Different garden room build processes
This section of the site looks at the different ways that the garden room industry approaches the build process. Some companies pre-fabricate their rooms in their workshops and then deliver them to the site for a quick on-site build. Others source the elements of the building and have them delivered to the site, again for a rapid installation phase.
Another approach is for the raw materials to be delivered to site, and then the garden room is constructed from scratch in the garden. This building takes a little longer than the other methods, but not much longer.
The final option, though not offered by many companies, is for the garden room to be fully assembled in the company's workshop and then delivered on the back of a lorry and craned into place.
The sections below offer a quick introduction to the different ways garden rooms are built. We encourage you to click through to the full guide to learn much more.
Off-site pre-fabricated garden rooms
Off-site construction, where a garden room is pre-fabricated in factory conditions and then delivered to the site in sections, dominates the industry. With this approach, your building is manufactured in optimum conditions, making the on-site assembly phase quick.
There are two approaches to off-site construction. One way is to pre-fabricate the room in modules. These are manageable-sized panels that are fully insulated and virtually complete as they leave the factory. They are designed in a way so they slot together quickly when they arrive on-site.
The second approach, which is commonplace when buying a SIPs garden room, is for the company to source the different elements of the building from other companies. They project manage this process so that everything arrives on site just as it is required. Again, this approach leads to a short on-site phase.
Check which garden room companies work in your area
Not all of them do!
On-site construction
Rather than have expensive workshops producing their buildings, some companies prefer to build their garden rooms from scratch in the garden. They order the materials and have them delivered directly to site.
Companies specialising in traditional timber frame garden rooms typically take this approach. This way of building comes into its own with tricky sites and irregular shape garden rooms.
Building a garden room from scratch on-site takes a little longer, compared with pre-fabricating off-site, but not much longer. We typically see build times of 2 to 4 weeks on the projects we feature that have been built this way.
Craning in a garden room
A few companies build their garden rooms fully in their workshops and then deliver them to the site and, using a crane, lift them onto a pre-prepared foundation.
Installation onto a pre-prepared base can typically be completed within hours, so the installation team are only with you for a short time.
Craning in a garden room can overcome access issues, but you would need an in-person site survey beforehand to assess whether the lorry's onboard crane will have the sufficient reach or whether a larger crane will be required, which would have additional costs.