Garden Office with Maintenance-Free Cladding
First Published: 10 December 2021
Refreshed: 18 November 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes
When choosing a garden office, one crucial factor to consider is how much maintenance you're willing to undertake. Many garden offices feature timber cladding, with popular options like Cedar, Siberian Larch, and Thermowood. These materials are highly resistant to rot and fungal decay but require ongoing care to retain their original appearance.
Unprotected timber cladding will weather to a silvery-grey tone, which can make even relatively new buildings look aged. While you can preserve the natural colour of these timbers with UV oil, it must be applied during installation and then topped up every couple of years. Although painted or stained finishes require less frequent upkeep, they still demand long-term maintenance.
This need for ongoing care is why many garden office buyers opt for maintenance-free cladding solutions, with composite wood being a popular choice.
Why Choose Composite Wood Cladding?
Composite wood is a durable, low-maintenance alternative to timber. It combines wood fibres with resins to create a tough, rot-resistant board. Pigments are added during manufacturing, ensuring the cladding retains its colour for years without the need for repainting.
Composite-Clad Garden Offices
Hargreaves Garden Spaces offers a variety of cladding options, including composite wood. This 3.5m x 2.5m garden office demonstrates the benefits of this maintenance-free material.
The client, having downsized to a smaller new-build house, wanted a garden office that would serve as both a workspace and a cosy reading retreat.
After researching their options, they decided on a maintenance-free solution due to the office's proximity to two boundary walls, making ongoing upkeep impractical. Hargreaves Garden Spaces stood out for their ability to provide composite cladding and customise building sizes and layouts to suit specific needs.
A Year-Round Workspace
The office is designed for year-round comfort, thanks to its insulated structure and double glazing. Key insulation features include:
- Ceiling: 100mm foil-backed insulation.
- Walls and Floor: 75mm glass wool insulation.
The office benefits from a feature wall of glazing, created by double-glazed French doors flanked by full-height panels. A small opening window on the side elevation adds ventilation, while the interior's plastered and painted walls, paired with a wooden floor, create a bright, modern feel.
Canopy with LED Downlights
Adding to the building’s charm is a 400mm deep canopy running along its front. Fitted with exterior-grade LED downlights, the canopy casts an elegant curtain of light, enhancing the building's appearance in the evening.
Learn More
To learn more about this project and your composite wood cladding options, contact the Hargreaves Garden Spaces team on 07584 626 911 or email info@hgspaces.co.uk. Visit their website to explore more of their bespoke garden office projects.
