Garden Office\Man Cave Ideas
Discussion
I'm thinking of building a Garden office in the new year as my daughter is growing out of her own room so the current office room in the house will need to become hers soon. It also means I can work out there in relative peace with the added bonus of having it becoming a bit of a man cave. I'm just starting to get some ideas together but my research seems to show that most are made of some form of timber which rightly or wrongly I am not too enthusiastic about.
My requirements are
1)I want it to be usable all year round so it has to be warm in winter and cool in summer
2)I want it to last a long time, previous experience with timber buildings seem to suggest they start falling apart\rotting after 10 years.
3)I want it to be low\zero maintenance, again timber seems to fail in this regard as it requires painting\staining and other work to keep it in tip top shape.
The ideal of course is to go brick built but I'm guessing this is going to cost significantly more so what are my options?
Do it properly out of brick and just swallow the significant cost?
Make it out of timber, is there any wood which will last 20+ years but be relatively maintenance free?
Make it out of some other modern whizzy material that I've never heard of?
Over to you PH
My requirements are
1)I want it to be usable all year round so it has to be warm in winter and cool in summer
2)I want it to last a long time, previous experience with timber buildings seem to suggest they start falling apart\rotting after 10 years.
3)I want it to be low\zero maintenance, again timber seems to fail in this regard as it requires painting\staining and other work to keep it in tip top shape.
The ideal of course is to go brick built but I'm guessing this is going to cost significantly more so what are my options?
Do it properly out of brick and just swallow the significant cost?
Make it out of timber, is there any wood which will last 20+ years but be relatively maintenance free?
Make it out of some other modern whizzy material that I've never heard of?
Over to you PH
Guvernator said:
Make it out of timber, is there any wood which will last 20+ years but be relatively maintenance free?
Over to you PH
My house is made of wood (logs) and has a 200 year warranty. Most houses in the arctic are made of wood. Give me a shout if you want more info.Over to you PH
Outhouses will do the same.
I built a man cave (recording studio) made of brick in my last house. Bit of a waste of money really as I only stayed in the house for 10 years, Still it was nice and warm. Not as warm as my wooden house mind.
Out of interest, I just looked at the data - internal temps (solar and GSHP). Max min internal temps - you can see when I was on hols in March and May. (thermostats set to daytime 20C)
My point being, logs will last, be cheaper to build, and cost less to heat.
Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 10th November 16:22
So looks like wood is a viable option but you still have to maintain it right? Also what wood do you use? I'm assuming any wood building which is good enough to last 200 years is going to pretty much cost the same as a brick built one?
My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
Guvernator said:
So looks like wood is a viable option but you still have to maintain it right? Also what wood do you use? I'm assuming any wood building which is good enough to last 200 years is going to pretty much cost the same as a brick built one?
My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
I'll point you to my build blog. Not completely relevant, but you should consider. If I were building an outhouse, having done the house, it would be my first consideration.My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
FYI I am supposed to re-seal with OSMO every 5 years. Not needed to yet after 10 (NW Highlands)
http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
Guvernator said:
So looks like wood is a viable option but you still have to maintain it right? Also what wood do you use? I'm assuming any wood building which is good enough to last 200 years is going to pretty much cost the same as a brick built one?
My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
My garden office and house extension are both (from memory) 100mm concrete block outer - 100mm insulation - 100mm thermalite block. Both areas are the warmest rooms in the house. I use electric under floor in the office and I don't notice an impact on electricity bills, I guess because of the insulation.My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
I like the idea of GetCarters place though and would definitely investigate that approach if doing a new home.
So it looks like proper timber like Cedar or pinewood is an option. I actually prefer the look of timber buildings as it looks more natural but will need to do some more research into maintenance etc. I also assume using proper wood will up the cost considerably.
Concrete blocks with insulation is also another option although I'm guessing again that's not going to be too much cheaper than brick built.
Other options seem to be to build the frame\internals out of wood and make use of external cladding. This has the usual wood options but I'm also now reading about composite plastic cladding, metal cladding and cement board cladding.
