A garden office is a pretty dreamy setup for anyone who works from home. For one, you’re away from the house – and you’re surrounded by nature. Plus, you get to enjoy a mini commute that helps to keep work and home life separate. So it comes as no surprise that the garden office or ‘shoffice’ was found to be one of the most valued garden features for homebuyers in 2022.

From trendy pods to repurposed summerhouses and revamped garden room ideas, there are loads of ways to extend our living spaces beyond our four walls. Our garden office ideas offer the advantage of providing a quiet pocket away from the main hubbub of your main home.

 Garden office ideas to inspire

While working from home has plenty of pros, the daily leisurewear wardrobe and extra time in bed being just two, it also can prove hard to stay motivated to work when in your own environment. Our homes are the space we create to relax and retreat from the busy outside world. So that doesn’t bode well with turning them into a home office.

That’s where having a garden office to escape to can be a very happy resolve. With home working set to stay, maybe it’s time to venture out into the garden – for pastures new!

1. Plan ahead

Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Polly Eltes

Before we get to the fun stuff, it’s worth taking a moment to think about who will be using the garden office. How many people does it need to accommodate at once and does it need to perform multiple functions? What kind of budget do you have and do you want to kit it out with heating and plumbing or stick with something more basic?

2. Make it feel like it’s always been there with planting

Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Holly Jolliffe

‘Consider the path you will use to reach it; borders, trees, and grass may all be impacted,’ says garden designer Susan Hampton. ‘If you work out how these are going to be changed you can soon make your new building looks as if it really belongs rather than being a hasty decision.’

Susan says that even a brief consultation with a garden designer can help you get these decisions right so that you can carry them out in your own time. Incorporating a garden office into your space doesn’t have to be expensive either. It is quite likely you will have things in the garden that can be lifted and replanted to save money and add maturity to the scheme, Susan comments.

3. Go for an indoor/outdoor design

Image credit: Cuckooland

The main draw of a garden office is feeling like you’re working outside, without battling wind, drizzle or bright sunlight. Consider a garden room design like this example from Cuckooland which blends seamlessly into the garden, or something with lots of windows from floor to ceiling.

Decorate with lots of houseplants to blur the boundary between the inside and outside of your garden office and reap the benefits of a workspace that feels at one with nature.

4. Think about viewpoints

Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd / Colin Poole

‘Adding a room in your garden is going to make a big difference to your life by giving you some extra space,’ says Susan Hampton. ‘But it is also going to have a big impact on your garden.

‘Make sure it is a good impact by thinking through how you position the new building – think about the view you have from the house to the garden room, and the view you have when you are inside that new room.’

5. Keep it simple

Image credit: Dan Duchars

If you already have a summerhouse, turning it into a home office will be a natural transition. Keep the colour palette muted and make the furniture versatile so that it can still function otherwise as a relaxing summerhouse when work hours are over. Flexibility is key to making the space work for your needs.

If you’re revamping an old shed, make sure it’s structurally sound. Outdoor building company Lidget Compton says to make sure the building hasn’t succumbed to any damages over winter. Check that the doors and windows, if it has them, are sealed correctly. This will prevent any work equipment from getting damaged in bad weather.

6. Repurpose a side return

Image credit: Green Retreats

Use the main space of your garden to build a garden room for your now-permanent home office. Garden offices became the hero garden room during the pandemic.

‘With most of the country encouraged to work from home, making space to focus on work and create a work-life balance seemed an impossible task’ say Green Retreats. ‘A garden room offered a solution to both! Creating space away from the distractions of home, as well as being able to close the door at the end of the day to properly switch off.’

‘I think a garden room is a really great place to go and work, particularly if you can just get that sense that you leave the house, even if it’s four steps,’ says TV presenter and property expert Sarah Beeny. ‘It’s really good for your mind to separate your work and your home.’

7. Enliven the space with thoughtful decor

Image credit: Lizzie Orme

Take your home office outside but retain the same level of decor as that within your home. Paint an on-trend black feature wall and hang decorative accessories to dress the space as if it was inside your home. The sense of familiarity and the common thread between your garden ideas and your interiors will prove comforting.

Create an office ‘break-out space’ with jute floor cushions and informal seating, to escape the screen and enjoy a garden break with a book during your lunch break.

