pod space

We chat with contemporary garden room designers Pod Space about their range of home garden offices:

What is your most popular garden office design?

The Mini Pod is currently our most popular Pod for a garden office, although this is changeable. The Mini Pod is large enough to comfortably accommodate 2 workers whilst maintaining a bright spacious feel. For individual home workers our Micro Pod and Micro Pod Max remain very popular, especially as they are compact enough to fit in to most gardens.

Why does your design make the perfect garden office, how have you made it user friendly?

The Mini Pod like all of our rooms is fully customisable so your office can be exactly what you want it to be. It already features full height glazed sliding doors to the front and because we can fit additional windows and doors to your exact specification we can make the best use of the available light and views in your garden so that your office is a light and inspiring space. We can also fit options such as integrated desks and shelving so that your office is making the best use of the space available.

The installation process is as user friendly as the building itself and our use of a pre-cast concrete foundation system means that disruption to your garden will be kept to a minimum. Once the foundations are in the building can be installed in as little as 2 days and is ready to use immediately.

How do your garden offices comply with Planning Permission?

All of our garden rooms are designed to comply with permitted development. So for example all of our buildings are 2.5m high at eaves. Individual circumstances will of course be discussed and we are happy to advise clients further on whether planning permission would be required for their project. We will apply to the local authority on your behalf if necessary.

What size garden office do you recommend for one worker to work comfortably?

Our smallest garden building is the Micro Pod and at 2.5 x 2.0m it is compact enough to fit in to even a small garden whilst still being large enough inside to comfortably accommodate a lone worker. There is even sufficient room for shelving and storage.

And for two workers what size garden office do you suggest?

The Mini Pod at 4.1 x 3.65m can happily house 2 office workers with desk and storage space. For those looking for room enough for desk space and a meeting or sitting area then the Glide Pod offers 5.45 x 3.65m. The Glide Pod is even large enough to include w.c. or mini kitchen facilities making it a self contained office space.

Both of these Pods have large full height glazed sliding doors so are equally bright and spacious. They can of course be customised to ensure they are providing you with exactly the office space that will work for you.

Are the foundations included in the price, if so what type?

There are two pricing levels on our website. The basic supply price excludes foundations and electricity connection for those who wish to use their own preferred workers. We also have a full price which includes installation, foundations and power supply to the house.

The foundations that we use are an adjustable pre-cast concrete system. This avoids the need for messy wet mixing of concrete in your garden and reduces the amount of time required for laying foundations.

Are your garden offices suitable for year round use? What type of insulation do you use? How thick are your walls?

All of our garden buildings are insulated to exceed the building regulation requirements of a modern house. Our walls are 220mm thick and include a SIPS panel construction for high levels of insulation again to exceed that in most modern houses. We also incorporate vented cavities and high performance waterproof membranes to eliminate cold bridging. This makes our buildings as suitable for year round use as your own home. We also include contemporary flat panel heaters or Scandinavian low energy under floor heating for winter comfort.

What is the exterior cladding on your garden offices?

We specify western red cedar from well managed FSC certified Canadian forests. This timber is chosen for its naturally hard-wearing qualities. It is naturally durable and will typically last maintenance free for up to 40 years. It does not require any treatment and will naturally fade to a silver grey colour.

What is the roof covering?

We use a SIPS construction in the roofs of our Pods to ensure superior insulation. On our smaller units the flat roof is finished with the latest high performance single ply waterproof membranes. This can of course be completed with an optional green sedum roof to add to eco credentials of your garden building. There is also an option to have a mono or dual pitched roof which can be finished in either cedar tiles or grey roofing panels.

What is the interior lining and floor covering?

Our standard finish is painted plaster. We also offer premium grade white birch cladding boards as an option which can be finished with a factory sealed satin lacquer coating.

How many electrical sockets do you include as standard?

On the Mini Pod we include 3 double sockets as standard. These are all finished in satin stainless steel to match the other fixtures and fittings. We also include a telephone and data point in the same satin stainless steel finish.

What sort of lighting do you use in your offices, why have you chosen this type?

On the Mini Pod we include 6 low energy spotlights internally. These are again finished in satin stainless steel and are chosen for their energy efficiency to maintain our eco credentials. Outside we also include 2 moisture resistant spotlights to the external overhang.

Do you include heating in your garden office as standard, if so what type?

We include a contemporary slimline flat panel heater with fully programmable digital thermostat or low energy underfloor heating.

Broadband and telephone are important in a garden office, how do buyers get these to the office?

Our installation team can connect your Pod to a telephone line with broadband with no problem. This can be arranged on placement of order.

What optional extras would you recommend to create the perfect office setup?

To complete the internal contemporary look of your garden office we have a range of integrated office furniture that can be fit at the time of installation. We also appreciate that all gardens are different and so all of our Pods can be customised with additional windows or doors to allow you to make the best use of the available light and views in your garden. We can even include roof lights if your Pod will be tucked in to the boundaries of your garden. Of course the Pod needs to enhance your garden with its exterior design also so you may wish to add a green sedum roof.

What is the lead time on your garden offices?

Our standard lead time is 10 to 12 weeks, however, depending on your choice of windows and doors we may be able to install in as little as 5 weeks from placement of order.

What is the typical on site build time?

If it is possible to crane your Pod in to position we can have the whole process finished in 3 to 4 days in one continuous installation. We will advise you further on installation times at a site visit.

How much does a typical one person office cost?

Our Micro Pod price starts at £10,890.

How much does a typical two person office cost?

Our Mini Pod price starts at £21,850.

Are there any hidden extras? (planning fees, electrical hookup etc)

For all of our Pods we have a price available on our website that includes installation, foundations and electrical hook up. We are more than happy to apply to the local planning department on behalf of our clients, should this be necessary, and we would simply pass on their charges which vary between local authorities.

What is the lifespan of your garden offices, is there any ongoing maintenance?

Our Pods are maintenance free and are expected to last for many decades. We have chosen the materials that we specify for their sustainability as well as their quality and function. We are constantly revising our specification to ensure that we are at the forefront of design development and utilising the latest components. That includes the parts that cannot be seen so every part of your Pod structure is the highest quality of specification.

What guarantees come with the office, are they free?

We offer a five year guarantee on the structure of our Pods. We also offer a 12 month guarantee on fixtures and fittings or the manufacturers warranty.

If you could give a buyer one piece of advice about buying a garden office, what would it be?

Check out all of the structural components of a garden building. There are many ways of constructing a garden building so it is worth doing your research to check that they are built in accordance with building regulations for a house. Then you can be confident that it is built to last.

Interesting read? Find out more by calling Pod Space on 01484 841167 or visit their website www.pod-space.co.uk