A one-bedroom annexe in reclaimed barn boards by Timeless Garden Rooms
A 50sqm home for elderly relatives in a forgotten corner of the garden, pairing a modern form with reclaimed barn boards and Crittall-style glazing.
A tired timber shed stood in a forgotten corner of this garden, backed by an old brick and flint wall. The owners wanted to replace it with somewhere their elderly relatives could live independently, close to the family but in a home of their own.
This 10m x 5m one-bedroom annexe by Timeless Garden Rooms now fills the corner. The 50sqm plan holds a bedroom, a shower room and an open-plan living space with a kitchen.
The Timeless team worked with the clients throughout, and the materials were chosen together. The result would not be out of place at a boutique hotel.
At a glance
- Size: 10m x 5m, 50sqm. A bedroom, a shower room, and an open-plan living space with a kitchen.
- Built for: the owners’ elderly relatives, replacing a dilapidated shed in a forgotten corner of the garden.
- Construction: a traditional timber frame, built with full planning permission and Building Regulations approval. New electricity and water supplies run more than 100m.
- Finishes: reclaimed barn boards stained in Jacobean and Crittall-style aluminium glazing outside; oak floors, a copper-topped reclaimed kitchen unit and Farrow & Ball Charlotte’s Locks cupboards inside.
- Company: Timeless Garden Rooms, as a turnkey service. The project cost was in the region of £150,000.
Part of our one-bedroom annexe guide →
Replacing the shed by the garden wall
The old shed was a long, patched-together run of timber buildings with a felt roof, set against the brick and flint wall.
Once it was cleared, the annexe went onto a new concrete slab in the same position, edged in red brick to match the old wall behind. The annexe is built with a traditional timber frame.
A corner this far from the house had no services to connect to. Timeless Garden Rooms installed new electricity and water supplies over a run of more than 100m.
Reclaimed barn boards on a modern form
The building itself is a simple box form, which leaves the character to the materials and detailing.
The cladding is reclaimed barn boards, sourced by the Timeless team, then prepared and stained in Jacobean. The boards run horizontally in mixed widths, and their knots and marks add to their character. The stain gives them a warm brown that sits well against the brickwork.
The windows and French doors are heritage aluminium, sprayed in RAL 5001, a green-blue, to replicate traditional Crittall steel windows. Slim frames and glazing bars divide each opening into small panes, as the steel originals did.
An open-plan living space and kitchen
Inside, the brief was a mix of rustic character and modern convenience, and the kitchen shows both. A reclaimed kitchen unit with a worn painted front serves as the counter, with a copper worktop and an inlaid copper sink. A Quooker tap supplies boiling water on demand.
Behind the counter, the fitted cupboards are painted in Farrow & Ball Charlotte’s Locks, a strong orange-red. They rise to the ceiling as open shelving, which gives the room a focal point seen from the other end.
Painted horizontal boarding lines the long wall, echoing the barn boards outside. Wide oak boards run across the floor, and a wall of full-height glazing looks out over the garden. Sockets, switches and light fittings come from Corston and Pooky, in brass.
Bedroom and shower room
The oak floor continues into the bedroom, where the same painted boarding forms the wall behind the bed. Glass pendants hang low on either side of the bed.
The shower room is fully tiled in the shower and on the floor. The blue and white patterned floor tile appears again in the shower storage niche, so the two areas read as one room. The walk-in shower has a glass screen and a Bluetooth electric shower. Opposite, a hand-made vanity unit in dark timber has reeded drawer fronts and brass taps, and a tall built-in cupboard holds the towels.
Materials sourced for the clients
Timeless Garden Rooms take the time to source materials and finishes that suit each client, rather than working from a fixed palette. On this annexe that included the barn boards and the kitchen unit. That makes them a great choice for clients with an eye for detailing and style.
Pairing a cubic, contemporary form with reclaimed and traditional finishes is what makes this annexe stand out among the garden annexes featured on the Guide.
The annexe went through full planning permission and Building Regulations approval, and the Timeless team handled both as part of their turnkey service. The project cost was in the region of £150,000.
One job remains: a reclaimed brick patio goes in next spring.
Learn more about Timeless Garden Rooms
To talk to Timeless Garden Rooms about an annexe of your own, call 01843 821 851, email sales.timelessgardenrooms@gmail.com, or visit their annexe site at www.timelessgardenannexe.com.