8. Paint the walls to boost creativity

Image credit: Jon Day

A home office needs to be an environment that provides a balance of both calm and motivation, so the colour you choose to paint the walls needs to be a careful consideration. Green is the colour we associate most with the greenery from nature, so it can be quite motivational. At the same time, because being at one with nature soothes the soul, it’s the ideal colour for creating a serene space in which to work.

9. Hang curtains to prevent glare on screens

Image credit: Tim Young

Wherever you decide to set up your garden office, glare on a computer screen is inevitable. There are a number of ways to minimise the brightness to save yourself squinting at your screen – the most obvious for a repurposed summer house idea is to hang a lightweight curtain, to pull across when needed. Practical and pretty to dress the space.

A spokesperson from Chiltern Garden Buildings also suggests, ‘A screen hood for your laptop will help you to see your screen, even during the middle of the day and it will also help to keep your laptop cool and shaded. You could even look at covering your screen with an anti-glare filter which will help eradicate the mirror-like reflections from your surroundings.’

10. Opt for privacy with a screen

Image credit: Tim Young

Save being distracted from the tasks at hand by screening off one area for when you need to concentrate. This might be more necessary if you’re not the only one who wants to hang out outside and enjoy the garden during working hours. Adding decorative screens or planters is a great way to add privacy and separate workplaces to ensure a successful day’s work, without interruption.

11. Put a garden pod in place

Pods for the garden come in many forms, from outdoor office to guest bedroom, hobby room to teenage hangout. Pods for the garden tend not to require planning permission or foundations, which makes them quick to buy and speedy to install.

Award-winning design and architectural practice JaK Studio have created modular cabins to install in your garden to offer the ideal space for a  home office solution. The Module Cubed (HOM3) designs are inspired by the popular online game Minecraft. The completely customisable modular garden rooms are ideal for contemporary home working.

12. Stay connected

Image credit: Colin Poole

One of the key things you need to consider when setting up a working spot outside is a location that is close enough to the Wi-Fi. This will determine where best to place your garden office set up.

‘Moving your office outside could mean your home connection becomes interrupted and sporadic, which will cause more headache and stress when joining any virtual meetings, conferences or when making any important calls If you can, move the router closer to your chosen spot so your signal strength is the best it can be’ advises a spokesperson for Chiltern Garden Buildings. ‘If you’re unable to move your router, a Wi-Fi extender will help strengthen your connection.’

13. Repurpose the garden furniture

Image credit: Dan Duchars

If you’re already saving money by repurposing a garden shed you may want to keep costs in check with a few other savvy solutions. Repurposing the outdoor furniture is a sure-fire way to save on spending.

‘Although working from the hammock may sound cozy, if you’re going to be working outside for a long stretch, your best bet is to set up shop at a traditional outdoor dining table’ says Riverbend Home’s Chief Home Officer Mark Feldman. ‘If you want a standing desk option outdoors, two alternatives are repurposing a potting bench or a bar height table. Consider the same ergonomics as your traditional desk setup.’ Add cushions to bistro chairs to pad the seat and be sure to take frequent breaks to stretch in between long spells of sitting at a desk.

14. Seek shade

Image credit: Cuprinol

Whether it is 15 degrees or 35 degrees, protecting yourself from the sun when working outside is essential. Especially if you’re used to working indoors, the powerful rays may be a shock to the system. If your garden is a suntrap if you do venture outside to work on a bench, ensure you have the appropriate protection.

A canopy will provide shelter to seek shade, protecting your skin from the UVA and UVB rays and your electrical equipment also. Retreat inside when it’s too hot to handle, the shelter of a garden office in a jazzed-up shed will provide a welcome escape.

15. Welcome warmth with rugs

Image credit: Lizzie Orme

Use rugs to layer the floors to make the space feel more inviting. The homely touch will add a certain feeling of warmth but by blocking any potential draughts from coming through the floorboards it will literally warm the room too.

Do you need planning permission for a garden office?

‘You have to be a little bit careful on garden buildings because you have to make sure that you don’t need planning permission,’ property expert Sarah Beeny warns. ‘And it depends on how big your garden is, how high the building that you’re planning on putting in is, how close the neighbours are. You do need to check with planning permission and building regs. You can’t have a habitable room out there without building regs, so there are a few rules you need to comply with.’

