Running a garden room the width of your garden can be a clever use of space, particularly if you have a narrow plot. This project by Garden Spaces demonstrates how slotting a building into the end of the garden, both maximises the space available and visually makes the garden look wider.
It was decided that the garden room would be built tight to three boundaries. This allowed the Garden Spaces team to design and build a building 7.89 meters wide by 3.39 meters deep. This is clearly a non-standard size garden room, but Garden Spaces are able to manufacture their buildings to each customer’s specific requirements, down to the nearest millimetre.
A garden room this size, this close to the boundary needs to follow the rules
This garden room sits on a footprint of 26.74 square meters. Being over 15sqm in size and positioned within 1 meter of any boundary it needed to comply with Building Regulations. The spread of fire is the key concern building this close to the boundaries of the property. So, the core structure of the building needs to be built from substaially non-combustible materials. This means that materials used in the build-up and finsihes applied, need to have a Class O rating in relation to the spread of fire.
The Garden Spaces team are au fait with designing Building Regulation compliant buildings. As well as creating domestic garden rooms they also build self-contained garden annexes and school buildings which both need to comply with the Building Regulations, as standard. They will advise you on your situation during the initial site visit and during the design stage.
Installation techniques to avoid dead space
The way that Garden Spaces manufacture and construct their buildings, allows them to complete the installation without requiring space around the perimeter of the building for access. Some garden room companies will ask for a minimum of 400mm to be left on each side so that the cladding can be fixed. The Garden Spaces team have overcome this requirement, meaning there is no ‘dead’ space alongside the building.
A whole wall of glazing to connect with the garden
The building has been divided into two spaces, each with its own distinct use. The main room covering 16.2sqm is to be used as a space for all the family. As we can see from these images, a modern, light-filled room has been created, which will have a great connection with the garden which is being landscaped. The glazed front wall is key to this connection. It has been created by mixing French doors with twin full height glazed panels on either side. This is a clever combination that will have achieved a whole wall of glazing more cost effectively than other options such as bi-fold doors.
A small rectangular window has been fitted high in the rear wall, this not only lets in a bit of extra light, but it can also easily be opened to let air into the room. It is worth considering adding a window like this if you are otherwise using fixed panel glazing.
Garden Spaces plasters and decorates the interior of their buildings as part of their overall project. In this case, white walls and ceiling have been mixed with a dark laminate wood floor. Brushed steel electrical sockets have been used throughout the room, including a socket positioned for a TV to be mounted on the wall. Two electric wall panel heaters have been fitted, for easy to control heat in the room.
Garden room shed combi
Alongside the main room, sits a storage shed. A garden room shed combi like this, is very popular. Allowing you to combine two distinct uses under one well-designed roof. Meaning you don’t need to have a separate shed in your garden. In this case, the storage shed is 5.1sqm and is accessed via a ‘secret door’. Garden Spaces clad the exterior face of the door with the same Cedar cladding as used on the walls. By carefully matching the Cedar used on the door with that used on the wall, at first glance the door is invisible.
To learn more about this garden family room with secret storage shed, talk to the Garden Spaces team on 0845 387 9 387, or take a look at their website to explore of their extensive portfolio of projects.
