Generally, you can’t pop to your local garden centre or DIY store and look at a garden studio and place an order. That’s not how the industry works. There are a few display sites around the country, but on the whole, you contact a manufacturer directly and they come and do a site visit or offer an online consultation where you can discuss your options. This doesn’t mean you can’t see a garden studio before you buy. In fact, we would encourage you to do so as part of your research.
Most garden studio companies have arrangements with past customers to let prospective customers have a look around their studio. Because garden studio companies tend to cover a large area, the chances are they have a building you could visit quite close to where you live. Asking a company if you can visit one of their past builds is one of the most valuable steps in the whole buying process.
Sanctum Garden Studios are one company who can arrange for you to see one of their past projects, close to where you live. Sanctum builds garden studios throughout the UK, so they should be able to arrange a visit with not too much travelling.
Following initial enquiries, Marina, a recent Sanctum Garden Studios customer in North London asked if she could see one of their previous projects in the area. She wanted to see a garden studio so that she could get a clear idea of the size of the building she needed. She also wanted to get a feel for the quality of the structure and the finishes. Having visited the studio, she was ready to place an order for her own garden studio.
Marina wanted to create an artists studio in her garden. She chose a 4.8 meter wide by 3-meter deep building from Sanctum’s Contemporary range. She chose the cubed roof line option as opposed to the roof overhand which creates an eaves detail. Some people consider the cubed roofline to be the more contemporary styling. The roof itself was fully insulated and covered with an EPDM membrane which is the finish of choice for many garden studio companies, as it can be fitted in one section and has a long, maintenance-free lifespan.
Sanctum Garden Studios work with each customer to design their ideal door and window configuration. In her case, Marina chose a 1.8 meter wide set of French doors on the front elevation and a floor to ceiling glazed window on the right-hand wall. Marina chose a window design that opens so that she can easily control the ventilation in the room. This configuration has left large expanses of wall space – ideal for hanging her artwork.
Inside, the Sanctum Garden Studios team fitted the electrics and plasterboard on the walls and ceiling. They also fitted the laminate flooring and the skirting boards. Marina had chosen to get a local plasterer to skim the walls and ceiling once the Sanctum team left the site. Sanctum Garden Studios would skim and decorate the room as part of their overall project. They have found though, that it is often cheaper to engage a local tradesman rather that the Sanctum team stay on-site a further day. We like their transparency it pointing out to customers where they could make a cost saving.
Seeing a garden studio before she ordered was a key factor in Marina deciding to buy from Sanctum Garden Studios. Don’t underestimate the importance of seeing before you buy, it can be very enlightening!
To learn more about the Sanctum Garden Studios range and how you can view one of their buildings, call 01275 279 161 or send them an email. Take a look at their website to see more of their work.
