We often comment that garden rooms are versatile spaces and can be used for so many different uses. This recent project by Sanctum Garden Studios is a new one on us! The Sanctum team were asked to design a building that could house a floatation pod.
Sanctum Garden Studios customer approached them with a specific design brief. She was opening a business offering flotation pod treatments and needed to create the new room quickly. The building needed to support the weight of the pod and the design needed to incorporate a shower room so that users could freshen up after their treatment.
Working with Sabrina, the client, a bespoke design was decided upon. A substantial 6m wide by 3.5m deep garden room was designed. The exterior of the building is finished in Western Red Cedar cladding, mixed with dark grey uPVC double glazed doors and an EPDM roof membrane. This combination of materials will need little maintenance as the building ages. The Cedar will naturally turn grey over the years unless a UV-oil was applied when the cladding was installed, this UV-protector needs topping up every few years to maintain the protection.
A concrete base was chosen for the garden room
When it comes to choosing the foundation for a garden room, the site conditions where the building is being placed need to be assessed, the intended use of the building also needs to be taken into consideration. In this case, the weight of the floatation pod was a very important consideration when choosing the right foundation for the project. It was decided that a concrete base was the best foundation type for this project. A concrete slab foundation is the same size as the footprint of the building, meaning that the whole of the floor is supported and the load of the water-filled pod is spread throughout the foundation.
The garden rooms internal space was divided up
To accommodate Sabrina’s need for a shower room, the internal space of the garden room was divided into two. The treatment room housing the flotation pod is the larger of the two spaces. A partition wall with a door was used to divide the space up. The interior of the garden room has been plastered and decorated creating a modern, clean finish. Looking at the photos, Sabrina has chosen a waterproof floor covering throughout.
The shower room incorporates an eco-toilet
Incorporating a shower room into the building was an important part of the design brief Sanctum were given. It is becoming more and more popular to do this, as it extends the usability of the building now and in the future. The thing is, incorporating a shower room into a garden room can be very expensive. You have to consider the connection of the water and the waste of the toilet to the mains supplies of your house. You also need to think about the fall of the ground between the garden room and the mains supply as a pumping station might need to be incorporated. To make these connections extensive groundworks are required which take time and bump up the overall cost of the project.
There are other options. Eco toilets are becoming a popular alternative with garden room buyers as they don’t need to be connected to the mains supplies, so reduce the project cost considerably, this is what Sabrina opted for. Eco toilets are hygienic with no smell! The design of the eco-toilet themselves has improved over the years, and they look very similar to a traditional toilet.
The benefits of a local garden room company
Sabrina actually lives just a few miles from Sanctum Garden Studios workshops in Lancashire. This proximity meant that the Sanctum team were able to fit in Sabrina’s project into an already packed summer schedule. Sometimes there are benefits to working with your local garden room supplier rather than choosing one offering national coverage.
This is an unusual and interesting garden room project. To learn more talk to the Sanctum Garden Studios team on 01275 279 161 or take a look at their website to learn more about their work.
