Log Cabins good enough to use as a garden office

[PugwasHDJ80]

We need to replace a very tired old building at the bottom of the garden- its basically a shed, but a posh shed.

I have the opportunity to run services down there, and even sewerage back up.

i don't want to live in it, but use one half for garden tools and the other for an office/kids room/studio etc etc whatever life needs.

There seem to be literally millions of suppliers on the internet, but:

a- this needs to be a bespoke shape and size and
b- i'm not against putting in some foundations and laying it myself.

It will clear the rules on permitted development, but i'm still unclear on the requirement for buildings regs.

All this being considered, whats the cheapest way of getting a semi permanant structure thats well built and cosy?

[Joelonghair]

I used Tuin for mine. It's an off the shelf 5x3m thing with 44mm walls.

Ran fibre and electric to it. Insulated the roof with 100mm celotex and use it as a workshop / escape pod.

Quality and service was great and I believe they offer a bespoke building service.

[Equus]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

It will clear the rules on permitted development, but i'm still unclear on the requirement for buildings regs.

Provided you don't sleep in it, it will be exempt Building Regulations provided it is less than 30m2 gross internal floor area (about the size of a developer double garage) and is at least 1m. from the boundary of your garden.

Edited by Equus on Tuesday 28th April 00:54

[mikeiow]

Equus said:

Provided you don't sleep in it, it will be exempt Building Regulations provided it is leas than 30m2 gross internal floor area (about the size of a developer double garage) and is at least 1m. from the boundary of your garden.

Isn’t there a height limit too? Seem to recall 2.5m is closer than 2m to boundary....more if pitched (apex).

[Equus]

mikeiow said:

Isn’t there a height limit too? Seem to recall 2.5m is closer than 2m to boundary....more if pitched (apex).

That's Planning, not Building Regulations, and the OP has stated that he is comfortable complying with Planning PD rights.

[MASS1]

See photos of mine. This was a bespoke build with 58mm walls and measures 5m x 5m. We insulated the roof and floor and I would consider it fit for office or general use all year round. It can get pretty cosy in summer months though if the sun is shining in the windows. I would definitely recommend getting a decent roof covering though. Most of these get fitted with felt tiles but with us living on a typically windy coast in the north of Scotland, we went for a roof sheeting product called Corotile and it’s survived 7 winters to date with no issues. Another thing not to skimp on would be the exterior paint / coating. Jotun do a range of coatings which are ideal and very durable for log cabins. Hope this helps.

[MASS1]

[Djtemeka]

Here are the regs.
https://www.rubicongardenrooms.co.uk/planning-and-...

[Fer]

MASS1 said:

See photos of mine. This was a bespoke build with 58mm walls and measures 5m x 5m. We insulated the roof and floor and I would consider it fit for office or general use all year round. It can get pretty cosy in summer months though if the sun is shining in the windows. I would definitely recommend getting a decent roof covering though. Most of these get fitted with felt tiles but with us living on a typically windy coast in the north of Scotland, we went for a roof sheeting product called Corotile and it’s survived 7 winters to date with no issues. Another thing not to skimp on would be the exterior paint / coating. Jotun do a range of coatings which are ideal and very durable for log cabins. Hope this helps.

Nice cabin, and top lurking, MASS1. Especially as 2 of your 12 posts are on this thread!

[Djtemeka]

This video is better at explaining it

https://youtu.be/-pusX6z2B3k

[MASS1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

We have an electric heater in there and we can maintain 20c with no issues in the middle of winter. However, that is also with 80mm insulation in both the roof and floor. We’ve been using it quite a bit in the evenings recently and with daytime temps of 14c and sunshine, we can go out there at 7pm and it’s 20c already inside. By the time we come out at say 10pm, we can still have a temp of 19c with no need for any heating.

In terms of foundations, we had a digger clear a flat area and we built up foundations from there with the floor joists resting on a built up grid pattern of 3’ x 2’ concrete slabs. More than ample.

[MASS1]

Fer said:

Nice cabin, and top lurking, MASS1. Especially as 2 of your 12 posts are on this thread!

Haha, lockdown boredom and turning to Pistonheads is always good to kill time