For most cases it’s unlikely you will need planning permission for a garden office, because the structures are often repurposed sheds and summer houses – which are all in the permitted development guidelines. Garden pods tend not to require planning permission or foundations either, which makes them quick to buy and speedy to install.

‘If your building is shorter than 2.5m, doesn’t take up more than 50 per cent of your garden, or isn’t going to be placed in your front garden, you shouldn’t require planning permission’ says Charles Walton.

‘However, this will largely depend on local councils and neighbourhood policies, as well as the response of your immediate neighbours. Planning permission rules can vary by area, so we would strongly recommend checking with your local council.’

Is it worth getting a garden office?

They say that you shouldn’t work a horse in its own paddock, because that’s their own personal space – a chance to just be. Much can be said the same for humans. While there are many benefits to working from home it can sometimes encroach on your work-life balance. Therefore building a garden room you can work in (if you have the space) allows you to physically leave the house for work and return home after each day. Despite the fact you are only walking out the door short distance to the garden, mentally it can be liberating to have the routine.

‘We believe a garden office is whatever you make it, which is why we provide a blank slate for you to decorate however you wish’ says Charles Walton, of BillyOh.  ‘A quality garden room can act as a home studio for creatives or productive office space for freelancing professionals. Moving your office space outside your home allows you to separate your work and home life better and approach your work with the attention and professionalism it deserves.’

According to Roofing Megastore, incorporating an office into your garden can actually add an average of £7,261 value to your property. Almost 15% of homeowners surveyed in the research said they would pay up to £15,000 more for a property with a garden office, with a further 7% paying up to £20,000 more.

Can you sleep in a garden office?

A garden office can be adapted for the future when you might want to use it as a teenagers’ hangout or a guest bedroom. You’d need to make sure the condition of the building is at a high enough standard that it’s the kind of space you’d happily spend the night, though. Summerhouses can offer a great multifunctional space to fulfill a variety of functions.

The post Garden office ideas to create a serene workspace outside appeared first on Ideal Home.

Broadly speaking, we’re fans of a Breville coffee machine. The brand is known for delivering quality machines at reasonable prices, but our main complaint in the past has usually related to the look of the machine. Well, the Breville Barista Max+ might be the most stylish option yet, with an in-built burr grinder and separate brewing that resembles a professional coffee machine, and also looks pretty similar to the market-leading Sage Barista Express, which is a machine I’ve got hands-on experience of. I’ll be comparing the two further down in the review.

The Breville Barista Max+ has a good selection of smart features that I’ve not seen in a coffee machine before. This includes a timer that shows the brewing time, and 30 grind settings that are easy to switch between. I tested this machine for close to a month, which means it got a lot of use in my kitchen. This gave me all the time I needed to see if it’s worth a £500 investment. My verdict? This is the kind of coffee machine I’d buy for myself as a treat, or ask for as a gift. Its looks are flawless, it’s got some really thoughtful design touches, and it’s the kind of a machine that a coffee enthusiast could really get into. However, all the different adjustable elements could mean that it’s a little too hard work for the average coffee drinker to get into. If all you want is the best coffee machine to deliver consistent results with minimal fuss, look elsewhere.

Ideal Home rated: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Reasons to buy:

• Looks great
• Packed with clever controls
• Sensitive brewing
• Excellent milk steaming
• Huge water capacity

Reasons to avoid:

• Very hands-on
• Unreliable results
• Can get messy

Breville Barista Max+

Specs:

• Coffee type: grind and brew
• Control type: manual
• Water tank capacity: 2.9 litres
• Pressure: 15 bar
• Dimensions: 40 x 34 x 32 cm (H x W x D)
• Weight: 7.75kg

Unboxing the Breville Barista Max+

The Breville Barista Max+ is not a small machine, so it unsurprisingly comes in a large box. I was struck by how heavy the box was, and unsurprised that the machine came packed in thick and sturdy styrofoam. On the one hand, it’s important to protect it from damage in transit, but I’d love to see a reduction in the use of single-use, non-recyclable packaging in appliances such as this.

The machine comes fully assembled, and it was very easy to get set up. The beans go into the hopper at the top of the machine, which twists out to be removed fully for easy topups. The hopper can also be twisted to adjust the burr grind setting, with 30 being the coarsest setting and 0 being the finest. I typically stuck to the 15 mark when reviewing, but adjusted depending on the bean I was using.

