Garden Spaces have designed a range of acoustic insulation packages for both new builds and as a retro fit for existing garden studios.
garden studios
Types of Garden Studio Cladding
The final appearance of a garden studio can be significantly affected by the style of cladding chosen – shiplap gives a building a traditional feel, log lap the rustic feel of a snow covered lodge and tongue & groove gives a garden studio a modern look.
This article is by no means exhaustive but explains the popular styles of garden studio cladding and gives examples of garden studios that feature the cladding.
Shiplap
Ship lap cladding is normally fixed horizontally and gives a garden studio a traditional look. Shiplap takes its name from its past use in ship building, the boarding has a rebate at the bottom of the plank and a scalloped profile at the top, and these are designed so the scalloped top of one plank fits snugly into the rebate of the next plank. Fixings are normally made through the face of the shiplap board. Garden studio suppliers who use shiplap cladding include: Booths Garden Studios, Warwick Garden Offices, Extra Rooms and Chameleon Garden Rooms.
Board & Batten
With batten & board cladding wide boards are fixed vertically to the walls of the garden studio, the joint between these boards is then covered with a narrower piece of wood. This type of cladding has a stepped appearance and gives the impression of a substantial, thick cladding. Board and batten cladding is fixed through the face of the board. Garden studio suppliers who use board & batten cladding include Masion d’être Properties.
Open Joint Cladding
As the name suggests open joint cladding has an open joint between each piece of cladding. Planed boards say 75mm wide have a spacing of say 10mm between them. Because of the open space between the joint which moisture can obviously penetrate the garden studio is normally wrapped in a waterproof membrane such as EPDM before the cladding is added. Open joint cladding gives a garden studio a modern, contemporary feel and can be fixed either vertically or horizontally, if fixed horizontally there should be a space behind the board to allow moisture to escape behind the board. Garden studio suppliers who use open joint cladding include Atelier.
Log Lap
If you are looking for a more rustic look for your garden studio you should consider log lap. Log Lap has a curved profile like a log whilst the reverse is flat for secure fixing to the garden studio wall. Log lap comes in various interlocking styles – log lap can be fixed over battens and the top of one board slots into a rebate on the bottom of the next. A thicker log lap can be used to create the whole wall structure removing the need for a separate frame, here a thick board is created by laminating wood together, an interlocking profile is then machined into the board and when the boards are put together an incredibly strong joint is created. Garden studio suppliers who use log lap cladding include Croatian Cabin.
Tongue & Groove
Tongue & groove boarding is popular in contemporary garden studios and can be fixed vertically or horizontally. Tongue & Groove boards used as cladding normally have a ‘v’ groove which defines the joint between adjoining boards. Tongue & groove can be fixed through the face of the board but it is widely accepted that a more professional finish will be achieved with a secret nailing technique – here a nail is driven at an angle through the tongue of the board, a nail press is used to sink the head of the nail flush with the tongue and the next piece of wood slots over the tongue to hide the nail, meaning that no nails are visible on the face of the cladding. Garden studio suppliers who use tongue & groove cladding include Inhus, O-Pod, Court & Hunt, Cotsmill Garden Offices, Decorated Shed, Garenberg, Garden Spaces, Pod Space, Eco Space Studios and Alternative Space
Featheredge
Featheredge cladding is a tapered board that layered thick end over narrow end, meaning that at any point on the wall there is at least two layers of cladding. Featheredge is normally fixed horizontally on garden studios but can be fixed vertically, fixings are made through the face of the boards. Featheredge boards and normally roughly sawn and give a rustic textured feel to a garden studio. Garden studio suppliers who use featheredge cladding include Courtyard Designs and GD Timber Designs
Flush Cladding
If a smooth cladding profile is required external grade plywood can be used, this would normally be painted to give a good decorative finish. Another alternative for a smooth cladding is metal which normally has a powder coated paint finish and is a low maintenance form of cladding. If you are looking for a garden studio with plywood cladding you should consider Smart Garden Offices and for metal cladding The Home Office Company and Garden Haze will be able to assist you.
Dab Den – stylish garden studios
If you are looking for a garden studio that combines understated elegance with the latest in contemporary design, look to Scotland and garden studio suppliers Dab Den. Dab Den is run by architects and it shows in the attention to detail.
