Case Study: The Quintessential Small Garden Room

We start every project with a detailed site survey to make sure all our measurements are accurate and we fully understand the site and access arrangements. This is a great chance to ask any questions you have and discuss the practical issues.

Gardens are very rarely perfect rectangles and this one was no exception.

Many projects require some demolition work to clear the site in readiness for the new room. We are happy to handle this for you or, if you'd prefer to save some money, we can leave it to you. It always gets a bit messy at this stage, but it's always worth it!

In this project we needed to remove an existing shed, unwanted vegetation and a back fence which reclaimed around 2m² of otherwise unused land for the customer.

We typically use ground screws or concrete pads as the foundation for your garden room. In this project the customer had a major issue with foxes and other unwanted guests burrowing in the garden so we only had one choice.

We also needed to work around some existing drains.

While the foundations are being set, our team works off-site in the workshop to build your bespoke structural frames.

These form the skeletal frame of the building which everything else hangs off of so we use the appropriate structural timber to ensure your room will last a lifetime. This is usually C24 100x47mm treated timber.

Once your frames are created and we've pre-cut your sheet materials and insulation, we then load everything up into our trusty Luton van and head over to your property.

We try to get everything moved in a single day so that we can crack on with the installation the following day.

Our first task when we get on site is to build the subfloor base. We use structural timber joists covered in 18mm plywood to create a solid base that won't creak when you walk on it. It is insulated with the 100mm PIR between the joists so your floor stays warm and cosy.

In this project, where the foundation was concrete, we also needed to add moisture protection between the concrete and the timber joists.

Next we assemble your bespoke frames and put the roof joists in place. Due to the pre-construction of the frames this is a very quick and simple process where the pieces fit together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.

The result is a very accurate frame because the precision work is all done off site.

The building really starts to come alive at this point.

We then start at the top and lay OSB boards across the roof joists. This project was having a fibreglass (GRP) roof so it was critical to leave the correct expansion gaps between the OSB boards. Once the sub roof is in place - it can provide temporary weather protection while we complete the remainder of the build.

The customer on this project opted for a fibreglass roof. Animal attacks were a threat and fibreglass offers a robust, hard wearing solution with a very long lifespan. The finish is also beautiful and creates a modern, impressive aesthetic.

We fill out the frame with high quality hard insulation (100mm PIR on all walls and floor and 120mm on the roof) and then wrap the entire room in a moisture protection barrier (commonly known as "housewrap") which prevents any moisture in the external air from reaching and damaging the internal structural timber, while letting the moisture from the inside escape and evaporate.

Air gaps are always maintained between the house wrap and the external cladding (and roof) so that any moisture in this space can evaporate naturally through ventilation.

Similarly on the inside of the structure, we fit a damp proof membrane layer (the black stuff in the photo) to prevent moisture in the air on the inside of the room from damaging the structural timber.

Wooden battens are then installed in readiness for the plasterboard.

The customer on this project opted for full decoration and electrics so we plasterboarded up the room ready for two coats of plaster followed by painting, skirting and finishing.

Electric points were wired before we laid the plaster ready for fixing sockets and light fittings after.

On this project we used British Cedar (grown, harvested and milled in Wales) on the front of the building which had beautiful subtle pink tones and visually pleasing wood grains. While less visible sides and rear of the building are clad with British Larch.

Larch has less prominent visual pattern and appeal, but is just as durable and maintenance-free.

Finally we completed the project by fitting aluminium sliding doors and a ventilation window at back as well as some long lasting laminate flooring which looked great. The customer wanted a storage room on the right of the building, but was keen to conceal it, so we created a hidden door with Cedar matching cladding.