Garden Rooms – Garden Spaces
Garden Spaces
Our garden buildings are not only designed to be useful spaces but we want them to look beautiful and sit comfortably in your garden landscape. That’s why we offer a choice of cladding and decking materials to suit your taste and your budget for garden rooms.
All of the timber we supply is kiln dried and from sustainable sources. We utilise stainless steel secret fixing solutions so the visual effect of your cladding is not interrupted, and you can rest assured it will look every bit as good in 20 year’s time as it does on the day we complete your building.
CLADDING
THERMOWOOD
This could be an ideal solution if you want to achieve a beautiful building on a smaller budget. This cladding uses a Finnish grown pine which is treated to temperatures in excess of 2000C. During the heat treatment, chemical and structural changes occur within the timber that alter and enhance some of its basic properties. The resulting product is an altogether more durable and stable timber, an ideal material for use in exposed areas such as external wall claddings in garden buildings.
WESTERN RED CEDAR
Four our top specification cladding we use clear (knot free) Western Red Cedar. It has a very low shrinkage factor and is superior to all other coniferous woods in its resistance to warping, twisting and checking.
The conduction of heat in wood is directly related to its density. Woods with low density have the highest thermal insulating value because such woods contain a high proportion of cell cavities. In dry wood, these cavities are filled with air which is one of the best known thermal insulators.
With its low density and high proportion of air spaces, Western Red Cedar is the best thermal insulator among the commonly available softwood species and is far superior to brick, concrete and steel.
NATURAL ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES
An important acoustic property of wood is its ability to dampen vibrations. Wood has a cellular network of minute interlocking pores which converts sound energy into heat by frictional and viscoelastic resistance. Because of the high internal friction created by the cellular pore network, wood has more sound damping capacity than most structural materials. Floor, ceiling and wall assemblies of wood can provide effective, economical sound insulation and absorption when properly utilised. Western Red Cedar is particularly effective in this regard and can be used to help reduce noise or to confine it to certain areas.
CLADDING TREATMENT
Although the cladding on your garden building does not need treatment and will silver down in time, we do offer a choice of specialised exterior wood oils (with UV protection) and also stains to lift and maintain the colour and grain of the wood. It will be necessary to re-treat the cladding on an annual basis to maintain the look but this can be performed very quickly once strong base coats are applied when your building is first installed.
ROVIDING YOU WITH AN EFFICIENT ALL-WEATHER SOLUTION
It’s important that your garden building can be used all year round and therefore it needs to be as thermally efficient as a modern house. You don’t want it to get too hot or too cold, but you need it to maintain a constant, comfortable temperature.
We build very high quality, energy efficient garden rooms, offices, studios, lodges and buildings which utilise state-of-the-art thermally efficient materials, creating structures which do not need large amounts of energy to heat or cool. Your building is ready to use at all times – even in extreme weather – and it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
SIP PANELS
Structured insulated panels (SIPs) are a modern composite building material. Our SIP panels are made from two layers of the best quality 11mm OSB (oriented strand board), or flake board as it is commonly known.
Between them is an insulating layer of highly thermally efficient, expanded polyurethane foam. We screw our panels together with long high tensile, self-tapping screws and also use expanding adhesive foam to ensure 100% air tightness.
SIPs combine several components of conventional building, such as studs and joists, insulation, vapour barrier and air barrier. They can be used for many different applications such as exterior wall, roof, floor, and foundation systems.
WHY DO WE USE SIPS?
A well-built structure using SIPs will have a tighter building envelope and the walls will have higher insulating properties. This means fewer drafts and reduced operating costs.
Construction time can be reduced compared to a traditional timber frame building because SIPs work as framing, insulation and exterior sheathing, and come pre-cut from the factory to meet the needs of each individual building project. This also means fewer tradesmen are required on site.
The panels can be used as roof, walls and floor – the latter being particularly beneficial when used above an un-insulated space.
The total life-cycle cost of a building constructed from SIPs will usually be cheaper than a conventional framed one and some even achieve 40% life-time savings.
In many cases SIPs are structurally more robust than timber framed buildings but have a similar versatility for creating custom-built designs.