Dab Den offer a ‘Signature’ range of standard design garden studios and a bespoke service where garden studios can be designed to the client’s individual needs and tastes. All Dab Den studios are built using the latest building techniques such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) and on trend design features such as bi-fold or sliding fully glazed doors which open up to create flowing indoor / outdoor spaces.
The Signature 001 range comes in three standard sizes 3.0m x 2.4m, 4.8m x 3.0m and 5.4m x 3.0m and features a full wall of bi-fold doors. Prices start at a very competitive £16,500 for the 3.0m x 2.4m and the Dab Den website clearly shows prices for the extras you may want to add such as under floor heating, slit windows, kitchenettes and shower pods. The other standard model is the Signature 002 which features large sliding doors on the corner of the building, which is also available in three standard sizes and start at £15,550 for the 3.0m x 2.4m model.
All Dab Den garden studios are built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) which make garden studios quick to install and efficient and comfortable to use. The use of cladding is integral to the crispness of the design and is available in three durable finishes – Siberian Larch, Western Red Cedar and Oak. The flat roof is covered in EPDM a rubber membrane with a long maintenance free lifespan although there is also an option for a living roof covering. The interior of the garden studio is finished with painted plasterboard and the floor is laminate as standard. Doors and windows are aluminium clad and double glazed with toughened, low e double glazing.
If the standard specification is not good enough Dab Den offer a range of optional extras including Wall panels, digital printed wallpaper, under floor heating, built in cupboards and furniture, roof lights, additional windows, kitchenette and shower room with WC, and interior design proposals.
Although based in Scotland Dab Den can install buildings throughout the UK. For more information take a look at their stylish website at www.dabden.com
Click on the photos for a slideshow
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Garden Room Search Launches!
Back in March 2010 we launched Garden Room Compare offering potential garden room purchasers the opportunity to compare garden room features side by side, this proved so popular that we wanted to develop the tool and make the searching process easier and more enjoyable – we are therefore pleased to announce the launch of Garden Room Search!
We have changed the name to Garden Room Search as this new site is so much more than a comparison site; it’s also a search engine and a database for the best garden rooms, garden offices and garden studios on the market.
Garden Room Search launches with 243 garden rooms listed and we hope that it will evolve into the most comprehensive listing of garden rooms on the internet. Garden Room Search is FREE to use and we don’t charge garden room suppliers to list their products or take commission – our aim is to showcase the work of garden room suppliers and provide potential purchasers with information on what’s on the market.
All the buildings listed on Garden Room Search are fully insulated, double glazed and electrically wired for comfortable year round use which should make comparing specifications easy but you can do searches on specific features such as garden rooms that include the foundation in the price.
By far the majority of listings are for standard design garden rooms but Garden Room Search also allows you to search for bespoke design garden rooms.
The site is easy to use, simply enter the size of building you require, your budget, features you require or a combination of all of these and press search! The more fields you complete the narrower the search results will be.
When you have performed your search click on the results to be taken to a details page where you will find information about the garden room, photos, videos and contact details for the supplier.
If you are a garden room supplier and would like to list your products FREE of charge please complete the Submit Garden Rooms form – the only criteria is that your garden rooms are fully insulated and designed for year round use.
We hope Garden Room Search will help you find your perfect garden room.
Start searching here www.gardenroomsearch.co.uk
Customer Reviews – Booths Garden Studios
The team at Booths Garden Studios have sent us these testimonials they received after recently installing studios:
I just wanted to give you my feedback on today’s installation of the garden studio in my garden. Yesterday was a difficult day for the installers who had to get up very early in the morning, unpack the vans and then unfortunately travel back to the workshop when they realised one of the base sections was too short. These things happen but the installers’ professionalism was exemplary. Today was much smoother and all went to plan. The guys just got on with the job and the end result is superb. I am delighted with the quality and finish of the studio and it is exactly what I was hoping it was going to be. I will certainly recommend your firm to other people.”
Rob Taylor, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Rob had a 16′ x 10′ LoLine QC2.
