How do you install a garden studio on your plot?

Would you like to gain more square footage without the need for structural work? Want to make the most of the space available in your garden and quickly enjoy a new extra room?

Installing a garden studio is the ideal solution! Benefits, compulsory formalities, taxesWe explain everything you need to know before taking the plunge!

Why install a garden studio?

Installing a small, habitable chalet on your plot of land will give you all the comfort you need for the use you want to make of it.

Whether it’s an office for telecommuting or a practice for receiving patients, a games room or an artist’s studio, a pool house or an outdoor kitchen, or a furnished studio for teenagers or a tourist rental, you can install all the elements you need as if it were a true extension of your home: toilet, shower room, kitchen, air conditioning, heating, and so on.

All of this can be done quickly and without major work: in less than a week, our team will have the studio installed in your garden!

In addition to saving construction time, the garden studio has the advantage of being (at least with Casakub ^^) totally modular and made-to-measure. Adapted to your tastes and desires, it becomes a design element on your property, adding real value to your home.

As it doesn’t require any prior site preparation, the garden studio can be installed without difficulty close to a swimming pool or terrace.

What type of foundation for my garden studio?

Before installing your habitable garden chalet, you’ll need to plan the foundations. Depending on your terrain and, above all, the impact on the ground, you can choose either concrete or pile foundations.

At Casakub, we recommend screw pile foundations. More environmentally friendly, they avoid the need for excavation and earthworks. Pile foundations preserve the nature of the soil, and have no impact on its impermeability. Piles can even be unscrewed and reused!

In addition to the ecological aspect, the galvanized steel used for the piles, which resemble huge screws, provides ultra-resistance to vertical and horizontal forces. Finally, with this system, there’s no drying time! The speed and precision of pile foundations mean that the garden studio can be installed immediately.

What are the administrative formalities?

First of all, we advise you to find out in advance about the regulations in force in your commune. Indeed, some town halls impose documents that complement or modify the Code de l’Urbanisme (for example, the Plan Local d’Urbanisme). Check that your project meets the requirements in terms of surface area, location, materials, colors, etc.

Planning permission

Will your garden shed be less than 5 m²? You don’t need to declare any work!

If the studio’s surface area is between 5 and 20 m², a preliminary declaration (DP) is all that’s required.

If it exceeds 20 m², you’ll need to apply for planning permission.

Please note! If your garden studio is located in a protected area, i.e. in the vicinity of a historic monument, an outstanding heritage site, in a protected sector, or near a listed site or a site in the process of being listed, then planning permission is required, regardless of the studio’s future surface area.

Documents for the preliminary declaration of a garden studio (footprint less than 20 m²):

• the CERFA document
• DP1: site plan
• DP2: ground plan
• DP3: the sectional drawing
• DP6: the graphic landscape insertion document
• DP7: photography of the immediate environment
• DP8: photography of the distant environment

You can compile your application using the Public Service Teleservices or by filling in the form directly. You will then need to hand in your application at the town hall, or send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt. It is also possible to send your file electronically: contact your town hall’s urban planning department for details.

Processing time is 1 month. The authorities may also notify you of a 1 or 2 month extension if your project qualifies for an extension (e.g. application in a protected area).

If the town hall asks you to provide any missing documents, you have 3 months to complete your project. After this time, your PD will be considered rejected.

It is compulsory todisplay the preliminary declaration on your property. It must be visible and legible from the public highway and remain in place for the duration of the work.

Your neighbors can lodge an appeal with the town hall from the 1st day of posting for up to 2 months. If you do not post the preliminary declaration, the time limit for contesting the declaration increases to 6 months after completion of the work.

The prior declaration is valid for 3 years. However, it can be extended 2 times for 1 year.

Documents for planning permission for a garden studio (floor area greater than 20 m²):

• the CERFA document
• PCMI1: plot location plan
• PCMI2: ground plan
• PCMI3: sectional drawing
• PCMI4: descriptive note
• PCMI5: facade and roof plan
• PCMI6: the graphic landscape insertion document
• PCMI7: photography of the immediate environment
• PCMI8: photography of the distant environment

You can compile your file using the Public Service Teleservices or by filling in the form directly. Since January 1, 2022, you can submit your building permit electronically. Contact your local town hall’s planning department to find out how to send your application. You can also send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt.

Approval takes 2 months, or 3 months if your project is in a protected area.

It is compulsory todisplay the building permit on your property on a sign measuring at least 80 cm in length and width, which must be visible and legible from the public highway and remain in place for the duration of the work.

Your neighbors can lodge an appeal with the town hall from the 1st day of posting for up to 2 months. If you don’t post the building permit, the period for contesting the permit increases to 6 months after completion of the work.

The building permit is valid for 3 years. However, it can be extended twice for 1 year.

If you had to apply for a building permit, you’ll need to submit a declaration of works in progress, either directly online or by registered letter to your local council.

Completion declarations

If you have obtained a preliminary declaration or a building permit, you must make a Declaration Attesting Completion and Conformity of Work (DAACT). A declaration to the Centre des Impôts is also required to update your property tax, regardless of the surface area of your garden shed or studio. This declaration 6704 IL declaration must be filed within 90 days of completion of the work to benefit from a possible 2-year property tax exemption on the outbuilding.

How much is the garden shed tax?

Introduced in March 2012, this tax concerns all beneficiaries of planning or building permission on their land. It is payable in a single instalment for the current year, within 12 months of obtaining the authorization.

On January 1, 2022, this tax was increased by 7% for all garden sheds and studios over 5 m².

In 2021, the flat-rate value used to calculate the tax on garden sheds was €767/m² in the provinces and €870/m² in the Île de France region. In 2022, the flat-rate value will be €820/m² in the provinces and €929/m² in the Île de France region.

How to calculate your garden shed tax?

Here is the calculation: Flat-rate value x Number of m² x Rate set by your Commune or Département.

To anticipate the budget for your garden shed tax, you can use the simulator set up by the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion by clicking here.

Now that you have all the information you need for your garden studio project, don’t hesitate to consult our garden studio construction plans or contact the Casakub team!

We design custom-made plans for your self-built Garden Studio, adapted to the surface area you require (under or over 20 m²). At Casakub, you can order your building plans and add delivery of your wood or steel frame as an option 🙂