PS. Get carter, your house looks awesome by the way and great location too.
Concrete blocks with insulation is also another option although I'm guessing again that's not going to be too much cheaper than brick built.
Other options seem to be to build the frame\internals out of wood and make use of external cladding. This has the usual wood options but I'm also now reading about composite plastic cladding, metal cladding and cement board cladding.
PS. Get carter, your house looks awesome by the way and great location too.
Guvernator said:
So looks like wood is a viable option but you still have to maintain it right? Also what wood do you use? I'm assuming any wood building which is good enough to last 200 years is going to pretty much cost the same as a brick built one?
My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
Quickest and cheapest built would be 6x2 softwood stud framing at 600mm centres. Celotex between the studs, plasterboard inside and 9mm plywood outside. Then batten and metal lath, before rendering onto the metal.My current finger in the air maths is telling me a decent sized timber office is going to set me back about £10k and a brick built one probably about twice that, is that fairly accurate?
Timber with a top render sounds like a good choice, any ideas what sort of timber and render?
Any other suggestions? What about concrete bricks with render? Some man made space age eco wonder material that I've never heard of?
chasingracecars said:
I've just about finished building a fully-specced Premuim Plus Rhine 4x4m from them. Pressure treated outer timber, fully insulated and double glazed. Will be about £5.5k when I've finished, including electrics and some interior fitting-out.My old shed lasted 10 years with no rot, so I'd expect this to easily last 15 years.
Hi - would a compromise be to build something out of blockwork, but with render / timber cladding, pvc/composite doors and internal insulation backed plasterboard. As you mention brick specifically as an alternative but at significant extra expense?
ETA: just noticed you mentioned this as an option but at a perceived similar cost to brickwork. Would expect blockwork to be significantly cheaper as goes up in half the time and doesn't need as much skill.
ETA: just noticed you mentioned this as an option but at a perceived similar cost to brickwork. Would expect blockwork to be significantly cheaper as goes up in half the time and doesn't need as much skill.
Edited by jamesc_1729 on Thursday 10th November 19:41
Guvernator said:
Other options seem to be to build the frame\internals out of wood and make use of external cladding. This has the usual wood options but I'm also now reading about composite plastic cladding, metal cladding and cement board cladding.
Mines composite cladding. Highly recommended. Didnt like it at first as looked too new, but one year on and its just right. Maintenance free and Im sat in it now, 22 degrees, heater hasnt disturbed my peace for an hour. Toasty.
MoelyCrio said:
Mines composite cladding. Highly recommended. Didnt like it at first as looked too new, but one year on and its just right. Maintenance free and Im sat in it now, 22 degrees, heater hasnt disturbed my peace for an hour. Toasty.
Wow that looks great. My garden is sloped too but not as steep as yours so I was thinking of doing something similar with stairs leading up to it and some decking to the side. Do you mind letting me know who you used, where you bought the kit from and a rough idea of cost for the whole lot. You can PM me if you prefer.These guys are in our village : http://www.sipsgardenrooms.co.uk
Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
eps said:
These guys are in our village : http://www.sipsgardenrooms.co.uk
Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
Thanks, the problem I have is that website and lots of others I've seen with ready build kits just seem very pricey to me. The cheapest kit on the SIPS website starts at £20k! Now I may be a bit out of touch but that seems like an awful lot of money for what is effectively a posh wooden shed. I could probably get a brick built one for that price. Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
Guvernator said:
eps said:
These guys are in our village : http://www.sipsgardenrooms.co.uk
Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
Thanks, the problem I have is that website and lots of others I've seen with ready build kits just seem very pricey to me. The cheapest kit on the SIPS website starts at £20k! Now I may be a bit out of touch but that seems like an awful lot of money for what is effectively a posh wooden shed. I could probably get a brick built one for that price. Might be worth at least a chat with them about what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
For it to be both Hot and Cold you will need decent insulation and a heat source and then expect to open windows or doors in Summer - depending on shade.
i'm gonna have a look at these, if it ever actually move into my new house that is! http://www.warwickoffices.co.uk/range.php?rangeid=...
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