Garden rooms and sheds have been in big demand in the last 18 months. The extra space they provide has been a boon to those working from home during the pandemic or for those just looking to escape the hustle and bustle of family life. Fuelled by high demand and raw materials shortages, however, the cost of building garden rooms and sheds has increased and waiting times have lengthened. But is this a short-term blip or can we expect long waits and higher costs to continue in 2022?
Frank O'Sullivan of Shomera, which provides garden rooms, has seen a huge rise in demand since last year and says this is down to a number of issues.
After the initial lockdown ended in May 2020, we saw a 400 per cent spike in enquiries. Our installation times increased from three to 12 months
“This year has seen a significant increase in the number of people purchasing garden rooms and after the initial lockdown ended in May 2020, we saw a 400 per cent spike in enquiries,” he says. “Due to scalability problems and a scarcity of skilled labour resources, this resulted in a 100 per cent increase in sales for us. We didn’t want to overpromise and underdeliver – so at the same time our installation times increased from three to 12 months.”
Lead times now stand at eight months, and there are plans to expand capacity further in 2022, he says.
While Shomera has been in the business of garden rooms for 23 years, Waterford-based John Cleary, a carpenter since 1995, only began making sheds and pergolas during lockdown and says he has been inundated with requests. He says because people have become more used to relaxing at home, they are willing to pay for good workmanship and are happy to wait as long as it takes.
"I took the plunge in April after getting a lot of enquiries about a build in my own garden, so I decided to take a chance and set up Cleary and Daughter," he says. "I did a big commercial project for a restaurant in Waterford city, which is in a busy location so is very well displayed and after that my business really took off.
“I work alone at the moment but come the New Year I will have to take on a couple of people.”
He says the pandemic has definitely caused people to reimagine their garden space, “particularly those who are married with small kids and don’t go socialising as much as they did when they were child-free”.
The cost of materials has escalated in the last 12 months with “the price of timber up 120 per cent in less than a year” and plastic pipes such as those used in sewerage systems “doubled and scarce”.
“It will be interesting to see if the prices of materials come down again next year,” he says.
Paul Nolan of Adman Steel Sheds says he and the rest of the 75 employees at the Wexford manufacturing plant have experienced a "huge demand" for all of their products (garden sheds, garages, greenhouses and garden rooms) over the past two years.
People were restricted from going on holidays or to pubs and restaurants, so they had more money to spend on their homes and gardens
“I think the main reason for this was due to a shift in consumer spending caused by Covid-19 restrictions as people were restricted from going on holidays or to pubs and restaurants, so they had more money to spend on their homes and gardens,” he says. “I think everyone is now aware that lead times for almost any garden building have increased dramatically as a result of lockdowns along with a short-term surge in demand – it’s just not possible to increase production capacity quickly, which in turn leads to longer lead times.”
Raw material shortages and price increases exacerbated by Brexit are also a factor, he says.
“But in general I think the short-term shift in consumer spending habits towards more products than services have led to increased demand on materials worldwide – while interruptions to supply chains caused by lockdowns further fuelled the situation.”
He is optimistic that the “material issues” are showing signs of stabilising and hopefully will start to return to normal in 2022.
“And in recent months, with the opening back up of the hospitality and travel industries, we’ve noticed a fall-off in orders and we are now back to more normal order levels.” However, wait times still remain at about six months.
And while demand might be high for garden rooms, experts advise enlisting the services of a professional to ensure the job is done right.
“Your garden room must be properly insulated and airtight as this will ensure that it is pleasant year-round as well as being cost effective to keep heated during the winter months,” O’Sullivan says. “Just as important are the design detail for weathering and maintenance – and while timber cladding is beautiful to look at, in Ireland we aren’t great at maintenance. So after years of using and testing many claddings, we have settled on larch as our preferred timber as it looks great, lasts for generations and doesn’t have to be painted often.”
He says it’s also important to pay attention to the details of the structure on the ground and roof levels, where our wet climate can play havoc over years.
And while it’s essential to know what to look for when purchasing the right garden room, there’s no getting away from the fact that demand is still greater than supply. O’Sullivan urges people to speak to their supplier sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment and make sure to tailor an order to suit individual needs.
“Lead times continue to be longer than we, or any of our competitors, would like,” he says. “The difficulty of sourcing materials and the inflation around this is still a challenge, so the earlier a customer can order the better, as it is easier to ask for a later installation date than bringing an installation forward.”
And he says, when it comes to placing an order, “like most things in life, bigger isn’t always a better”.
“We always start by asking customers why they want to build a garden room and what is their primary goal,” says O’Sullivan. “So, for example, if someone wants to create a garden office, we believe it’s wiser to keep it small and intact, so it doesn’t get used for multiple activities in the future.”
He also recommends that customers measure the rooms in their home, mark out the spaces and see what furniture can sit within a space.
“This helps visualise the [garden room] space and determine what suits their needs best.”
When they started in business in 1998 garden rooms were seen as a discretionary product, a luxury even. Now, and in particular since the pandemic, with the work from home revolution, “a garden room is seen more as a product of need”. Having a separate room on a property also has a huge impact on family life.
“A lot has been said recently on the importance of some kind of commute – even psychological – to create healthy boundaries between work life and home life. We have been talking about this for years and call it the 12-step commute.”
Garden rooms from Shomera cost from €18,000 to €40,000 including VAT, with the average cost being €28,000. Prices for Adman Sheds and garden rooms vary depending on size and start at €1,149. Cleary and Daughter prices begin at €3,000 to €5,000 for a custom-made pergola and a custom home bar costs between €10,000 to €12,000.
Top tips before ordering
Talk to a professional
Order early to avoid disappointment
Consider insulation – it's important for year-round comfort
Look for low maintenance finishes
Decide what use the room will be put to and stick to that
Bigger isn't always better – don't build larger than you need
Measure a room in your home to figure out what furniture will fit
Be patient – there are still delays in the system
