Garden Rooms – Swift

Welcome to Swift Garden Rooms

A garden room from Swift will make a wonderful positive change to your life!  It will do so much more than just give you some extra space.  Our garden rooms provide separation from the main house and in doing so, create their own sense of drama and occasion.  There is something so special about your new environment when it is re-created with a stylish, “detached extension.”

Whether they are used for work, play, relaxation or exercise, they become a place where you choose and want to be; a place that you are proud of.

Well, because they are such substantial buildings, and because they are specifically designed for your personal preferences, they are used for just about anything you can imagine… and oftentimes more.

Design

Design is the process of creating the building that you aspire to own.  This process takes your ideas and inspirations and combines them with functionality, structural integrity and budget.  What do you want your new space to provide for you? Swift create buildings for you that have the size, specification and style that suit your needs.

What inspires you?

One of the beauties of investing in a garden room is that you are starting with a blank canvas.  We can begin working on the elements that are most important to you. Some of our clients are already very sure of the “look” and style that they love.  This may have been taken from these very pages that you are looking at right now, or perhaps they have seen one our rooms in a friend’s garden.  In this case the design process may be as simple as scaling the building to suit the site, positioning of doors and windows, then smaller details such as the positioning of power sockets.

Then there are clients who wish to commission something completely different and bespoke… a building that will never be repeated; one which will demonstrate their own individuality and tastes. We have designers and architects that understand the process of one-off designs as well as the flexibility and potential of the SIP panel system of building that we employ.

What are the limits of individuality?

• What facilities do you need?
• What features would you like?
• Should the building softly melt into the existing setting or create a splash and a spectacle?
• What budget do you have available?

Looking at photographs of our other buildings in our Case Studies and Gallery pages will show you examples of the styles and designs that have been favoured by existing clients.  We can also send you a selection of photographs of architectural features and styles that have been collected from other buildings… a great way to test your reaction to new and innovative ideas.  Do you like a traditional wooden barn finish that matches the styles in your part of Britain, or does an Art-Deco influence excite you?  Maybe ultra modern Cubism or a camouflaged eco structure?

When we know your preferences and aspirations we will discuss the best way forward for your project.  The design stage may be quite straightforward and rapid, or we may agree to devote the services of one of our associate architects or designers to work with you for a totally bespoke and original concept.  We will confirm any costs and commitments between us that will enable us to move forwards towards your dream building.

Here are some ideas that may inspire you:

• External rendering or cladding materials that make a statement such as slate, stone, powder coated steel, “green” vegetation walls, glazed tiles, coloured glass, mosaic, etc.
• Special glazing features: Pillar-less doors which open the whole corner of your garden room; Over-sized panorama windows and glazed curtain walls; Expansive roof lights; specially commissioned Glass Art; dramatic blind systems, etc.
• Increased connectivity between the garden and your room with integrated canopies and pergolas which can include outside kitchens or barbeque areas, drinks bar and entertaining area.  Let the design of the building flow between the inside and out with the smooth transition of matching flooring and patio areas, wall materials and lighting effects.

Materials and Technical Specifications

What makes a Swift garden room feel so solid and reassuringly permanent?

What is the difference between a Swift building and cheaper versions that look similar?

Simple… we use only the best materials in the fabrication of your “detached-extension.”  The same attention to detail that we devote to a nursery school or house extension, as well as our investment in tested and certified products, is also devoted to your garden room.

SIP Panels

The main structural elements of your building will usually be built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs).  These are a combination of strong and durable wooden boarding (OSB), bonded in the manufacturing process to polyurethane insulating foam.  Like everything, there are differing grades and qualities of SIP panels and ours are the same as those used in major building projects … being fully accredited by the BBA and welcomed by Building Control.   SIP panels, when cut to size, properly jointed and expertly installed, create one of the most highly efficient and robust structures presently available.  They exceed all current building regulations for heat insulation, air-tightness and structural loadings, as well as lowering the time spent on site creating your garden room.

Footings

The unseen and vital basis of your new garden room.  Swift recommend the optimum kind of foundation system to match your requirements.  We also take into account the ground conditions on site and the surroundings (such as trees and other buildings).  Here are the most commonly used systems and the reasons for their selection:

• Concrete Slab: This involves the greatest amount of preparation time as there has to be considerable excavation and then backfilling with hardcore, insulation and sometimes steel reinforcement.   It can be used where ground conditions are particularly poor, where we’re seeking to maximise internal ceiling height where roof height is limited, or for buildings where there is particularly heavy stresses and loadings placed upon the floor.
• Concrete Pads: still using the strength of concrete, but isolated to a series of support points under the building. The floor of the building would then be constructed from SIP panels within a treated timber ring beam.  This is much less invasive than a complete concrete slab and can typically be completed on the first day of installation.
• Jackpad Footings:  A pre-prepared system that, similar to the concrete pads, provides support under specific points beneath the building and has adjustable mountings to simplify the process.   Sometimes preferred for less level sites and where access is limited.

