Garden Studio

Andy Punnett – A.S.P Electrics – 01926 428228 / 07880 717018 (Warwickshire)

Andy Wood – Hertz Electrical Contactors – 01788 541403 / 07875 146350 (Midlands)

Daron Langford – Warwickshire – 07739 695442
Paul Oliver – West Midlands – 07778 215889
Chris Woolmore – Rugby – 07828 437903
Tim Pearman – Worcestershire – 07831 477585
Kelvin Hughes – Evesham – 07973 361143
Ben Harwin – Cambridgeshire – 07960 033476
Scott Mccue – Leicestershire – 07916 138164
Urban Diggers – Hemel Hempstead – 07846 430271
Alan Muxlow – Towcester – 07970 875918
Jonathan Stollar – London – 07963 664951
Rg Wolfs & Co Ltd – London – www.wolfscompany.co.uk – 0207 476 8762
Shadow Environmental Services (Removal of existing buildings/asbestos) – London, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire – 0207 226 6990 / 07918 070210

Concrete Pad & Single Brick Course – Scroll down for full details:

150mm compact hardcore: DPM: 100mm concrete: Single course of semi-engineering bricks

Please allow 50mm additional concrete in addition to the size of your garage.
Your groundwork plan is issued when your order is placed and your final design is confirmed.
We allow a 5mm tolerance for the brick course – please use a laser level when setting the bricks.

In most cases the base is too large to dig by hand, hence a local contractor will be required to do the groundwork for you.

You start by digging out the ground down to a depth of 10 inches, with any spoil either removed by skip off site, or dispersed somewhere else on site.
Secondly the land / mains drains will be put in place, and soak aways will be constructed. The soak away will be a deep pit, about 1m x 1m x 2m deep and filled with gravel, with the drainage piped into the top of it. This is mainly to take the rainwater from the guttering.

Once the drains are prepared, the hardcore is put in to a depth of 150mm and compacted down. Once compacted, the shuttering around the edge is put in place.
The concrete is to a depth of 100mm, and should be a c35 mix, or a mix with fibres. For example a 6m x 6m square base will need 6m x 6m x 0.1m = 3.6 square metres of concrete. A tamped finish is sufficient, although a floated finish will be smoother. Timescale for this should be a single day.

Once the concrete has been laid for a couple of days the brick course can be fitted. This should take about half a day for the 6m x 6m base.

Concrete Pad or Paving Slab Base
150mm compact hardcore: DPM: 100mm concrete: or
150mm compact hardcore: 50mm paving slabs on cement sub base

Garden rooms and offices require a flat & level pad of either concrete or paving slabs.
The base will need to be at least the same size as the building you are looking to have, and you
will require 400mm clearance to objects such as fences, trees or other buildings.
We can work within a 10mm tolerance (which a competent builder can easily achieve).

We require a minimum of side access of a minimum width of 600mm and a height of 1950mm to allow us to install your building. Should you be concerned about access in to your garden please email us pictures of the access and we will be able to confirm whether it is suitable.

For the majority of our buildings, they are delivered on a 7.5 tonne lorry. This is the typical size of a concrete mixer lorry and will take up the equivalent space of 2 standard vehicles. We will require parking for our vehicle as close as possible to your property.

The Garden Rooms and Offices are fully insulated for year round use. They are designed to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer, however the location in your garden will have an impact on how warm / cool the building is.

North faced gardens will have buildings that are naturally cooler throughout the year, whilst south facing garden will be naturally warmer throughout the year.

A building in the shade or in a north faced garden, will need a small heater during the winter months, but will remain cosy when the building is up to temperature.

A building in direct sunlight or in a south facing garden will benefit from more ventilation and blinds between the glass to keep the building cooler.

The price list has been created to give a price for our most common sizes. If you require a different size to fit in a space available, please contact us to get an accurate price.

Because each building is individually created for you, a guide for the price would be the closest to the size that you are looking to have. Please do get in touch on 01926 815757 and talk to us about your project.

Garden Rooms are usually constructed within 1-2 days (up to 6.2m x 3.6m sizes) depending on the final specifications.

Garages up to 6.1m x 6.1m are usually constructed within 1 day. Larger buildings will often take 2 days on site.

Commercial Buildings usually take 1 week on site – depending on the final specification.

We regularly have customers that have buildings re-roofed at 15 and twenty years old – who are quite confident that their buildings will last double that time if they get general maintenance and care.
This building was taken by a customer and we have worked out that it was 18 years old, and was still original. The customer has painted the building regularly with Protek Woodstain.

This garden office is 12 years old and has been regularly treated with Dark Oak wood protector. It features timber doors and windows, along with brown felt tiles.

The lead time for a building can vary between 2 – 6 months.

