Building a garden room in your backyard can provide you with many different uses that may not be possible in your house due to a lack of space or other limiting circumstances. A TV room, garden office, studio, hobby room, dining room in the garden, garden gym, guest house, pool house, table tennis room or a garden snooker room are all common uses of garden rooms among our customers.
Below we will highlight the key stages and points of consideration to help you get it right, avoid mistakes and make the most of it.
Before you start looking at garden rooms and taking any steps, we recommend that you find out what and if you are allowed to build in your garden. The permissible size of the garden building and processing time vary greatly depending on the local authority, size of the garden and local building and planning regulations in your area.
You should therefore check your local planning rules first, or simply contact your local city council.
Once you know what you are allowed to build and have chosen a garden room that you like, we will email you detailed cabin plans for you to take to your local council if necessary.
Within the limits of what you can build in your garden, it is good to think about the size, configuration, and height of your future garden room.
Considering the size of the building is important so that it fits in your garden. It is always a good idea to leave some space between the fence and the building for maintenance and for overall appearance, so that the cabin blends in and enhances the garden.
A garden log cabin can have more than one function. For example, you can combine a garden office and a garden shed in one log cabin or even an office and a sauna room in one garden building. It is always cheaper to build one large log cabin than two medium-sized cabins, and it also saves space in your garden.
Depending on the use of the cabin, the internal height could be an essential factor. For example, if you are building a garden room for table tennis, a garden gym or a cabin for activities that require a minimum height, it is important to check the internal height of the garden room and make sure it is sufficient. If necessary, it is always possible to increase the height of the garden room by adding one or more rows of wall logs.
If local planning regulations limit the cabin’s footprint in m², but you are allowed to build a garden building of 4 m or higher, then you may also find that a loft is a useful addition to the cabin. Upper lofts are widely used for extra sleeping accommodation or storage.
The most commonly used wall thicknesses for wooden garden rooms are 44 mm and 70 mm. 44 mm wall thickness are most commonly used for small and medium size garden rooms ranging up to 25 m², while large garden rooms require 70 mm wall thickness to ensure stability and strength of the structure.
A level, firm and stable foundation is one of the most important stages, if not the most important stage and starting point, when building a garden building or log cabin.
A good foundation ensures the stability of the cabin, smooth assembly, longevity and a good appearance. An inappropriate foundation will have the opposite effect and put great pressure on the entire cabin, resulting in a shorter lifespan and numerous other problems such as gaps between the wall planks, poor overall aesthetics and problems with the operation of doors and windows.
To help you choose the best foundation for your garden room, we have created an article that highlights the most common types of foundations for wooden buildings. Each type of foundation has its own advantages and disadvantages, so we will look at each in detail to help you select the best type of foundation for your garden area, shed size and budget.
Generally, windows can be divided into opening and non-opening windows, while garden room doors are usually available as single, double, or sliding doors.
When it comes to quality and comfort, there are two main aspects of garden room doors and windows that you need to consider: glazing and hardware.
If you intend to use the garden room all year round, make sure that the doors and windows have double glazing and good quality handles, locks, and operating systems. With these features, the cabin will be more likely to be waterproof, and doors and windows will close properly without breaking down.
Good quality doors and windows will have a noticeable effect on the price of a garden room, but with cheap doors and windows you may have constant problems with fixing, changing and uncomfortable opening and closing. On the other hand, if the garden room is rarely used or solely used as a storage area, this is where you can save money.
Most of the heat in an uninsulated garden room is lost through the roof and floor. Therefore,
an insulated floor and roof will significantly improve the thermal performance of a house, making it ideal for use in the colder winter months, and will also keep the cabin significantly cooler during hot summer days.
A garden room with double-glazed doors and windows, insulated roof, and floor and air conditioning can be used in all weathers.
The most commonly used roofing materials for garden rooms are self-adhesive bitumen roofing felts and bitumen roofing shingles. They are quick and easy to install and do not require any special tools other than a knife to cut the shingles/felt and a hammer to drive nails into the roofing shingles.
In general, you can use almost any type of roofing material on the roof of your garden room. Metal roofing, tiles or even a grass roof can all be installed. Just check the roof strength in kg/m² to make sure that your garden room can take the load.
Garden room kits come with detailed plans for assembling the cabin, and if you have sufficient carpentry skills and experience, you can assemble it yourself. Two adults usually require two to five days to assemble a small or medium-sizes garden room, while the assembly of a large garden room can take up to two weeks. To get an idea of the assembly process, we recommend watching this video.
However, if you are short of time, or you do not feel confident about building your own garden log cabin, you can take advantage of our installation service. Our professional team will ensure that your building is constructed safely and to the highest standard. Our installation service is available throughout Spain.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information or a free quote for your garden room project.