Sorry I had intended to contact you sooner with my comments re my new studio. If I had found any reasons to complain then I could have written something different to everyone else but you have left me with absolutely nothing to complain about. Allen and Tom arrived on time, worked with hardly a break for food or drink.. They were polite and friendly and answered all our questions.They also didn’t mind my husband taking photographs of the whole process. All that remained after they had left was one very nice studio and 6 screws which is far less mess than you usually get when anyone comes to do a job for you. Visiting other people’s studios is brilliant. We got to ask them all sorts of questions about how they used their studio not the sort of thing you can do when you are looking at a garden room you have travelled miles to see at a show or garden centre. I would be happy to do the same for anyone who is interested. You promised nothing more or less than you delivered. I think I was lucky that the time from ordering to delivery was very short. You kept in touch, informed me of the one day change to the installation, all in all I wish I could deal with you more often. It would be nice if everyone was as open about their product and philosophy as you are. Many thanks to everyone involved, I hope to enjoy my studio all year round.”
Regards, Jan
For more information about Booths Garden Studios visit their website
Atelier Garden Studios new folding sliding door system
Atelier has introduced new slim line folding sliding doors to their garden studio range. The doors are available for all their modular garden studios as well as their bespoke designs. The doors are designed and manufactured by Apropos Tectonic and are one of the slimmest set of folding sliding doors on the market.
The doors measure just 111mm, glass to glass, resulting in less frame and more glass which means more light. In addition the system stacks more neatly which means more efficient use of available space.
Folding sliding doors are ideal for Atelier garden studios because it allows you to open out your studio and incorporate your garden into your studio experience. When the weather is warm you can let the air flow through and make it cool and when the weather is cold the under floor heating and double glazed doors make the studio the perfect place to sit and work.
Jason Pardesi, Product Development Manager at Atelier says “We wanted to incorporate more of the garden in with our garden studios and allow people to enjoy the outdoors. By adding folding sliding doors we were able to allow our clients to enjoy their gardens as well as enjoying their garden studio.”
For more information visit the Atelier website
Atelier
A new guest blog from the team behind contemporary garden studios Atelier:
Atelier was commissioned by Apropos to go to the next level in design and construction of highly efficient contemporary freestanding structures as more appropriate alternatives to existing architectural structures namely conservatories and garden rooms.
“We set out to create something that was sustainable, stylish, flexible, functional and future proofed. We wanted to create something that was better than your average garden studio. We started with a clean sheet throwing all our preconceptions about these kind of structures out of the window.” Michael Barnes, Managing Director.
Atelier has created a series of low cost individual interconnecting structures, variable in size and adaptability. The modular system facilitates a vast variety of functional or fanciful needs. Individual structures can be configured in ways to express a client’s needs and individuality.
LIVE
Our structures are based on modular construction methods, they are reconfigurable and adaptable to your wants and needs.
WORK
The Atelier structure’s combination of natural light, sound and thermal insulation and the resulting ambience is the ideal work environment.
REST
The overall space offers a sense of fluidity and tranquillity as highly glazed surfaces open up interior spaces to the landscape and minimizes the intrusion of nature.
PLAY
The interior is a resistant to a lifetime of hard knocks. Fit for the most demanding of purposes it is also the ideal environment for keep fit, sound recording, media room, therapy room…..
For more information about Atelier Garden Studios visit their website
Atelier Garden Studios Showcase
Homelodge Testimonial
David & Christine Hopley
Homelodge installed October 2009
We believe that success is built on relationships and as such, that was an important element in determining our choice of supplier. Secondly, we believe that the product must differentiate itself. In both cases, Homelodge excelled from the very outset. From the very first enquiry, through to accepting the keys at the end, their personal touch, client focus and commitment to excellence, set them apart from their competitors. Felix’s personal engagement and commitment from the start was very important, not only in terms of helping us to identify what it was we were seeking to achieve, but equally importantly, guiding us through the planning process, the build, through to the selection of fittings and finishes. Homelodge’s contractors are equally imbued with the firm’s ethos and standards of excellence and trust. Once we had a plan and agreed a date, the ‘team’ delivered. We could not be more delighted with the finished product. The specifications, fittings and standard of finish far exceeded out expectations. Felix and his team treated our ‘project’ as if it were their own. The effect was that we felt totally engaged from the very beginning with people we could trust, both Homelodge staff and contactors. The end result is we have realized our dream of having the space we need (and more) for a fraction of the cost of a brick building. We cannot recommend Homelodge strongly enough!
Thank you Felix, Linda, Shirley and the team
David & Christine Hopley
Thatcham, Berks.
Related Links
Our independent review of Homelodge garden rooms
Homelodge video showcase