Garden Offices in County Cork
A garden office in Co. Cork costs €6,700 to €10,500 for a one-desk pod and €13,390 to €16,720 for an office of 12 to 16 m², insulated and put up. Fully fitted, 12 to 16 m² is €25,250 to €27,500. 84,857 people in Cork work from home, 36% of those at work.
Garden offices in Cork city and suburbs, Carrigaline, Cobh, Midleton, Mallow and the rest of Co. Cork. Size yours and one company that covers Cork rings you.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- 84,857people work from home, 36%
- 63%of homes have three bedrooms or fewer
- 1,109 mmof rain a year in Cork city
- 1,755heating degree days a year in Cork
Garden office prices in Cork
| What | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| A one-desk office pod, 6 to 9 m² | €6,700 to €10,500 | 3 × 2 m up to 3 × 3 m. Insulated timber, put up. Base and power extra |
| An office for two desks, 12 to 16 m² | €13,390 to €16,720 | 4 × 3 m to 4 × 4 m. The insulation, the doors and the glass |
| A 20 m² office, 5 × 4 m | €15,200 to €22,000 | Triple glazing and thicker insulation sit at the top |
| Fully fitted, 12 to 16 m² | €25,250 to €27,500 | Insulated, wired, lined and floored, ready to work in |
| The base | €800 to €2,500 | Ground screws, a slab or pads. A slope costs more |
| Electrics inside the office | €600 to €1,200 | Sockets, lights and a small fuse board |
| The power cable from the house | from €15 a metre | Distance to the fuse board, and what the trench crosses |
Our price guide for Ireland. Ask whether VAT is in the price. Many list prices leave it out. Ask what the price includes: the base, the cable from the house and the inside finish.
Working from home in Cork
84,857 people in Co. Cork work from home for some or all of the week (Census 2022). That is 36% of those at work who answered, the 4th highest share of the 26 counties. The national figure is 36%. 21,758 people in Cork spend an hour or more getting to work, school or college, each way. That is 6.6% of everyone who travels, the 22nd highest share in the country. Trips are shorter here than in the commuter counties, so a garden office in this county is more about a quiet room than a saved commute.
Houses and gardens in Cork
190,254 households in Co. Cork live in a house or bungalow, 90% of all homes (Census 2022). Nearly every one has a garden of its own to build in. 63% of homes in Cork have three bedrooms or fewer, the 5th highest share in the country. With that many smaller homes, a spare room for a desk is hard to come by. That is the gap a garden office fills.
Planning permission in Cork
The rules are national. A garden office in Co. Cork needs no planning permission when it meets all of these:
- Behind or beside the house. Never forward of the front wall.
- 30 m² in total. The office plus every shed, garage and greenhouse already in the garden. It was 25 m² until 2026.
- 25 m² of open space left. Private garden to the rear or side, after the office goes in.
- 3 m high at most. 4 m if it has a tiled or slated pitched roof.
- At the side of the house, the finish has to match the house.
- Not lived in. No bedroom, no letting. The use has to go with the house.
There are two planning authorities: Cork City Council and Cork County Council. Which one depends on where the house is. Not sure? Ask the council for a section 5 declaration: its answer in writing on whether your office is exempt. The fee is €80.
Rain, cold and broadband in Cork
| Town | Rain a year | December to February |
|---|---|---|
| Cork city | 1,109 mm | 328 mm |
| Mallow | 1,072 mm | 329 mm |
| Bantry | 1,611 mm | 505 mm |
Cork city gets 1,109 mm of rain in an average year, and December is the wettest month at 124 mm (Met Éireann 1991 to 2020, within 3 km of the town). That is the 8th wettest county town of the 26. Here the roof covering, the gutter and where its water goes matter as much as the walls. Cork has 1,755 heating degree days a year, the 25th coldest of the 26 on that measure. It is one of the milder ones, so a well insulated office here needs little heat for much of the year. Cork faces the Atlantic. Fix the building down to its base and turn the door away from the south-west if the garden allows.
85% of households in Co. Cork have broadband (Census 2022), the 7th highest share of the 26 counties. Where the line into the house is weak, the office can't be any better than it. Check the speed at the house first, then run a data cable in the same trench as the power.
Neighbouring counties
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Price & Specification Guides
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- Insulated garden offices
- Garden office sizes
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- Garden studios
- Office and shed combined
- Garden office with a toilet
- Electrics and broadband
- Heating a garden office
- Bases and foundations
- Shed office conversions
- Office kits and flat packs
- Log cabin offices
- Garden office ideas
- Office or garden room
- Office or extension
- Tax and working from home
- Is it worth it
- How long it takes
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Calculator, FAQ & Glossary
More on garden offices
Costs, sizes, pods, insulation, planning and studios.
What a garden office costsEvery size, priced. A one-desk pod is €6,700 to €10,500.
Office podsOne desk, 6 to 9 m². The smallest building that works all year.
Insulated officesWalls, floor, roof and glass. What to ask for in millimetres.
Planning permission30 m² for all garden buildings together, 3 m high, behind the house.
What size to getOne desk, two desks, or a desk and a meeting table.
Garden studiosMusic, art and treatment rooms. What changes from an office.Garden offices in every county
- Carlow6,300 people work from home
- Cavan7,791 people work from home
- Clare16,185 people work from home
- Cork84,857 people work from home
- Donegal14,900 people work from home
- Dublin280,195 people work from home
- Galway37,155 people work from home
- Kerry16,416 people work from home
- Kildare40,433 people work from home
- Kilkenny12,696 people work from home
- Laois9,985 people work from home
- Leitrim4,011 people work from home
- Limerick24,552 people work from home
- Longford4,043 people work from home
- Louth15,614 people work from home
- Mayo13,522 people work from home
- Meath32,232 people work from home
- Monaghan5,788 people work from home
- Offaly8,256 people work from home
- Roscommon7,742 people work from home
- Sligo8,070 people work from home
- Tipperary17,460 people work from home
- Waterford13,705 people work from home
- Westmeath10,976 people work from home
- Wexford17,724 people work from home
- Wicklow25,502 people work from home
Size your garden office
Four taps: what it's for, the garden, the finish and what's there already. You see the size that fits, our price for it and whether it needs planning permission. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one garden office company that covers your county to ring you.
Questions people ask
How much is a garden office in Cork?
A one-desk pod is €6,700 to €10,500 and an office for two desks €13,390 to €16,720, insulated and put up. Fully fitted, 12 to 16 m² is €25,250 to €27,500. The base is €800 to €2,500.
Do I need planning permission for a garden office in Cork?
Usually not: behind the house, 3 m high at most, 25 m² of garden left and 30 m² of garden buildings in total. The councils are Cork City Council and Cork County Council; a section 5 declaration costs €80.
Who builds garden offices near me in Cork?
We pass your request to one garden office company that covers Co. Cork, including Cork city and suburbs, Carrigaline, Cobh. One company only.
Will a garden office be warm enough in Cork?
Yes, with insulation in the walls, floor and roof. Cork has 1,755 heating degree days a year, the 25th coldest of the 26 county figures. Heating one runs to about €20 to €40 a month in winter.
Get a price for your garden office
One garden office company that covers your county. Free, no obligation. Nothing is ordered until you say yes.