Floor

Unless a concrete slab has been laid (in which case this will form the structural floor) your garden room has a floor structure made from SIP panels. These sit upon the footings with a gap beneath to allow for air circulation. The floor is strong, well insulated and permanent.  The internal floor covering is down to your choice.  High quality laminate flooring is a popular, good looking and practical choice, as is natural wood, vinyl covering, rubberised floor and carpet.   The choice is yours because it’s a Swift tailor-made garden room.

Walls

These are formed from SIP panels that have been cut and prepared to the exact size and shape to make the walls and openings for windows and doors.  Strengthening beams are concealed within the structure and are expertly specified by our engineers and structural designers.

The outer face of your building is clad in a range of finishes to suit your preferences, the design of the building and the setting.  Western red cedar is a great choice, providing a beautiful smooth finish that, left untreated will turn to a silver-grey colour over the years, and will require virtually no maintenance.  This wood can last up to 50 years and even then can be replaced in a straightforward process without damaging the structure of your garden room. Other choices can be alternative timbers, render, raised seam steel sheet and stone or slate cladding.   We discuss the look that you foresee and we create something that matches an image that you already have, or even create a totally bespoke appearance.  Why not?

Roof

Again, the main structural elements of the roof are SIP panels, including any strengthening steels or beams.  Flat roofs are generally covered in a single piece of EPDM; a thick rubber sheet made by Firestone that well and truly puts paid to any historic misgivings about flat roofs.  This system is permanent and of excellent quality.  Pitched roofs can still have this material, or a more traditional tiled or slate covered roof.

Sedum Roofs are a popular addition on flat or slightly sloping roofs.  They demand a stronger roof structure due to the additional weight, and also add height which becomes relevant in some cases when building under Permitted Development Rights.   A lighter weight and slimmer alternative that we introduced to the market some years ago, is the use of artificial grass which gives a softer appearance with less cost and added conditions.

We can also include roof lights and openings.

Windows and Doors

This is an area that is constantly changing and giving further improved and wider choices.  French casement, Bi-fold, sliding glazed curtain walls;  these are all excellent choices.  As systems improve we are able to offer less frame and more glass together with easier opening and improved security.  More colours are available with powder coated aluminium, and we even have a highly acclaimed glass artist on our team who can produce totally original and striking features within the glazing.

Structural glazing involves the dominant use of glass in areas that are intrinsic to the strength and main fabric of the building.  For example, a large section of the wall can be replaced by glass panels.   It can create fabulous-looking design features and brings the connection between the garden room and the garden into focus.  We’re able to incorporate such aspects of design into your project.  This demonstrates our flexible and imaginative approach to design and installation.

Electrical Installations

The power supply to your new garden room is usually brought in from the main consumer unit in your existing house.  Sometimes this supply may need modification to ensure conformity to strict building regulations and our qualified electrician will ensure that you are left with a safe, effective and certified system.

The garden room itself has its own small consumer unit which splits the power supply to the main demand circuits.  The actual fittings are another area of choice for you.  As standard we use attractive, brushed chrome sockets, light switches and recessed down-lighters.  Additional, matching outside lighting is a common feature in our designs.  Other electrical installations can include:

• Under-floor heating or wall mounted radiators
• Special lighting features both inside and out
• Remote control for the switching of lights and other features
• Air conditioning/Climate control
• Built-in sound and entertainment systems
• Water heater/cooler, kitchen appliances, showers

We work with people who are experts in these hi-tech areas and are able to create the comfort, drama and sophistication that you dream of in your new garden space.

Personalised Options

Our whole approach is to enable you to have the building that you dream of.  An intrinsic part of this is our flexible and solution-focused approach that helps you to specify and equip your building to just how you want it.
So, whether it’s something as dramatic as a stained glass roof panel or as simple as a particular finish on the light switches and sockets, we’re pleased to be able to help you.  Here are some ideas based upon existing client’s choices and some fresh thoughts, to inspire you:

• Bespoke stained glass panels
• Feature panels of glazed tiles, treated metal, special hardwoods or artwork
• Instant hot/chilled water tap for refreshments
• Sedum roofs, synthetic grass roofs and roof-lights
• Additional lighting effects both inside and outside
• Interior design services
• Landscaping services
• Inside – outside floor surfaces including tiling, natural stone, resin floors
• Water features