A contemporary Thermowood man cave by Rustic Realities
A wide, shallow 5m x 2.4m garden room clad in Thermowood battens over a black shadow gap, with colour-changing lighting inside and out.
No two buildings by Rustic Realities are the same. Lee Butterworth designs each one around the client and the garden, and the archive of articles we have written about their work shows it, from a yoga studio with a storeroom to a lean-to garden office and a family entertaining room.
This 5m x 2.4m garden room was built as a man cave and extra entertaining space. It shows the crisper, more contemporary side of their work.
At a glance
- Size: 5m x 2.4m.
- Built for: a man cave and extra entertaining space.
- Construction: timber frame on ground screws, with honeycomb insulation in the base and Thermafleece sheep’s wool in the walls and ceiling.
- Finishes: Thermowood battens over a black membrane, black featheredge to the rear, black uPVC doors and windows; white walls and a wood-effect laminate floor inside.
- Company: Rustic Realities, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
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Rustic character or crisp lines
Rustic Realities stand out for the way they mix and match materials. Waney-edge boards, cedar shingles, oak weatherboard and charred timber turn up across their projects, often two on the same building, and the result is a garden room with real texture and rustic charm.
They can also create crisp, contemporary designs when that is what the client envisions, and this man cave and entertainment room is a great example. It has one main cladding, black frames and a white interior, and the design is all in the straight lines.
Wide and shallow
At 5m wide and 2.4m deep, the building is wide but shallow. This is a popular shape at the end of a garden. It makes use of the full width available, so the room still has space for seating and entertaining, without taking much depth. The rest of the garden keeps its length, and it doesn’t feel shorter for having a building in it.
The site had one particular challenge. The client wanted the back of the building to follow the irregular shape of the garden boundary rather than leave an awkward gap behind it. It is a good example of a building tailored to the garden it sits in.
Not every garden room company is prepared to build a bespoke shape, and some charge a lot more to move away from the standard rectangle. The client had another local quote to build the same shape to the same specification, and it came in £7,500 higher.
Thermowood with a shadow gap
The front and sides are clad in vertical Thermowood battens, fixed over a black membrane. The narrow gaps between the battens show the black behind, which gives the walls a sharp, ribbed look.
Thermowood is timber that has been heat-treated at high temperature. The process makes it more stable and more resistant to rot, without the need for chemical preservatives.
Lee chooses thermo pine for the knots. As the company name suggests, he likes things on the rustic side of the contemporary–rustic spectrum, and the knots give an otherwise contemporary cladding a slightly more earthy edge. On the back, black featheredge was used instead, to save on costs where it is least on show.
Black uPVC French doors with glazed side panels, and black windows on two faces of one corner, let light in and suit the dark detailing.
Lighting that changes the mood
Outside, Philips Hue up-and-down wall lights sit either side of the doors, and Hue downlights are set into the ceiling inside. The owners can change the colour and feel of the building from an app on their phone, which suits a room used for evenings and entertaining.
Insulated for year-round use
Rustic Realities built the room on ground screws. The base is insulated with Actis Hybris, a flexible insulation with a honeycomb core between reflective foil layers. The walls and ceiling are insulated with Thermafleece, made from British sheep’s wool, which the company uses as standard. Wool is a natural, breathable insulation that can take in and release moisture.
Inside, the walls and ceiling are drylined and painted white, and the floor is a simple straight-lay wood-effect laminate. A wall-mounted panel heater keeps it comfortable through the colder months.
Rustic Realities include the final electrical connection to the house, so the room is ready to furnish and enjoy as soon as the team leave site.
Learn more about Rustic Realities
Rustic Realities designs and builds bespoke garden rooms across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, tailoring each project to the client, the site and how the space will be used. To explore more of their work or discuss your own project, visit rusticrealities.co.uk, call 07712 581 532, or email inforusticrealities@gmail.com.