BUILDING REGULATIONS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Under the latest revisions to the new Part L (England & Wales) Building Regulations, a minimum standard U-value is required for the thermal efficiency of a newly constructed building.
All Garden Spaces garden rooms, garden offices, lodges and buildings are designed and manufactured to exceed the U-values required under these new regulations.
WHAT IS A U-VALUE?
A U-value is ‘a measure of air-to-air heat transmission (loss or gain) due to thermal conductance and the difference in indoor and outdoor temperatures, in relation to an area of material, expressed as w/m2k (Watts Per Square Metre Kelvin)’
As the U-value decreases so does the amount of heat transferred through the material, i.e. the lower the U-value, the better the level of insulation.
REQUIRED U-VALUES
To comply with the new Part L (England & Wales) Building Regulations building components must have U-values that are at least equivalent to the following:
Walls
Building Regulations Walls Minimum = 0.35 Wm2k
Floor
Building Regulations Floor Minimum = 0.25 Wm2k
Roof
Building Regulations Roof Minimum = 0.20 Wm2k
All of our garden buildings exceed these U-value requirements and therefore offer outstanding thermal efficiency.
WHAT KIND OF FINISH CAN YOU EXPECT?
We understand that when you order a garden building from us, you want it to be ready for use as soon as it’s completed and our tradesmen leave the site.
So, no matter what their purpose, all our buildings are supplied internally plaster- boarded, skim plastered and painted white – as standard. We will also install the flooring of your choice and then add the square edges skirting boards to create a contemporary look.
PERSONALISING YOUR SPACE
As with all aspects of your garden space, we can tailor the finish to suit your particular requirements. This may include added extras such as acoustic enhancements in the walls, floor and ceiling, special lighting, window blinds or even applying your own choice of paint colour.
ELEGANS CLASSROOM – RINGWOOD, BOURNEMOUTH
Elegans 8 x 5
PROJECT BRIEF:
This school, like so many, was desperate for classroom and additional office space and fortunately they had a plot of land on which to build. While access was no problem, the proximity of the surrounding trees did throw up some planning issues in relation to the position of the building. As with many schools this build required planning consent and due to its size (over thirty square meters) throughout the construction it had to comply with building regulations, neither of which presented a problem.
OUR SOLUTION:
Garden Spaces surveyed the site and together with the head teacher designed a stunningly spacious building glazed on two sides and incorporating an office and a large class room. Wide decking protected by a large roof overhang created a covered walk way around the building to provide shelter for the children whether outside playing or waiting to filter into class. As alluded to, the location of this classroom came under scrutiny but the headmaster was able to consult our expert throughout the planning process to ensure optimum design and position was achieved. Our tight coordination of this build was also critical as a number of external contractors, such as those working for the fire department, required access at specific points in the construction to install cables, alarms etc. Without strong management such issues can delay a project unnecessarily.
Garden Spaces created a truly bespoke solution for the school which is not only aesthetic and functional but incorporated many high spec features that are highly beneficial to a school:
•Energy Efficient: We use high performance (Argon filled, heat reflective, thermal insulating, UV protective) double glazed which, in partnership with the thermally efficient SIPs (structurally insulated panel system) construction, minimises the energy required to maintain a perfect working temperature all year round.
•Safe and Secure: Our stunning anthracite grey frames are powder coated aluminium with high security locks and the double glazing is of toughened glass.
•Maintenance Free: Clad with Western Red Cedar; a beautiful kiln dried hard wood that will withstand the elements for many decades.
•Ambience: The two sided expanse of glazing delivers a sense of space with light, whilst the carpet tiled floor creates warmth and eliminates the clamor of chairs and feet, enhancing this space as a learning environment.
Overall a fabulous addition to this school that will provide a wonderful space in which to learn for many generations to come.
HELIX – PIANO ROOM – COLCHESTER
MODEL/SPEC:
5m x 3.75m
PROJECT BRIEF:
Working from home may conjure images of a desk and computer, but not so for this client, a music teacher. She wanted to create a music room / piano room in which to teach and play, away from the distractions of a busy household. Pianos take up a considerable amount of wall space and so are not always easy to accommodate. Creating a bespoke garden room for musical instruments is an increasingly popular solution to such issues as space and noise.
