Our guide is written to help you select the best garden offices for your home and life style. You have probably read enough on websites and in magazines to know that this type of building is very different from a shed or chalet, but perhaps you're not sure what makes them different or how to choose the best. This Guide explains about outdoor home offices designed for all-year-round work or leisure use, rather than basic summerhouses or sheds that aren't suitable for winter habitation. The Guide also introduces you to small British businesses that specialise in these unique, insulated buildings.
Gordon Smith RIBA and Lynn Fotheringham started and ran the market-leading garden offices company InsideOut Buildings. We spent ten years designing and building top-of-the-range garden buildings from the Isle of Islay in the North to the edge of Chichester harbour in the South and many places in between. We had a lot of fun. We learnt a lot about different areas of the UK. We met and worked with a lot of warm and wonderful clients who still stay in touch with us. But, after these ten years we decided it was time to stop travelling the length and breadth of the country.
Are you trying to weigh up whether the extend your house or build an annexe or a garden office? Not everyone has enough room in their garden for a detached annex or garden office. Premier Lofts give you their perspective on adding an extra room to your house. Whether it's a garden office building, children's playroom or additional bedroom, a house extension is the traditional option and can add a lot of living space and value to your home. If you are expanding the size of your family or planning to work from home - there are a lot of considerations when taking on such a project.
Design: Does your preferred office supplier use standard sized doors and windows or can they be varied in size and style if you want them to be? Flexibility: Can you choose the number of windows and doors. Can the position of them be arranged specifically for your garden and the building's orientation.
This is the story of James Derby who wanted a garden office. Oxford was too far away from home to rent an office, so he decided to search for the best garden office he could find. He wanted to build in the garden because his cottage was too small to work in and the sloping garden made extending the cottage pretty much impossible. Once James got into the swing of things he realized that his contemporary garden office would double as a home cinema and music room. InsideOut* used to design and build garden offices before we started the Garden Buildings Guide and James was one of our favourite clients.
Some garden office suppliers provide a plumbing service with their buildings, others don't. Some provide a basic w.c. or kitchen area that you can't vary. Others will install bespoke plumbing to suit you. Also, bear in mind that you will need to make a building regulations application to install a new drain and connect into the main drains - even if the rest of your building doesn't have to meet building regulations.
There is no government legislation covering insulation standards for garden offices and other small garden buildings. An inadequately insulated office is not an ‘all-year-round' building. It will be too cold in winter and too hot in summer. To ensure a steady atmosphere all year round, a wooden building needs to be able to breathe, with air circulating round the structural timbers (the parts of the building that you can't see). Buildings that don't breathe retain condensation, need air-conditioning and will eventually rot away; even if they are insulated.
We first heard from Sarah and Alan Cooper when they inquired if we built garden offices in London and if could we design one so that all the building materials could be carried through the kitchen to access the back of the house. We had previously designed a small garden office that had to be carried through a house in Islington, so we offered to go down to Dulwich to take a look to see if what they wanted to do was possible. London property is often terraced and so access to the garden can be difficult.
If you want to clad a garden office or other wooden garden building with wood grown in the UK, either larch or Douglas fir are good choices. Larch is used in boat building ans is known to last for years because of its high resin content. Woods such as pine are too soft for external cladding and will rot too quickly, even if treated with preservatives. You could consider oak for a very special finish on a garden office, but it needs to be installed by someone used to working with oak and it is very expensive.
The garden office you've seen on suppliers' websites look great but how do you assess the quality? It is worth finding out a little about garden office construction and materials before you choose a particular supplier. If you are interested in using local or British grown woods you will need to ask your office supplier some questions about how they source their timber. Many cheaper wooden garden buildings such as sheds and log chalets are imported from Eastern Europe or even China. Of course the timber that you can see on the outside of your office is only part of the construction.
When buying a garden office we suggest you check that your building supplier's quoted price includes the installation of internal wiring, double sockets and switches, low energy light fittings, light switches and a consumer unit. Does the price also include data cabling or a telephone line for your computer? Have you got the right broadband supplier for your needs? You could make an easy switch to fibre broadband at the same time as installing your office. Are electric convector heaters or underfloor heating included or will you have to supply the heating yourself?
Garden rooms are a practical alternative to moving house or building an extension and will provide a new living space for your family. Adding a detached garden room isn't just a short term solution. If you choose a good quality building rather than a shed or chalet, you can add a living space that will last for decades. The InsideOut website is designed to help you make that choice. A garden room should be styled to look appropriate for your home and garden. You don't want to build an eyesore. Choosing a professionally designed building from a specialist supplier is as important as choosing the right builder or architect to design for a house extension or a new home.
Similar Businesses
