Building My Garden Office: A Wealden Shedder's Story
Local carpenter James Marchant shares how he built a fully insulated garden office from reclaimed materials — for under £4,000.
When lockdown hit, James Marchant knew working from the kitchen table wasn't sustainable. "I had offcuts and reclaimed timber from 20 years of carpentry jobs," he says. "It seemed mad to buy a flat-pack office when I could build something with real character."
The result is a beautifully crafted 3m x 4m garden room clad in weathered Sussex oak, insulated with sheep's wool, and powered by a single solar panel for lighting and a laptop charger. The total cost — excluding his own labour — came to £3,800.
"The key is planning," James explains. "I spent three weekends just designing and sourcing materials before I lifted a hammer." His top tips: use a proper damp-proof membrane, don't skimp on insulation, and invest in a good door.