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Is a Garden Office Worth It?

A garden office is worth it if you work from home two or more days a week, have nowhere quiet in the house, and will be in the same house for some years. A one-desk pod costs €6,700 to €10,500 put up, plus the base and power. A co-working desk in Dublin city centre costs €300 to €400 a month and one in a regional town €120 to €180. It is not worth it if a spare room would do the same job.

The money, the time, and the cases where the answer is no.

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  • €6,700 to €10,500a one-desk pod, once
  • €300 to €400 a montha co-working desk in Dublin city
  • 276,264people travel an hour or more, each way

The sums

What it costs
A one-desk pod, put up€6,700 to €10,500
The base€800 to €2,500
Electrics inside, plus the cable€600 to €1,200, plus from €15 a metre
Heating in winter€20 to €40 a month
A co-working desk, Dublin city centre€300 to €400 a month
A co-working desk, regional town€120 to €180 a month

At €300 a month, a rented desk comes to €3,600 a year, every year. A pod at the middle of its range, with a base and power, is paid for once.

The time

276,264 people in Ireland spend an hour or more getting to work, school or college, each way (Census 2022). In Meath it is 16% of everyone who travels, in Wicklow 16% and in Kildare 14%. Two days a week from the garden takes four of those trips off the week.

What you get that money doesn't measure

  • A door between work and home.
  • Calls without the washing machine.
  • A room that is set up and stays set up.
  • The kitchen table back.

When the answer is no

  • There is a spare room. A desk in it costs nothing.
  • You are back in the workplace four days a week. One day at home does not need a building.
  • You may move within a couple of years. Don't count on getting the cost back in the sale price.
  • The garden is the only outdoor space the children have and the office would take most of it.
  • You rent. It needs the owner's agreement, and it stays when you go unless it can be lifted.

What you'd be paying for

WhatTypical costWhat moves the price
A one-desk office pod, 6 to 9 m²€6,700 to €10,5003 × 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 €16,7204 × 3 m to 4 × 4 m. The insulation, the doors and the glass
Fully fitted, 12 to 16 m²€25,250 to €27,500Insulated, wired, lined and floored, ready to work in
The base€800 to €2,500Ground screws, a slab or pads. A slope costs more
Electrics inside the office€600 to €1,200Sockets, lights and a small fuse board
Heating it in winter€20 to €40 a monthInsulation, hours of use, the heater

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.

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More on garden offices

Costs, sizes, pods, insulation, planning and studios.

A flat-roofed garden office in dark cladding at the end of a back gardenWhat a garden office costsEvery size, priced. A one-desk pod is €6,700 to €10,500.A small black cabin with a glazed frontOffice podsOne desk, 6 to 9 m². The smallest building that works all year.Charred black timber cladding with a window and a wall lampInsulated officesWalls, floor, roof and glass. What to ask for in millimetres.A long, low building in black metal cladding on a lawnPlanning permission30 m² for all garden buildings together, 3 m high, behind the house.A desk and chair under a wide window inside a timber-lined garden officeWhat size to getOne desk, two desks, or a desk and a meeting table.Two dark green timber buildings joined by a deckGarden studiosMusic, art and treatment rooms. What changes from an office.

Garden offices in every county

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.

What is the office for?

Pick the nearest. It decides the size.

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Questions people ask

Does a garden office add value to a house?

It adds use. Don't rely on it to raise the sale price: buyers value it differently and buildings age.

How long does a garden office last?

A well built one lasts decades if the roof is sound, the timber is treated and it is kept off the ground.

Is a garden office cheaper than renting a desk?

Over a few years, usually. A rented desk is €120 to €180 to €300 to €400 a month, depending on where.

Will I actually use it?

People who work from home two or more days a week do. People who wanted a hobby room and called it an office often don't.

Can I take it with me?

A pod on ground screws can be lifted and moved if there is a way out of the garden.

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