One feature I really liked was the water tank, which is very large at nearly 3 litres. Because this sits out of reach at the back of the machine the large capacity really helps in reducing the frequency of re-fills, essential in a coffee-loving home like mine.

The Breville Barista Max+ comes with a milk steaming wand that’s controlled by a dial on the right hand side of the machine. You can also use it to release hot water to top up coffees. Included is a steaming jug which doesn’t have the most high-quality feel but is standard for most coffee machines.

I opted to get the machine in black, which has a really sleek look that’s semi-matte and won’t smudge easily. It’s still got a metal panel that sits behind the opening at the front of the machine, and silver buttons. The drip tray has a side pocket that can be used to contain any wasted grounds that land on the tray, and it also has a red warning panel that lifts up with the level of water to remind you to empty it between uses. I also found that this didn’t need to be done very often.

Getting started

The Breville Barista Max+ needs some flushing out before the first use, which is easy to do because of the manual controls in the machine. I was struck throughout testing by how thorough and useful the instruction manual is. It provides a really comprehensive guide on how to get your machine set up, which would be very useful for those who are new to a machine this detailed.

The grinder comes separate to the machine, and you can twist it into place after dropping in your burr grinder insert. By twisting it you can adjust the grind settings, from 0 to 30, and there is guidance in how to choose the right setting in the machine handbook.

How to use the Breville Barista Max+

After flushing out the steam and water wand, and the brewing unit, I was ready to get started. To get going you need to turn the machine on and allow a few seconds for it to pre-heat. Breville even suggests warming up the portafilter by running it under some hot water, which can help in the results of your coffee. It’s not a step you need to take, but it could make all the difference to a discerning coffee drinker.

To fill up your grounds container (I opted for double, and there is also a single option) you need to slot the portafilter into the container directly underneath the dispenser. When I tested the Sage Barista Express you simply had to press a button and it would automatically dispense an adjustable amount of grounds into the filter, but with the Breville Barista Max+ you need to continuously press the filter down to activate grinding, and stop when you’re ready. The display shows an estimated weight of the grounds as you pour them, and around the 16-gram mark is best. My machine showed a decimal point when it ground, meaning that a 16-gram measure actually showed as 1.6. You then take the tamper and press evenly (the manual will tell you the correct amount of pressure to use) to compact your grounds.

See the best coffee grinders

Grinding will always be messy in a machine like this. I did get some grounds that fell onto the water tray as I tapped and tamped my coffee grounds into place, but Breville takes this into account and has created a gap at the right side of the tray that you can wipe excess grounds into. This makes the machine a little easier to keep tidy.

I then twisted the filter into place, which I had no difficulty with. If you do have difficulty with this, it’s probably because your filter is too full. From there, it was just a case of brewing my coffee. I selected the double shot and watched as the display counted up the seconds it took for my drink to brew. Breville helpfully suggests that between 20-25 seconds is the ideal extraction time, so this is what I aimed for when brewing.

Interestingly, I found that the brew time heavily changed when I switched up the beans I was using. This could be fixed by adjusting the grind settings – a more coarse grind will lead to a lower extraction time, because and finer will take longer. Brew time can also be affected by the amount of grounds in your filter. Fewer grounds will provide less of an obstacle to the water that’s being pushed through it. This is what’s fun in coffee brewing, there are so many variables. However, if you really don’t care to get stuck in and adjust all the settings by hand, one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines with an automatic in-built grind and dose cycle will take all the faff out of the process.

What is the coffee like?

I was happy with my coffee. Once again, the instruction manual with the Breville Barista Max+ lists off some signs that your coffee could be under or over-extracted. My first attempt was free of both acidity and bitterness (I used the Daily Blend from Caravan Coffee Roasters) and it had a sturdy crema that lasted a decent amount of time.

Throughout testing I did get a few bad cups, which is likely down to the settings I was using. I do wish there was an auto-dose of coffee grounds to guarantee an element of consistency across different brews. Overall, there is an above-average risk of human error with this machine, meaning you’ll likely learn a lot from using it, but will get the occasional bad espresso.

Using the milk frother

To use the Breville Barista Max+ steam wand you need to turn the dial on the right hand side of the machine to the right, which will start the pre-heat process. I would recommend bringing the temperature up until there is a consistent steam release, then turning it off and inserting the wand right under the top layer of your milk at an angle. Then, start once more to being texturising your milk.

