A bespoke garage, home office and wine cellar — how we designed around a constrained Surrey site.
Not every project starts with a blank canvas. Some of the most interesting ones come with a set of constraints that make the design problem genuinely worth solving — a protected tree that can’t be touched, a public footpath that defines the boundary, a client with specific requirements that go well beyond a standard outbuilding. This project had all of those things, and the result is one of the more satisfying schemes we’ve delivered.
The brief was clear from the outset: a garage designed around the client’s vehicles, a proper home office above, and — the detail that made this project distinctive — a hidden wine cellar below ground level. Three very different spaces, stacked vertically, all needing to work independently while reading as a single coherent building that sat comfortably alongside the existing property.
Designing around the client’s actual needs
The starting point for any outbuilding project of this kind is understanding how the spaces will genuinely be used. A garage that accommodates a specific collection of vehicles isn’t the same as a standard double or triple garage. Bay widths, turning circles, internal circulation, whether cars need to pass each other — these are the details that determine whether the building actually works day to day, and they need to be resolved at the design stage rather than discovered on site.
The triple garage here was laid out around the client’s specific vehicles, with enough internal width and ceiling height to make the space feel considered rather than merely functional. The objective was a garage that was genuinely pleasant to spend time in — because for many clients with a serious interest in their cars, the garage is as much a part of the home as any other room.
Above the garage, a home office. The separation from the main house is something that clients working from home consistently value — the physical act of walking across to a dedicated workspace creates a mental boundary between work and home life that an upstairs spare room simply doesn’t provide. The office was designed to feel like a proper working environment: well-proportioned, well-lit, with enough acoustic separation from the garage below to be genuinely quiet.
And below ground, the wine cellar. Below-ground spaces require careful thought around waterproofing, ventilation, and access — none of which is insurmountable, but all of which needs to be properly addressed in the building regulation drawings. The result here is a space that is both functional as a cellar and genuinely atmospheric — the kind of detail that makes a property feel individual in a way that no off-the-shelf solution could.
Navigating the site constraints
A project like this would be straightforward on an open, unconstrained plot. This one wasn’t. Two significant constraints shaped the design and the planning application from the beginning.
The first was a protected tree on the site. Trees with Tree Preservation Orders — TPOs — cannot be removed, pruned, or built within their root protection zone without consent from the local authority. Working around a protected tree isn’t simply a matter of keeping the building a certain distance away. It requires an arboricultural impact assessment, a method statement for any groundworks near the root zone, and careful coordination between the design and the tree consultant’s recommendations. Get this wrong and planning permission won’t be granted. Get it right and the tree becomes part of the character of the site rather than an obstacle to it.
The second constraint was the public footpath boundary. Where a site boundary adjoins a public right of way, there are specific considerations around how the building relates to that edge — both in terms of the planning authority’s view on the streetscene and in practical terms around drainage, boundary treatments, and construction methodology. The footpath boundary shaped the positioning and massing of the building in ways that ultimately improved the design, pushing the scheme toward a solution that sat more naturally within its setting.
Both constraints were navigated successfully. Planning permission was granted, the tree was retained undamaged, and the building was delivered as designed.
Why bespoke design produces better outcomes
There is a version of this project that could have been approached with a standard outbuilding specification — a catalogue garage with a room above. It would have been cheaper to design and almost certainly would have felt like exactly what it was. The brief here demanded something different, and the planning context required it too. A building sitting alongside a quality existing property, on a constrained site with a protected tree and a public boundary, needs to be designed with care and specificity to get through planning and to justify its place on the plot.
Bespoke design isn’t about spending more for its own sake. It’s about producing a building that does exactly what it needs to do, looks like it belongs where it sits, and stands up to scrutiny — from the planning officer, from the building inspector, and from anyone who looks at it in twenty years’ time.
That’s as true of a garage and home office in Surrey as it is of any other building type.
FAQ
Do I need planning permission for a garage with a room above in Surrey?
In most cases, yes. A detached garage with a habitable room above — such as a home office or ancillary accommodation — will typically exceed the size and height limits for permitted development and will require a householder planning application. The presence of a protected tree or a public footpath boundary, as in this project, makes early engagement with the planning process even more important. We handle the full application process for clients across Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire.
What is a Tree Preservation Order and how does it affect my project?
A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is made by the local authority to protect specific trees considered to have amenity value. It means you cannot cut down, top, lop, or carry out any works to the tree — or build within its root protection zone — without first obtaining consent. Any planning application involving works near a TPO tree will need to be supported by an arboricultural report prepared by a qualified arboriculturist. It adds a layer of complexity to the application but is entirely manageable with the right approach.
Can a wine cellar be incorporated into a new outbuilding?
Yes, though it requires careful design and the right building regulation details. Below-ground spaces need to address waterproofing — typically a tanked or drained cavity system — along with ventilation, access, and structural design appropriate to the depth of excavation. None of this is unusual for an experienced designer, but it does need to be properly thought through from the outset rather than added as an afterthought.
Thinking about a bespoke outbuilding or garage project?
If you have a site with constraints, a brief that goes beyond the standard, or simply want a building that’s been properly thought through rather than pulled from a catalogue, we’d be happy to talk it through. We work with homeowners across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, and London, taking projects from initial concept through to planning permission and full building regulation drawings.
Get in touch at jakeunderwood.com to start the conversation.