You are welcome to book in advance to secure a delivery slot, and still make adjustments to the design up to the point that the base has been constructed.
(Please note that items that have been specifically order for you will still need to be paid for)

Tanalised timber is not waterproof, so it is still subject to the natural expansion and contraction as the moisture content in the surrounding atmosphere changes. It advised that a water repellent (clear or colour) treatment is applied to not only maintain the appearance of the building but also to help to exclude moisture being absorbed by the timber surfaces.

We can provide RWA45 Rockwool acoustic insulation in place of the standard insulation and the option to upgrade to triple-glazed doors and windows.

RB Studios in Birmingham have utilised 5 of our garden offices as music studios. These studios have been used by many famous Artists and Bands, and are Birmingham’s longest established recording and rehearsal studios.

Warwick Garden Rooms and Offices need a solid paving slab or concrete base to support the weight of the building over the complete area of the floor. This is known as a ground supported floor with the concrete pad classed as a floating pad which allows the natural movement of the ground conditions to change without compromising on the base. Ground supporting bases require the soil to be dug out, filling with hardcore and compacted down, before adding concrete or smooth slabs. Each base needs to be priced individually and done by a local builder due to the logistics of organising a skip, hardcore, concrete and access. Remember – this is not a garden shed…If you want your garden room for a long time, then you want the best base for it. And if you want the best base, then you want a concrete base.

Whilst we understand the customer prefers an all in one package, we have regularly looked at ways to suspended floors on small concrete pillars, provide groundwork teams, and design steel chassis as a way to do the whole job – however the cheaper alternatives being the steel chassis, and the pile foundations do not provide a strong enough solution as a base for a garden office. The base of your office or garden room is one of the most important parts of the building. Not only does it give your building a secure and safe place to stand, but it also protects it from flooding, pests, rodents, and other damaging elements.
To keep the costs sensible – a local builder will be able to provide a you cost effective price for a slab base, simply because the site requires an initial visit, preparation, removal of soil, and organisation of materials using local sources.

What is wrong with the steel chassis?
The steel chassis option provides a solid support around the perimeter, and has purlins across the centre to support the middle of the building. This construction will need ground supporting in the corners and at regular intervals under the purlins, hence the need for concrete piles to be installed and packed up so stop any bouncing. In theory this sounds like a good solution, however the steel ringbeam of the chassis will lift the building off the ground and therefore needs to be hidden from view adding additional cost to the materials of the garden room and the labour on site. The overall costs are usually greater as the labour on site to set up the chassis, plus the chassis itself quite often equate themselves to a concrete base cost.

What about the pile foundations.
Supporting the structure on small piles of concrete and plastic packers is a quick and easy way to create a level platform for the building to rest on, however this again needs an initial site visit, and some additional finishing off materials to hide the void under the floor.  Companies that include the groundworks within the price of the building can also hide the cost of the base within the building itself, which then begs the question – is a ‘quick base’ going to stand the test of time?

What about a wooden platform?
This is often the base that is provided by companies that build the structure completely on site. It isn’t a bad solution as the timbers used as the base will support the floor – however they are likely to be above ground level, thus impacting on the internal height of the building. This option comes down to cost, as the garden rooms that are built in situ are more expensive to construct on site, compared to a factory build, simply due to time taken to carry the components from the store to the can, and from the van to the garden. It may offer a finish that you ultimately prefer to see, however that essentially comes at an inflated cost.

There are two ways to get internet to the new Garden Office.

Option 1 is to have a CAT 5 cable coming from a router in your house, down the garden and into the back of the building.
We can supply a back box specifically for a CAT 5 cable. Usually the cable is better to be unbroken – hence we don’t internally wire with a CAT 5 cable to pug into

Option 2 is to purchase a WiFi extender kit or a mobile data dongle.

Garden Rooms and Offices include the first fix wiring, along with the consumer unit, lighting and the faceplates.

All wiring is installed within the cavity and is ready for an electrician to connect the tail ends of the wiring at the consumer unit and the faceplates.

The electrician will need to provide and install a power feed from your house / garage to the new building – usually a 6mm armoured cable is used. The wiring provided is 1.5mm cables for lighting on a 6 Amp fused circuit, and 2.5mm cables with a 32 Amp breaker for the sockets – on a ring main.
There is space for a 3rd breaker if it is required for another feed.

It usually takes half a day for the internal connections, plus the time required for the electrician to install the cable that you require.

Our electrician can offer customers in Warwickshire and Worcestershire with installation and certification independently – please contact him directly (Andy Punnett) via his website www.aspelectrics.co.uk If you live in Berkshire or Hampshire, please contact Ben Thorp on 07917 131984

We have suppliers for u-PVC and aluminium windows, all of which can be fitted into any of our buildings.

u-PVC Windows are the standard option for Garden Rooms and Offices due to their maintenance free properties. Available in a a choice of colours, but usually supplied in the popular Anthracite Grey or Black. The u-PVC windows can be fitted into any of our buildings and it is becoming increasingly more common to have them in garages and workrooms.

