You will get the chance to see a Sanctum Garden Studio on ITV1’s The Home Game this afternoon at 3 pm. The Home Game is a new show whereby four homeowners make home improvements with the aim of being the one who has added the most value to their property.
Sanctum Garden Studios were asked by contestant Karen to design an artists studio in her garden overlooking Lake Windemere. Karen wanted to maximise the glazing so she could take in the wonderful views as she worked and needed to ensure that her easel would fit!
A bespoke garden studio was designed, sitting on a footprint of 4.8m x 4m. The building has clean, contemporary lines with a deep roof overhang. A 3.4m wide set of French doors has been fitted on the elevation overlooking the garden and the lake, and frame the views perfectly. A 2m wide floor to ceiling picture window frames another view. A second 900mm glazed door has been positioned on a side elevation for easy access from the house.
The interior of the studio has a light and airy feel thanks to the fully plastered and decorated interior which is mixed with a light oak laminate floor. The studio is wired electrically with power sockets and downlights in the ceiling. Karen chose to incorporate an air source heat pump for year round control of the temperature.
Price
The cost of a similar size garden studio from Sanctum’s Contemporary Range would cost you £19,400 including VAT, delivery and installation. Karen specified several extras for her studio, such as the air source heat pump, which bumped the total project cost up to £24,000.
Here is what Karen said about the project:
I’m delighted with my fabulous new studio by Sanctum Garden Studios. I knew the design I wanted and Sam and Gary were so helpful in making my dream a reality. I can’t thank them and the team enough for their commitment and professionalism.
This is a great project; it will be really interesting to see how much value it has added to Karen’s house!
To learn more about this project give the Sanctum Garden Studios team a call on 01275 279 161 or visit their website.
Sam from Sanctum Garden Studios was interviewed by the show, here is what she had to say:
Does this location lend itself perfectly to a garden studio?
Absolutely. You really couldn’t get a more stunning view and the garden studio looks just perfect in Karen’s garden
More so, does it lend itself to an art studio?
Karen’s art studio in this location is just idyllic. That said, we have many customers who use theirs as art studios. Most of these don’t have the surroundings that Karen has but we ensure that the right size is chosen to make the most of the customer’s individual plot.
What other uses do clients commonly have for your studios?
Many customers use their garden rooms as offices but we also have teenage dens, needlework rooms, beauty therapy businesses, tattoo studios, gyms and even a couple of man caves! Often customers just want another sitting room away from the house in the corner of their garden. Somewhere to take in a nice view that perhaps can’t be seen from the house.
Was it important to utilise the view?
Yes it really was. We totally understood why Karen wanted so much glazing.
Were there any issues when installing the garden studio?]
Everything went smoothly with this installation although the height of the base did pose some challenges meaning that the team needed to erect a scaffold safely around it in order to build it safely. The old concrete garage floor had been built to slope into a drain but we were easily able to level this out using our specially designed steel base frame.
What options were available to Karen?
With our Contemporary Studios we offer a number of optional extras and Karen chose the Air Source Heat Pump and an interior upgrade, meaning a plastered and painted finish.
Karen also asked if we would add 3 external flood lights which we were happy to do.
Small, exterior rooms can often be either too cold or too hot – how has this been addressed?
All of our studios are really well insulated in the floor, walls and roof. We use aluminium faced PIR insulation boards which is widely used in the construction industry to help meet strict building regulations regarding energy conservation. This type of insulation also protects against heat gain in the Summer months and ensures a comfortable temperature year round. We also use ‘A’ rated window and door frames fitted with specially coated double glazed units filled with argon gas. Again to improve thermal performance.
Many customers opt for our Air Source Heat Pump though as this gives the added benefit of air conditioning when it gets too hot, and additional heating when it snows!
Do you think she’s made the most of the view?
I really do – I think Karen’s got it just right and we’re delighted to have built the studio for her.
Are you jealous of what she’s got here?
Yes, I really am. Windermere is such a beautiful place and to have this lake view on a daily basis is incredible.
Do you think this’ll add value to the property?
Certainly. We heard recently from a customer in the South of England who had their house valued for re-mortgage purposes. Their chartered surveyor commented that their garden room had added almost double the amount that they had paid for it. Naturally they were very happy to share this with us!
