improve your house's curb appeal is to add a SunSpaces garden room or veranda.

These striking structures are sure to make your house stand out! You should also make sure your lawns are in good condition, weeds have been removed and that the front of your house looks inviting. This is the first thing people will see when they arrive at your property so you want to make a good impression. 

Expand living space

If you want to maximise the profit you can make on your home you should consider expanding the living space inside. This might include, converting the loft into an additional bedroom, adding an extra bathroom or en-suite or adding a deck, patio or sunroom outside. 

Investing a bit of extra money in your home at this stage can really increase its value when it comes to putting it on the market. We do a lot of work with people who are preparing their houses for sale because people understand the benefit of adding that additional space.

As you know, the weather here in the UK can be very temperamental so homeowners can be put off by large gardens with minimal features. For some people, this just looks like extra work that they won't really be able to enjoy for most of the year. By adding a SunSpace, potential buyers will see that they can use the garden all year round and will be more inclined to put an offer in. 

So, if you're preparing your house for sale, you might want to take note of a few of these hints and tips. If you're interested in adding a SunSpace before putting your house on the market, get in touch with our sales team now - 01727 845 788.

If working from home has become the new normal for you, it might be time to start thinking about setting up a proper office.

Businesses up and down the country are keeping their employees out of the office for as long as possible to avoid an outbreak of COVID-19, some are even considering allowing people to work from home indefinitely! Of course, few people ever thought that they'd find themselves in this position and even fewer have dedicated office spaces in their homes.

Speaking to people who find themselves suddenly working from home, you'll hear the same difficulties come up time and time again. "I don't have a proper space where I won't be disturbed by the kids", "I'm having to use the coffee table as a desk", "I'm struggling to separate work and home life"... the list goes on. 

Well, we've been thinking about possible solutions for these people, and we think a sunroom office could be the answer to all these problems. You've probably seen previous blogs we've shared about adding a garden office to your home before, but today we're going to talk about converting your sunroom into an office.

Strip it back

To convert your sunroom into an office, the first thing you need to do is declutter. What are you using your sunroom for currently? Is it a cosy relaxation space? An outdoor dining area? Or simply extra storage space?

However you're using your sunroom, you'll need to strip it back if you want to create a functional office, and while the dining table might be a healthy addition to your new office - beanbags, blankets and dog beds definitely won't. 

The best workspaces are free from clutter and fairly minimal in design. Having too many 'things' around can distract you from your work and make you feel overwhelmed. So, take a look at your sunroom and decide what needs to come out of there so your office conversion can commence.

Converting your sunroom into an office

The way that you set up your new garden office conversion can have a huge impact on your productivity. As we've previously mentioned, minimal design and clutter-free spaces are ideal. You should consider:

• Facing your desk away from the garden so you don't get distracted by things in the garden
• Taking advantage of the natural light by keeping windows and doors clear of furniture
• Allowing space for things you need for work eg. paperwork, folders, coffee (of course!)
• Closing the door and reminding people not to disturb you during work hours
• Keeping your phone out of reach

Benefits of a sunroom office conversion

So, by now you're probably wondering - why should I convert my sunroom rather than another room in the house? There are a few benefits to choosing an outdoor office, including:

• Lots of natural light
• Easy access to fresh air
• An obvious separation between your 'work' space and your 'home' space

If you don't already have a sunroom that you can convert into an office, we can help! We have a wide range of sunrooms that can be fully customised with lights, heaters and shades to help you create the perfect office space. Get in touch to find out more.

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