If you’ve looked online for a garden room you’ve probably been met with prices that range from a few thousand to tens of thousands. And if I had to guess it’s left you feeling a little confused. How are you supposed to know if you’re paying a reasonable price, when there’s no norm. You might assume that if you can get a garden room for £2000, then the company selling the same size room for £20,000 must be way overpriced. It’s an understandable conclusion, but not necessarily the case.
Not all garden rooms are created equal. There’s a massive spectrum of offerings across the garden room market and it’s what makes buying one so difficult. There’s places making garden rooms that are as good as your basic garden shed. And others building structures that are practically new build houses. Now you’re understanding why the huge difference in price.
For most people, the answer is no — you don’t need a Building Control-compliant garden room. But understanding why will help you figure out exactly what you do need.
What is the mass-produced garden room?
If you’ve typed “garden room” into Google this is probably the first thing that came up. These garden rooms usually come from suppliers that sell a huge catalog of timber buildings. Buying a garden room from a large supplier is perfectly alright as long as you understand what you’re getting.
Be aware that some of these buildings are not true garden rooms. They’re uninsulated and single-skinned (one layer of timber makes up the full wall) meaning they’re not fit for year-round use. If you’re looking for a seasonal building a construction like this is fine. But, if you want something more substantial, a garden room with a single-skinned construction will likely leave you disappointed.
Then there’s the garden rooms that are properly insulated but have a pretty basic specification. If you aren’t too fussed about longevity and are happy to put the garden room up yourself (most of them are DIY kits) then a supplier-made garden room could suit you nicely. Just bear in mind that you’re often making trade offs for the lower price. If you’ve got heftier expectations for performance, longevity, and service then you’ll need something with a more serious specification.
Further Reading: Is a log cabin a garden room?
What is Building Control?
Building Control regulates the construction of new buildings. Building Control is concerned with how safe a building is and ensures that a structure meets Scotland-wide standards of construction. For example, a garden room would need Building Control approval if it’s over 30m² or it’s connected to the main drainage system.
What is a Building Control-compliant garden room?
Building Control set out a specification for how a garden room should be built to meet their standards. A garden room built in this way is “Building Control-compliant”. Larger garden rooms, or garden rooms that are to live in, need to be Building Control-compliant. Here at Gillies & Mackay our Blackstone Garden Rooms are Building Control-compliant meaning that, with the right permissions, people can live in them.
Building Control-compliant garden rooms need structural support and a complex specification because of their size and intended purpose. Our Blackstone Garden Rooms use a 5-Tier wall that includes OSB structural board, heavy-grade framing, and multiple vapour barriers. This type of construction drives up the price of a garden room. These are the spaces that cost £20,000+, because they’re designed like a new-build house.
If you’re after a garden room for living accommodation, maybe to house your older kids who won’t move out, that’s Building Control territory. But if you just want a cosy space, under 12m² to use in the garden, then Building Control-compliance is completely unnecessary.
What is a year-round garden room?
This is kind of a silly question because technically all garden rooms should be fit for year-round use. But, it’s often not the case. For a timber garden room to be usable year-round it needs to be properly insulated and watertight. Properly insulated means enough insulation in the walls, roof and floor. And the main thing that makes a timber garden room watertight is a layered wall with an air gap. If a garden room claims to be year-round and doesn’t have these features, it won’t last in Scotland, stay away!
Our Radiata Garden Rooms were designed specifically for this category. They feature a 4-Layer wall that includes 50mm of rigid board insulation and a 20mm breather cavity. This makes them fully insulated, watertight, and comfortable in every season. This specification was made for their small footprint and to suit how a garden room of this size is actually used. You’re not paying for the over-engineered construction of a Building Control-compliant space, because you don’t need it. You’re getting exactly what the garden room needs to be for its size and purpose, without compromising on quality.
If you need a home office, art studio, chill out space, games room or home cinema (a building you’ll use regularly but won’t live in) that’s under 12m² you don’t need to worry about Building Control. A year-round garden room with a high-quality specification is ideal for what you want to use it for. This way you’re not paying for a construction that you don’t need.
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Do I need a Building Control-compliant garden room?
Our Founding Director Grant is the basis of all engineering at G&M. He decides when to use a 6’’ x 2’’ instead of a 4” x 2”. He ponders the span and load and ultimately holds the deciding authority over our specification. In Grant’s mind when you’re getting past a 4 metre wall span then it’s starting to look like a Building Control spec is needed. So yes, we would say anything over 4m x 3m needs a Building Control-compliant spec to be fit for purpose.
But, if it’s 12m² and under, and you don’t want to live in it, then no you don’t need a Building Control-compliant garden room. There’s a perfectly better option. A hybrid if you will. A refined 4-Layer, insulated structure with: steel roofing or Isola shingles, aluminium double-glazing, Radiata Thermowood cladding and stunning Woodpecker flooring. Still with the G&M 30-Year Guarantee. Just with a specification that suits its small size.
So if you want a wee space that’s genuinely well-built, our Radiata Garden Rooms are the best choice out there. How do we know? Because we’ve reviewed all other possibilities and designed them specifically so they would be the best.
