Adding a decked area with a canopy alongside an insulated garden room has become a popular design choice in the last couple of years. Buyers like to extend the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that a garden room creates by adding a sheltered entertaining space alongside the main room.
Usually positioned to one side of the insulated garden room, these canopied areas have many potential uses - some people add an outdoor sofa or dining table for entertaining. Some people utilise the space as an outdoor kitchen, while others use the area for a hot tub.
This lovely example of a Cedar garden room with a large side canopy is by Kent-based Ark Design Build. The insulated garden room is a spacious 6m x 4m. The canopied area extends the overall building to 13 meters wide. So, this is a big indoor-outdoor living space!
The area of the garden chosen for the project was steeply sloping. The local planning department did a site visit to confirm that homeowners could build the garden room under the Permitted Development rules.
Ark Design Build use ground screws for the foundations of their garden rooms; this system is ideal for overcoming sloping ground to create a level base to build off.
The Ark Design Build have made a feature of hiding the foundation system by adding a smart Cedar fascia along the front of the building, with some custom made steps leading up to the decked veranda.
As we can see, Cedar has been used extensively on the exterior of this garden room. The boards on the underside of the canopy showcase the rich colour variations you get with Western Red Cedar cladding.
Dark grey composite decking has been used on the steps and veranda. The grey colour matches in with the Aluminium door frames and contrasts well with the reddish-brown colouring of the Cedar. Composite decking is a popular choice these days as it maintains its colour without maintenance and doesn't become slippery as wooden decking can.
Look closely at these images, and you will spot that exterior grade LED downlights have been fitted. Adding lights to the underside of the canopy extends the area's usability into the evening and will create a lovely light effect when viewed from the house.
The main room
While the canopied area is open-sided, the main garden room is a highly insulated envelope designed for comfortable year-round use. Thanks to the two sets of bi-fold doors, the owners will be able to slide the doors to one side and create one free-flowing indoor-outdoor space on a warm day.
The bi-fold doors are a high-spec, powder-coated aluminium frame system. The set on the front elevation has four-door panels, while the side set is smaller, made up of three-door panels.
The garden room interior features plastered and decorated walls and ceiling and a wooden floor. This combination creates a light, modern room similar to that in a new build house.
Ark Design Build offer a well-specified electrical package for their garden rooms. As well as a plentiful supply of power outlets and LED lighting they offer hard-wired data cabling for a reliable internet connection, as standard.
Ark Design Build focus their work in the Kent area. If you would like to learn more about this project, chat with the team on 07896 196 718 or send them an email: contact@arkdesignbuild.co.uk. Explore www.arkdesignbuild.co.uk to learn more about their garden rooms.