The milk came up to heat very quickly when I tested the machine, which meant I had to be quick to get the texture I wanted. This took a few tries but because it is easy to adjust the angle of the steam wand with this machine it was not too tricky to get the right effect.

Cleaning the Breville Barista Max+

It’s important to keep this machine running smoothly, but it also can look a little messy if you don’t wipe it down easily. The back can mark with splashes of coffee and the grounds can get everywhere. First I’d recommend regularly emptying the drip tray (the red warning marker will show when this is essential, but you can do it in-between this as well) and wiping down the metal cover. You should also do this by buffing away any splashes with a microfibre cloth.

Make sure to wipe the milk wand clean after every use, and also flush it out, and you should flush out the group head to dispose of residue every few days. The bean hopper can be twisted and lifted away, even when there are beans inside the machine, which makes cleaning it out quite straightforward. The grinding insert lifts right out and there is a brush that can be used to wipe any fragments away from the burr grinder. I found it tricky to insert the grinder back into the machine after I’d done this, and had to tip the coffee machine towards me to scoop out the grounds that had accumulated in the machine.

When it needs a thorough clean, the machine has a cleaning light to alert you to this. You simply need to use the rubber insert that sits inside the filter and place a descaling tablet into the filter. From there the machine cleans itself, and it takes about ten minutes from start to finish.

How does it compare to other coffee machines?

The Breville Barista Max+ looks very similar to a few machines on the market. The first is the Breville Barista Max, which makes sense seeing as the Breville Barista Max+ is its souped-up new counterpart. The Breville Barista Max does not have the smart display that shows the grinding weight and brewing time, but the dial and brewing controls are very similar. The Breville Barista Max costs £100 less as standard, and when we tested it we found that the milk frother is lacking in power, which cannot be said for the Breville Barista Max+.

The other comparable machine is the Sage Barista Express, which is a machine I have a lot of hands-on experience with as it’s the machine I’ve used at my parents’ house for many years. The Barista Express retails at £629, it has a metal construction as opposed to the Breville Barista Max+’s plastic exterior, and it has a pressure gauge at the front of the machine that shows you the right level of pressure as your coffee brews.

The Sage machine auto-doses coffee grounds, which is a feature I missed in the Breville Barista Max+, but it also allows you to freestyle by pressing down continuously into the grinder. It also brews double and single shots and has a dial at the side of the machine that’s very similar to the Breville model – one side steams and the other dispenses hot water. The Sage machine does lack the high-tech display that shows weight and timings, and it’s more expensive. However, if I were choosing between the two machines I would struggle to choose. Both are great at brewing coffee, and while the Sage Barista Express looks slightly more high-end and has a sturdier design, it is more expensive and lacks a few of the smart features.

Should you buy the Breville Barista Max+?

The Breville Barista Max+ is certainly a very capable coffee machine, with heaps of customisable controls that will allow budding baristas to really take control of their brewing process. When testing the Breville Barista Max+ I was struck by how many variables there are in making coffee, and it would have been nice to be able to controls some of those a tad more. In particular I think the machine would benefit from an auto-dosing grounds feature, but the display will help you to monitor the weight of the grounds dispensed to add some of that control back.

In terms of looks, the Breville Barista Max+ is a very striking machine that I think would be at home in a style-conscious kitchen. It comes in black or silver finishes, but both are plastic to touch and not metal, which might not be the preferred material of choice for some buyers.

I was really impressed by the instruction manual that comes with the Breville Barista Max+, that will really help those who are new to coffee learn the ropes and pick up the telltale signs of certain user errors and advise how best to get the most of the machine. While it is not a cheap coffee machine by any means, I do think it is one of the more reasonably priced barista-style coffee machines on the market.

About this review, and the reviewer

Millie Fender is small appliances editor at Ideal Home. She reviews everything from coffee machines to air fryers from her own kitchen, meaning these tests have been carried out in the same conditions that you’ll be using the machine.

The Breville Barista Max+ was kindly sent to Millie by Breville, and Millie tested it for a month before writing this review. This gave her the chance to test all of its functions as well as cleaning and check for any troubleshooting. While she prefers a frothy latte or an iced cappuccino, her partner is never running on less than three americanos, so the Breville Barista Max+ was very thoroughly tested.