OUR SOLUTION:
Our designer surveyed the garden and worked with our client to create her perfect bespoke solution. To retain as much garden as possible we positioned the music room tight up to the rear boundary fence, complying with planning regulations by constructing the rear wall with cement particle board (a significantly non-combustible material). The client chose to have a living Sedum roof – a very attractive option that softens the look of the building and ensures it blends beautifully with the surrounding garden.
To maximise light and create a spacious feel our design incorporated inset glazing across the front and around one corner, with French doors opening out. In addition a high side window added additional natural light to the back of the room with eight internal and two external halogen down lights installed for evenings and those darker days of winter. No piano pupil can perform if they have chilly fingers. Our SIPs (structurally insulated panel system) construction together with the argon filled A rated glazing are highly thermally efficient ensuring light work for wall amounted convector heater to maintain a perfect ambient temperature. The western red cedar cladding and beautifully engineered oak floor (an upgrade option from our standard helix studio) gave a classy finish to this fabulous garden piano room.
del External size (m) External size (feet) Internal size (m) Internal size (feet) Internal area (m2) RRP (inc VAT) |
A1 2.48 x 2.48 8′ 2″ x 8′ 2″ 2.18 x 2.18 7′ 2″ x 7′ 2″ 4.8 £7,100.00 |
A2 2.48 x 3.08 8′ 2″ x 10′ 1″ 2.18 x 2.78 7′ 2″ x 9′ 1″ 6.1 £8,200.00 |
A3 2.48 x 3.68 8′ 2″ x 12′ 1″ 2.18 x 3.38 7′ 2″ x 11′ 1″ 7.4 £9,200.00 |
B1 3.08 x 2.48 10′ 1″ x 8′ 2″ 2.78 x 2.18 9′ 1″ x 7′ 2″ 6.1 £8,200.00 |
B2 3.08 x 3.08 10′ 1″ x 10′ 1″ 2.78 x 2.78 9′ 1″ x 9′ 1″ 7.7 £9,700.00 |
B3 3.08 x 3.68 10′ 1″ x 12′ 1″ 2.78 x 3.38 9′ 1″ x 11′ 1″ 9.4 £11,000.00 |
C1 3.68 x 2.48 12′ 1″ x 8′ 2″ 3.38 x 2.18 11′ 1” X 7′ 2″ 7.4 £9,200.00 |
C2 3.68 x 3.08 12′ 1″ x 10′ 1″ 3.38 x 2.78 11′ 1″ x 9′ 1″ 9.4 £11,000.00 |
C3 3.68 x 3.68 12′ 1″ x 12′ 1″ 3.38 x 3.38 11′ 1″ x 11′ 1″ 11.4 £12,300.00 |
D1 4.28 x 2.48 14′ 1″ x 8′ 2″ 3.98 x 2.18 13′ 1″ x 7′ 2″ 8.7 £10,400.00 |
D2 4.28 x 3.08 14′ 1″ x 10′ 1″ 3.98 x 2.78 13′ 1″ x 9′ 1″ 11.1 £11,900.00 |
D3 4.28 x 3.68 14′ 1″ x 12′ 1″ 3.98 x 3.38 13′ 1″ x 11′ 1″ 13.5 £13,500.00 |
E1 4.88 x 2.48 16′ 0″ x 8′ 2″ 4.58 x 2.18 15′ 0″ x 7′ 2″ 10.0 £11,500.00 |
E2 4.88 x 3.08 16′ 0″ x 10′ 1″ 4.48 x 2.78 15′ 0″ x 9′ 1″ 12.5 £13,100.00 |
E3 4.88 x 3.68 16′ 0″ x 12′ 1″ 4.48 x 3.38 15′ 0″ x 11′ 1″ 15.1 £14,000.00 |
F1 5.48 x 2.48 18′ 0″ x 8′ 2″ 5.18 x 2.18 17′ 0″ x 7′ 2″ 11.3 £12,400.00 |
F2 5.48 x 3.08 18′ 0″ x 10′ 1″ 5.18 x 2.78 17′ 0″ x 9′ 1″ 14.4 £13,700.00 |
F3 5.48 x 3.68 18′ 0″ x 12′ 1″ 5.18 x 3.38 17′ 0″ x 11′ 1″ 17.5 £14,900.00 |