Dominic Arnold on making a cocoon© in your garden for work, rest or play

Many of our clients are opting to maximise their existing space rather than move home. So what are the options? Last month we discussed the benefits of a loft conversion; but what if you can’t get planning permission, or you don’t have the existing loft space?

There is another way…
Having faced this dilemma personally (we had already maximised the loft space to provide a fourth bedroom and shower room) our five-person family was still desperately short of space. Working from home was proving difficult, with a little one running around and the laptop perched either on our laps (a sure-fire recipe for RSI) or balanced on the bedside table.

So, looking around the rest of the property for areas we could develop we started to research the various garden-office solutions and quickly decided we could design our own eco-friendly version with a contemporary and sleek look within the same price bracket.

‘Your cocoon©’ was then conceived
We sourced timber from sustainable FSC approved suppliers, installed a sedum-covered roof, put in low-energy heating, lighting and loft-like insulation; it was designed to impose the minimum environmental impact.

“As it’s built to modern housing standards it feels exactly like being in a cosy studio”

It creates a fantastic vista in the garden, replacing the rickety shed that the kids were too frightened to go into, that had formally housed a rusty bicycle and an assortment of old garden tools.

As it’s built to modern housing standards it feels exactly like being in a cosy studio, no matter what the weather throws at us. And the benefits of closing the doors and walking back to the house, leaving all the files and computers behind, are unparalleled.

Had we not found this solution, moving house would have been the only other option, but with all the prohibitive costs involved this really wasn’t a viable solution. ‘Your cocoon©’ (www.yourcocoon.co.uk) has ensured we’ll enjoy the house we love for a few more years to come. What we’ll do when our three girls are all teenagers and wanting space to hang out with their friends is something else. Now, where are those old plans to excavate the basement…?

Dominic Arnold
Dad to three, husband to one, MD of Cocoon Property Ltd, Brighton:
specialising in full-house refurbishments, eco-retrofit, loft conversions, kitchen extensions (side returns), interior design and condensation control.
01273 556800
www.cocoonproperty.co.uk