The post Breville Barista Max+ Review: Breville’s smartest coffee machine yet appeared first on Ideal Home.

Solar panels for sheds make a lot of sense as they offer the opportunity to power your prized outhouse directly with the energy of the sun. Getting power to a shed can be tough, with the need to run armoured cable from your home, often digging up the garden in the process. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the need to get a qualified electrician in to connect you up to your home’s power supply.

All that means getting mains power to a shed can be expensive, time consuming and potentially destructive to your garden and home. Solar panels are a viable alternative as it means getting power directly from the shed’s current position and running that inside. That means fewer cables, less destruction and cheaper longer term running costs. But it’s not all positives, as this feature will clarify.

This guide aims to share all you need to know about solar panels for sheds. To be clear this will mainly focus on solar panels as a source of overall power, as opposed to solar powered lighting systems only.

Image credit: Getty Images/Westend61

Can I put solar panels on a shed in the UK?

Yes, you can put solar panels on sheds in the UK. The lack of sun in some areas might not make this ideal though. So be sure your shed will have lots of solar access if you want to make sure the power supply is enough.

If your shed is tucked away under the shade of a tree, you may want to reconsider solar. Or look into getting the tree cut back to free up light.

According to CEO of The Posh Shed Company, Richard Frost, our sheds are getting bigger and they’re getting posher. And that’s making features like solar panels more and more desirable. ‘We’ve started offering sheds with solar power, allowing you to stay outdoors longer by powering a lamp, speakers and even your phone charger,’ he explains.

As mentioned there are two types of solar power for sheds:

1. Solar lighting panels

If you don’t need mains power in your shed and simply want some lights in there then these can be the simplest – and cheapest – option. These come with solar panels and cabling that run to internal and sometimes external lights. These will generally come with a decent battery setup so that you have enough power stored away after a day to enjoy plenty of light in your shed for the darker hours.

The Posh Shed Company’s Hubi 2k lighting and power system, £219, is an easy way to get light into your shed. And it has two USB ports for mobile phones and other devices. Smart internal electronics ensure the system never gets overcharged.

Image credit: The Posh Shed Company

2. Solar roof panels

The other type of solar is more like the type you see on houses. This means solar panels on your shed roof, cabling to an inverter and sockets to plug in devices as well as power for lighting. These will also require a battery system to make sure you can harvest all that solar power in the darker times, when you likely need more power for lighting and heating.

So if you’re only light to help access tools when it’s darker, then the first solar lights option is fine. But if you want more of a home office or workspace setup – with heating, lighting, broadband, powertools and the like – then you’ll want to go for the second full solar setup.

In both cases, since this is a relatively basic setup with no connection to the main power grid, it can be something you setup yourself. Alternatively you can pay an electrician to do that side of things to ensure everything is safe and will be guaranteed to work correctly. More on how to setup the power side of things later in this guide.

Image credit: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images

What are the pros of solar panels for sheds?

While solar power sounds like a wonder option, saving you money, space, equipment and helping the environment all at once, there are still positives and negatives. Here are the main ones you should consider before deciding on solar panels for your shed.

1. Power is free

One really big positive of solar power is that once you’re setup and running it’s free. That means you can be powering your computer, charging your phone, heating the space, running lights and even powering tools – all without paying anything. You will be harnessing the power of the sun and storing it in your own batteries to use as and when you need.

So once the initial outlay of equipment and setup is done, the savings you make on not paying for power from the grid should cover the cost of the solar panels and beyond.

2. Setup is easier

The ease of setup is another positive for solar. Since hooking up a shed to mains power requires a professional electrician and potentially a lot of cabling, run up your garden, the costs can really add up. Not to mention that you may need to dig out a channel to hide the cable safely and drill holes in your home to access your power box.

None of that is needed for solar, where everything stays on and in your shed. That also means far less cabling, keeping costs down.

3. You’re going green

Solar power might be great for you, as it’s free, but it’s also helping the environment. You’re taking the strain off the grid by not consuming more power from potentially non-renewable sources. Instead you’re harnessing the power of the sun to remain as carbon neutral as you can.

And even when you know longer need them or are ready to replace them, solar panels are recyclable, so that’s another green box ticked.

Image credit: Future PLC/David Brittain

What are the cons of solar panels for sheds?

