Guides · 5 min
Outbuildings and garden rooms
A garden room is often allowed. A separate little house is not.
What the national rules usually allow
On a house, a garden building is often permitted development if it is in the garden, not in front of the main wall that faces the road, and not used as a separate home. Height matters: within 2 metres of a boundary the building is usually limited to 2.5 metres. Further away, a dual-pitched roof can be up to 4 metres, and other roofs up to 3 metres. The eaves are limited, often to 2.5 metres. Buildings and extensions together should not cover more than half the garden around the original house.
The use matters. A room for a hobby, an office, or a gym is the usual easy version. Somewhere to live, with a bedroom, a kitchen and its own front door, is a different project and usually needs permission.
Close to the house
Some councils, especially in the Green Belt, treat a building very close to the house as an extension rather than a shed. That can pull it into a size test you did not expect.
Check with your council. Rules change, and every house is different.
Questions
Can I sleep in a garden room?
Occasional use is different from a separate dwelling. If it is a place to live, assume you need permission.
Can I put it in the front garden?
Usually no, not under the national garden-building rules. Front garden buildings are a common reason for a no.
Check with your council. Rules change, and every house is different.