Garden Room Design Guides
A basic sketch can save a lot of time
We have been designing the frameworks for garden room buildings for years, and have had several different workflows for doing this. With experience, though, we have found that making a basic sketch can save a huge amount of time when we start modelling a frame in SketchUp. Like many people, we are keen to start seeing…
Read MoreFence post foundations are not up to the job
There are several types of foundation used in garden room design from the traditional concrete slab to plinth foundations made from recycled materials, but the one system that is not used by the professionals is metal spiked fence post foundations. Believe it or not, this is what one general builder was suggesting to their client,…
Read MoreInsights from a garden room build on Twitter
Now and again we spot a garden room build being recorded on Twitter. Recently @audiolympics recorded some of the steps of his Sanctum Garden Studio build. We wanted to show you them here, as they clearly show how quickly a modular building can go together when you have a clear plan of action. Like many…
Read MoreUsing fibre insulation in a garden room
In the plans we have created as part of The Complete Self Build Garden Room Guide, we suggest using a rigid insulation such as Celotex and Kingspan. We recently had an email from one of our Self Builders, Tom who wondered if it was possible to replace this rigid insulation with a ‘woolly’ insulation system…
Read MoreDesigning a weathertight garden room
When you read the Self Build Garden Room Guide and the sample plans in the Complete Guide, you will quickly realise that a garden room is made up of a series of different layers. This is the case whichever building system you choose – traditional timber frame or (SIP’s) Structural Insulated Panels. These layers play…
Read MoreCreating a veranda along the front of your garden room
It has become really popular to run a veranda along the front of a contemporary style garden room. These decked areas seem to offset a modern design and provide a welcoming entrance to the building. If you make your deck deep enough, it is a nice place to sit too. Unlike verandas on traditional style garden…
Read MoreFraming the corners of your garden room
In the sample plans that come with The Complete Self Build Garden Room Guide, we show you how we position the studs in our timber frame to create the corners of our garden rooms. You may think the corner joint is just a case of butting two wall frames together, and this is certainly an…
Read MoreGarden room roof design & the 2.5m rule
From the conversations we have had with many of you, we know that you are hoping to make use of the Permitted Development rule that allows a garden room no higher than 2.5 meters to be positioned within 2 meters of the boundary, without the need for Planning Permission. It is quite tricky to design…
Read MoreThe garden room that Curt built
Over the years we have talked to lots of self-builders as they design and build their garden rooms. We often get sent photos during the build, but it’s not often that we are sent details of the finished, furnished building. We were, therefore, delighted to receive an email from Curt who brought a copy of…
Read MoreIs 2.5 meters the right height for your garden room?
The other day we wrote an article for publication on The Garden Room Guide looking at a mono pitched garden room in a London garden. In most cases when writing about such a building we will say that it has been designed to be 2.5 meters high so that it can comply with the Permitted…
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