1. Setup isn’t cheap

The initial outlay for your solar setup can add up. You’ll need to buy the solar panels themselves, any cabling, an inverter, controller unit and your battery system. While you will pay this back over time, with the savings on power used, it does mean you need to front that money initially.

You may be able to get a grant for solar panels, depending on how you are going to use them.

2. Not always enough power

Solar is limited by your access to the sun. So unless you have larger roof space for big panels and you get lots of sun, some devices may not be supported by solar.

If you’re running a workshop in your shed, for example, you’ll need a lot of power and big inverters to run power tools. Or if you want to heat the shed space constantly that’ll use a lot of power too, which solar alone may not be able to support where you are.

Image credit: Colin Poole

What size solar panels do I need for my shed and what roof space do I need?

The size of panels and the amount of roof space needed will vary from person to person based on a few things. Mainly it’s going to be about need, so what your shed is used for in terms of power consumption. The second will be how much sunlight you get.

So if you’re in need of lots of power, or you have poor light access, then you’ll want to go for larger panels and more batteries so you can build up your power back-up slow and steady.

But if you only want to power lights and charge a phone, for example, you can go for smaller panels and a basic battery setup.

Examples of power needed for different devices

This is the power needed for the devices at any one time. Realistically, think about how many of the below you’ll have running at any one time.

• Smartphone charger: 5W
• Desk lamp: 50W
• Laptop: 50W
• LCD TV: 200W
• Desktop computer (17-inch screen): 400W
• Power drill: 500W
• Commercial printer: 800W
• Jigsaw power tool: 900W
• Circular saw: 3,000W
• Electric oven: 5,000W

So add up what you need to work out the power you need to attain. It’s a rule when using an inverter to pick one that adds 20-50% more than the minimum total power required. It should also be capable of offering more than twice the amount of power required for the most power hungry device.

What size shed solar panel do I need?

Panel size is varied, but how many panels you need to make up your shed solar setup is vital to know, too.

For basic needs, like lights and charging smaller devices, a 50W panel setup can be enough. But if you’re going bigger – by running underfloor heating, perhaps – then you’re going to want at least three 150W solar panels to do the job.

At the higher end are 250W and 320W panels, which you’ll typically find in the average home solar panel setup. These are what you may want to look at if you have a larger shed and want to use this supply for power tools.

How much roof space do I need?

The larger your roof space, the more solar panels you can fit on and the more power returns you can enjoy. So, for smaller sheds, you may be limited to a certain number of panels. The alternative is to use ground based panels, but that does require more fixing equipment and garden space to get them setup.

For an average house setup of 4kW, which is enough for a three-bed family home, you’ll need sixteen 250W solar panels. That adds up to a total space of just over 25 metres square. That’s an extreme power supply example. Realistically, nearly all sheds are going to be smaller and require far less space.

In metres square, for a 4kW setup you need over 25, for a 3kW array it’s over 20, for 2kW is just over 12 and for a 1kW setup it’s above 8. You can go smaller, so what you have may be dictated by your roof space, for ease. Or if you’re still picking the shed, then go larger if you want more power.

Image credit: Stefan Cristian Cioata/Getty Images

What else do I need to consider?

The battery is a big part of this shed solar panel setup, along with the inverter, cables and the charge controller.

1. Battery

Usually the battery that stores energy is a deep cycle 12V DC unit, looking similar to a car battery. You can add more as needed depending on how much power you want to store and have at your disposal. The “ah” rating determines how much power you will have.

A 100ah battery, for example, will typically run a 15 amp circular saw for up to nine hours. So that size battery array should be more than enough for most setups.

2. Inverter

The size of the inverter determines how much power can be drawn. So based on the item shown above, you need to work out the size of inverter required. To use another power tool example, a 2,000 watt solar array can run a 900W jigsaw for about two hours.

3. Charge controller

This regulates the power coming from the solar panels to the battery. Its primary function is to stop the battery overcharging or running flat. It also detects temperature and shuts off the system if the battery is in danger of overheating. Both functions ensure the battery lifetime is as long as possible.

4. Cables

To connect all this kit together you’ll also need cables. These will need to be made for feeding DC current from the solar panels to the inverter. It’s best to use a DC cable sizing tool to make sure you have the correct ones to suit your particular system setup.

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