Surrey Homes | SH43 | May 2018 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

SH Restoration & New Build Supplement
Inside out
Build a home away from home, just a few steps from your back door with a garden building
Shaun O’Neill of Woodcote Garden Buildings
What are the main different kinds of
garden buildings you do? We have a
range of cedar and pine buildings, but
we also offer a bespoke service, so we
can build whatever you like and design
it to suit your plans.
A Woodcote Garden Buildings garden room
What kind are most in demand?
Increasingly we see people go for a
contemporary style featuring to-theground
windows which provide more
light. Invariably they incorporate flatter
roofs, are properly insulated and have
laminate floors.
What are the main purposes people
have them for? People mostly get
them for entertaining or working.
More people are working from home -
masseurs, sports therapists, osteopaths,
aromatherapists… These are the sort of
people looking for them, particularly
as we can provide internal blinds for
privacy, as well as electricity and even
plumbing under certain circumstances.
Do get more queries at this time of
year? It is seasonal, but that is changing.
The term ‘summer house’ is fine but,
because of the range of uses people buy
them for, we are increasingly seeing
them being ordered all year round.
What advice would you give
to someone thinking of
commissioning a garden building?
Come and talk to us! Have a think
about what you want it for and we
can help you go from there. Get
some ideas of designs and materials
you like, consider how much space
you have – and it’s very important
to check you have a good base for
the building to go on. The ground
must be good, firm and level, so the
building goes up square – and stays
that way.
What is the appeal of garden
buildings? Space is at a premium and
you can use them for such a wide
range of purposes, for work, leisure,
a place for you or the kids, or just
as a break out space. They are built
outside building regulations, quickly
erected and used all year round.
woodcotegardenbuildings.co.uk
0208 773 2332
Yolanda Olson of Olson Timber Buildings
What is the appeal of a garden
building? They are not glorified sheds,
they are proper buildings, but they are
so quick to put up. Whether they are
standard or bespoke it takes three to
four weeks from the order to delivery
and then most buildings are up in a day.
What kinds of outdoor buildings are
most in demand? Carriage houses are
very popular, with one bay for your car
and then a stable, office, or gym next
door. They are lovely rustic-looking
buildings which blend in beautifully with
the countryside and older properties of
character. They have curve braces at the
front in oak and look very smart. They
can have doors on the carriage side but it
takes away the rustic quality.
Is there an ideal ratio of garden size to
building footprint? No, if you feel you
have enough space to have a building,
just go for it.
What are the main purposes people
have them for? Home offices are
probably the main reason, because you
can convert a bedroom, or have a nice
garden building, which gets you out of
the house and doesn’t mean sacrificing
a bedroom. We’ve built them for yoga
studios, art and pottery studios, gyms.
People use them for granny flats, guest
accommodation, teenage dens, man
caves… the possibilities are endless.
What advice would you give to
someone thinking of commissioning a
garden building? Look at Pinterest for
ideas and think more laterally. You don’t
have to have a classic pitched roof for
example. You can have a pent roof with
a single slope starting lower at the back,
A pent roof outdoor office
with the highest point located on the
wall that has the door. This roof style
means there is an evenly distributed
internal height as the roof doesn’t lower
on each side.
olsontimberbuildings.com
01227 696111
21 surrey-homes.co.uk