Aluminium is usually provided as bi-fold doors. Windows are available in Aluminium again available in a range of colours – with Anthracite grey being the most popular choice. You can select u-PVC as this also matches the Aluminium Bi-Fold doors.

Shiplap – 16mm x 125mm Scandinavian Redwood machined to our unique profile, with an extra long rebate to allow for natural movement of timber. It is pressure treated to a light green colour to protect against rot & decay for 15 years and is the ideal choice for customers who like a smooth finish and little maintenance.

Feather Edge – 25mm x 150mm home grown spruce with a sawn finish, that provides a much thicker and heavier look to the shiplap. Again it is pressure treated in a light green colour, and is the ideal cladding for customers looking for a traditional looking building that is full of character. The size and weight of the feather edge along with the manufacturing processes mean that this board is a more expensive option over the shiplap cladding.

Cedar – 12mm x 100mm Tongue & Groove cladding machined to create a modern looking finish. Each board is unique as this beautiful cladding naturally ranges from a dark hardwood to a light pine in colour thus creating a fantastic looking natural building. The hardwood properties of Cedar mean that it hardly expands or contracts during changes in weather, whilst it also has it’s own unique protection against rot, decay and insect infestation. Whilst the Cedar will fade in the sunlight, it is a must for customers looking for that wow factor on a garden room or garage, and it will continue to offer that feeling especially if protected against UV rays with Restol Oil.

Pitched roof buildings can have any of the roofing options that we provide, whereas the single slope buildings are only available with steel roofing sheets.

Felt Tiles is standard on the pitched roof garden rooms and garages. They are created in a sheet format that has 4 tiles on each sheet – the above tile covers the lower sheet by 50% to provide a double layer of tiles. In addition to this we also cover the roof with breathable underfelt before the tiles are fitted – which creates a 3 layer roofing system with an average lifespan of 15 years.

Steel Roofing Sheets are covered with plastisol and available in a range of colours. It is fitted to the roof onto the breathable underfelt to create a 2 layer roof covering that is condensation free. When fitted to the Garden Offices the insulation in the roof ensures virtually no noise is heard during inclement weather. Average lifespan is 25 years for the steel sheeting.

Onduline Roofing is a standard roof finish for stables. It is felt and bitumen compressed into a corrugated format and can be nailed directly onto the purlins with or without boarding underneath. For the optimum life expectance of 15 years we would recommend boarding and underfelt as a base for the Onduline to sit onto. The Onduline can sit directly onto the purlins however this will reduce the average lifespan of the product. (Only available on equestrian buildings).

Cedar Shingles offer an improved lifespan over Felt Tiles, along with added depth and character without the compromise of additional trusses needed to support the weight. They will start off as a natural brown colour but will quickly turn to a beautiful silver colour that is very popular in countryside locations. They are fitted onto underfelt and battens to create an average lifespan of 25 years.

Tapco Slate is a perfect solution for customers looking for a tiled roof look, but would like the building supplied & fitted by one company. Fitted onto boarding, underfelt & battens the Tapco slate is a man made lightweight roofing solution that appears as realistic as natural slates. Available in a range of colours, with a maximum roof pitch of 25 degrees, the average lifespan is 40 years for this roof finish.

Green mineral felt is a polyester based felt and is much thicker and stronger than normal shed roofing felt that you would buy from a DIY store. Average lifespan is 6-8 years.

Clay or Slate Tiles @ 30 degrees. Customers that require this finish will require a tiler to supply & fit the battens, membrane, tiles and soffits for this option. Warwick Buildings will obtain the trusses and install them at 600mm centres in readiness for the tiler to continue from that point. The two end trusses will be clad, however please note that there will not be any overhangs to the gable end on this option.

We require a minimum of 600mm around the building to be able to fit the cover strips and guttering on the outside of the building.

If you have less space available please contact us on 01926 815757, as we will discuss the options available on an individual basis – it may be that we can still accommodate your project.

Buildings close to a boundary will need to be 2.5m high. If you require a taller building without planning you will need to be more than 2m away from your boundary.
You will need to locate your building either to the side or to the back of the house – buildings in front of the house will need planning permission.

Please note that the customer is responsible for planning permission, and may need to contact the council for full clarification of their permitted development rights.

The weather, location and the sun can all have an effect on buildings, however throughout our 35 years we understand how our product works and how it stands up to the test of time.

Your maintainace schedule should be:

• To clean the gutters out to keep free from debris
• Adjust doors and windows that have expanded or contracted through weather conditions
• Remove debris from the roof
• Treat the outside of the building as required to maintain an attractive appearance. (This provides a waterproof coat to the timber and keeps the moisture content of the wood consistent – which in turn improves the stability of the timber, and reduces the expansion & contraction of the timber)

Our guarantee is in respect of design and maufacturing faults, corrosion and rot for 10 years from the date of installation.