Estimating the cost of your build

Estimating the cost of your build

How much does it cost to build your own garden room? Those of you with a good memory may recall that my original estimates on the build costs were around £6,000-£7,000, which after a bit of cursory research I imagined being spent like this: * SIP panels and sub-frame = 3300 * plinths (footings) = 700...

How much does it cost to build your own garden room? Those of you with a good memory may recall that my original estimates on...

workshop costs
Building with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

Building with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

what is a SIP? A SIP is a prefabricated panel consisting of two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) sandwiching a layer of expanded polystyrene or urethane foam. The history of building with SIPs SIPs are a relative novelty in the UK – the majority of our houses are still built with brick and block – but...

what is a SIP? A SIP is a prefabricated panel consisting of two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) sandwiching a layer of expanded polystyrene...

workshop construction
Workshop drawing tools: SketchUp

Workshop drawing tools: SketchUp

When thinking about how to design my workshop I did some cursory research on  design software and found most were both expensive and complicated to use.  Then I had a thought – surely this is something that Google will have sorted out by now? And it turns out that they’d had a hand in doing...

When thinking about how to design my workshop I did some cursory research on  design software and found most were both expensive and complicated to...

workshop costs
Workshop Foundations - mini plinths

Workshop Foundations - mini plinths

traditional footings The standard way to construct the footings for a modern house, is to dig down to suitable subsoil and to lay a concrete bed. A few years ago I had a small 4m single story extension added to my house, and the builders had to dig down 2m to before the building inspector...

traditional footings The standard way to construct the footings for a modern house, is to dig down to suitable subsoil and to lay a concrete...

workshop foundations
Workshop Foundations - footings

Workshop Foundations - footings

..or why we care about pressure. Why do buildings subside? Well the answer is, not surprisingly, that they are too heavy for the ground that supports them. How do you know if your house is going to subside? Well, the answer depends on two things – how much your house weighs and how much pressure the...

..or why we care about pressure. Why do buildings subside? Well the answer is, not surprisingly, that they are too heavy for the ground that...

workshop foundations
Workshop Foundations - introduction

Workshop Foundations - introduction

There will follow multiple posts on foundations for a tiny wooden building <groan>.  It’s overkill, I know. The normal caveats apply, namely that I have no qualifications in this area, so please do not do any actual building work based solely on the below. Here is what I already knew about building...

There will follow multiple posts on foundations for a tiny wooden building <groan>.  It’s overkill, I know. The normal caveats apply, namely...

workshop foundations
Planning Regulations

Planning Regulations

Planning permission in the UK governs the relationship of a building to its surroundings, including its external appearance, position and size. There follows a brief summary of the rules concerning garden buildings. If you are considering a building in your own back garden please do not assume this is correct – you need to contact your...

Planning permission in the UK governs the relationship of a building to its surroundings, including its external appearance, position and size. There follows a brief...

workshop construction
Workshop - overview

Workshop - overview

The basic structure took about a year from conception to completion. The workshop follows a similar design pattern to many of the garden offices sold in the UK and uses SIPs, mini-plinths, cedar cladding and EPDM roofing.  The plans and drawings were done using Sketchup. You can use the menu above to find out more...

The basic structure took about a year from conception to completion. The workshop follows a similar design pattern to many of the garden offices sold...

overview