Article Garden Rooms 'LIVING SPACES FOR THE MASSES' ‘Move over conservatory sector’ – Ryan Crossley, director of Making Your Space, says the opportunities are all in the emerging garden room market... When compared with the rest of Europe, the UK home is typically small, with a living space of just 729ft 2 according to House Beautiful. Statistics from local authority building control also show a reduction room in size each decade, from the 1930s onwards. In recent decades, the lack of space resulted in the rapid growth and subsequent demise of the conservatory sector, which, at one stage, boasted more than 300,000 installations per annum. This created a stock of over two million, many of which have been in need of urgent repair or upgrade. The annualised conservatory market of today is around 80,000 installations, but the product has evolved notably, with highperformance glass specified throughout. So how is the demand for additional living space met today? Over the last decade the average number of bedrooms has now dipped under 3 to 2.95 in the average home, while room sizes have continued to fall. The demand for more living space is expanding all the time and Covid-19 – and the sizeable shift to home working that’s its created overnight – has significantly fuelled this further. People have been able to work temporarily in the spare bedroom or kitchen, but it’s not a long-term solution given the distractions of a typical home and the requirement to use Microsoft Teams or Zoom. A garden room could well be the perfect option, as it doesn’t have to connect to the fabric of the building like a conservatory, and can sit in any property’s garden, including terraced and town houses. A garden room can function as a home office, gym, cinema space, a place to relax, a music or reading room. Separate from the home, it’s already a sanctuary for those early adopters looking for the ultimate extended living space, separate in form to the main part of the house. While there may be a number of small regional retail operators in this market, no one, as yet, has put together a compelling product and marketing proposition nationwide for the trade, and that’s what’s driven us over the last 12 months to bring Making Your Space to market. Thanks must also go to Martyn Buckley, former managing director of Polyframe, for the outside investment. Easy design Designing a garden room couldn’t be easier thanks to the dedicated builder on our website at makingyourspace.co.uk, which does all the hard work for you. As a trade only supplier, we can add all the margins and costings so that sales can be closed quickly. We can even add the garden room builder module onto any website for our network of Design Centres, and we’re actively looking to expand these quickly. We offer a marketing support programme with consumer brochures, installation and specification guides and factory training days. We can also offer sales areas that are flexible for both parties. We can build a bespoke garden room in just four weeks and have it delivered flat packed on pallets directly, using quick-fix SIPS construction wall cassettes that simply slot into place and clip together. Having adopted proven off-site construction techniques, a typical garden room installation takes just two days, prior to a third day of final fix electrics and plastering. Many of the skills that companies have invested in for the conservatory market are perfectly suited for garden rooms, with bases requiring the minimum of preparation and just a concrete raft. But will garden rooms become the darling of the home improvement market for the masses in the years to come? We certainly think so and are ready to support our customers and Design Partners with everything to make this a reality. Contact Making Your Space: 01422 385613 www.makingyourspace.co.uk 58 T I NOVEMBER/DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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