The number of Google searches for properties with ‘garden offices’ was 396,000 between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023, new analysis form Legal & General Surveying Services has revealed.
There was a spike in searches for garden offices during the height of the pandemic, with searches peaking at 726,000 between 2020 and 2021, and declining again the following year.
However, while the total number of searches decreased further in 2022 to 2023, the total number of searches was 22% higher than pre pandemic (2019 to 2020).
The number of properties listed on the market with a garden office rose drastically over the past decade.
Research from Rightmove highlighted that the proportion of property listings that mention the term ‘garden office’ was 11 times higher than a decade ago, up 1,046%.
The number of searches for ‘hybrid working’ increased significantly following the first lockdown, rising from an annual average of 120 to nearly 119,000 in 2022.
Barrows and Forrester found that a garden office could add on average 7.5% or £21,563 to the value of an average property.
Trudy Woolf, sustainability director at Legal & General Surveying Services, said: “With many workers moving away from the traditional nine-to-five work week, to hybrid working life, it’s interesting to see an increased interest in building garden offices.
“Clearly, building a garden office could potentially increase the value of a property, making it an attractive option for homeowners and prospective buyers.”
She added: “However, for those looking to buy a property with the intention of building a garden office, it is vital that they get a professional survey before pressing ahead with the purchase.
“A survey will provide purchasers with detailed insight into the property they’re buying, and any potential additional costs they could be facing once they move in.
“In addition to performing a visual inspection of the garden, a surveyor will assess retaining walls, boundary walls, patios, gates, fences and pathways, all of which could have an impact on the feasibility of building a garden office.”
