Do you do bespoke Garden Rooms?

Your space is unique to you, so working with us, allows you to create that unique studio to fill that space and get exactly what you would like, rather than a wedged in, near enough, that’ll do effort that leaves a customer frustrated and annoyed and even worse, disappointed.

How long will it take to build?

As the studio is made, to order, before we come on-site, our time on site is reduced dramatically to mere days (usually no more than 4 or 5) from start to finish. We have the luxury of making many parts, and doing a lot of the cutting at the factory, so while some companies have to build everything on site for you, we have done a lot beforehand, this meaning that we are disturbing your world a great deal less.

We will come earlier to install your base, this allows the base to be totally secured and squared off before we start the build, thus giving you a much better end result, while adding to your excitement as you can really start to visualise how your studio will then look.

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How do you make it bespoke?

With your garden having its own fences, bushes, trees, children’s play equipment, swings, slides, treehouses, dogs, ponds, little bridges, lawns, and the like, it can be a lot to figure out! Working with Scotia to create your studio, allows you to orientate the windows and doors exactly how you would like it, so that no part of your view is wasted. If the side or back wall is going to be up against a fence, then how about making that wall Cedral so that you never have to maintain that wall? Then keep all the windows and doors to the sides which are going to face out into the garden, or over your lovely view to maximise the light.

This then leads into what shape should you have? Nearly all garden rooms you can see out there are rectangles or squares. By working with us, you are also to go wild, and possible make a more triangular shape, or diamond to work with the space you have in your garden. We are not bound by sizes, so we can adapt to suit the space, rather than square pegging every time. A more unconventional shape can be a lot of fun, and often not at the expense of internal space.

The question of how it should be finished is one we cannot answer for you. It’s a bit like choosing your dinner when you go out, lots on the menu! You have 3 options of wall finish, redwood, cedar and Cedral, and then within the Cedral a choice of colour from 3 different greys, a brown and a green. 2 choices of window and door colour which are white, or grey, and then loads of options of styles of windows and doors to go with. Really that is all. Simple eh?

Please do not worry though that you will be overwhelmed, you will see nearly all the options on our show site, or in other studios we have installed beforehand. You will have plenty of time to decide before the final design is submitted for manufacturing. We can chat with you about which finish works best for you. Redwood is great as it is a little bit more cost effective, and still gives a wood like aesthetic, albeit it will need to be treated once a year or so. Cedral is fantastic from a maintenance point of view as it never needs any. It is a bit more expensive, looks like painted wood and still has a fab tactile look to it.

How will it be laid out?

A lot of how your studio is laid out depends on what you are going to use it for. So, what are you going to use it for? Sit outery? Drinking Palace? Games room? Cinema room? Home Office? Kids chill out space? Sewing room? Pottery room? Escape Pod? No one answer is right or wrong, and it is entirely dependent on how you see this extra room being used in your world.

Planning Permission

There are some considerations that need to be addressed to keep the Planning Department happy. You need to be a metre in from your boundary line where your wall will be. You also need this really to help the building breath. It does nothing any good to be tight up against walls etc. We struggle to build it for one thing, and then when you come to do any tidying up or maintenance, you can’t get to it. Even if this is just clearing away leaves and bruck from the sides.

You also need to have your studio at least 1.5m away from your house. This is a fire safety rule, and planning can, and will, make you take a building down if they ever find out you are within that distance. This would be awful for you, so please make sure you are far enough away to avoid this happening.

And as with the BBQ cabins, if you are in a listed building, or a conservation area, you do need to have planning permission before you can building anything in the garden, and this would be the same with a studio. Again, if they really wanted to, they could make you take it down, so let’s all avoid this unnecessary drama and keep on the right side of them.

How much?

And the all important part, how much? Taking in all we have mentioned here, each studio we quote for is slightly different in price as this depends on size, location in relation to us, windows and doors, base and the finish on the outside. Economies of scale mean that the bigger the cabin, the less it is per square metre.

Our studio quotes will include, the delivery and installation to you, the whole building, doors and windows, including the internal finishings (not electrics) base work, and inclusive of VAT. Unless something changes dramatically, the price we quote will be it.

As a rule of thumb, a 4m x 3m (12m sq) studio would be around £1800 per square metre. A 7.5m x 4m (30m sq) cabin would be around £1300 per square metre.

Anything I should know?

Electrics and Plumbing

Many companies out there do an full, in-house service and include electrics and if needed, plumbing. However, this is something we do not do. There are a couple of reasons, one being that we are not trained in these specialist areas, and the other, the more important one, is that if you need anything else done, or something needs attention in these areas, it is much more cost effective to have someone local to you to attend to this, rather than being charged a very hefty call out fee for an electrician who might be a hundred or so miles away! As a business we are about supporting local businesses, and there is plenty to go around. If we know of someone in your area, and like them, we will recommend them for sure. For example, in and around Perthshire, we are big fans of Haddows Plumbing and Electric and have worked with them for years.

Bi-folds

This finish is truly lovely, we agree, and are often asked what the reason is that we don’t install them. These are that within a wooden structure, that will absorb and evaporate moisture, you are going to get movement. Wood, even when cut, is alive and is doing its best to get back to its original shape. Up against a very ‘open’ structure like bi-folds, this can cause them to stick more than if they are installed in something such a house. You are going to spend all your time adjusting them, and getting frustrated. In Scotland, where we get a fair bit of that moisture, we made the decision to not offer these as an option for that reason. Another reason is wind. We get a fair bit of that in Scotland as well, and if a bi-fold is caught in a gust, or hasn’t been locked away properly, you can get a fair mess, quickly. So as lovely as they are, we save them as a treat, for climates that they work for, rather than our wild and beautiful one.

Can I build this myself?

While we have no doubt that you can do this, this is not a service we offer. Reason being that firstly if you build it, there would be no warranty from us. Also, this isn’t great service from us, and we would feel a bit bad. Plus, while it might save us time from building it, we know you will be on the phone asking questions, so there would be no gain from this later on. You are going to be very frustrated and upset, and that isn’t going to help anyone either. If you really want to build one yourself, then we would suggest looking at another company, or following some ideas and examples on YouTube.

Explore our range of Garden Studios

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