Anybody embarking on a full-scale home renovation will have to consider where they are going to live when their home is being ripped apart.
Hardy souls may cut costs by remaining in situ, living with the dust, noise and builders’ mess. Others will stay with friends or bite the bullet and find somewhere to rent.
Marty Orton, 51, took a more unusual route.
Before he and his wife Jayne Sibley, 49, had their four-bedroom, 1970s house in St Cross, Winchester renovated, he spent the best part of a year building a spectacular waterside timber cabin for the family – including two children, now aged 13 and 15 – to live in while the work was being completed.
The 258sq ft timber cabin stands cantilevered over a section of the River Itchen which flows through the family’s quarter-acre garden.
It has built-in bunk beds, a mezzanine sleeping area, a living space, a deck and an outdoor kitchen (the family were able to use a bathroom within the house during the build).
Building in the garden, particularly post-pandemic when families craved extra space, has become an increasingly commonplace alternative to moving house – and one which can make good financial sense too.
Building costs vary wildly and you will need to get your head around some fairly convoluted red tape. But whether you want a home office, a fresh income stream, a teenage hangout, or a place for hobbies, garden rooms can be as flexible as you need them to be.