DWELL GARDEN ROOMS
Design, Build, Relax
Design
Functionality You Will Love
You can have a lot of input into your garden room design
From the obvious big decisions such as size and shape. You can also have input into the style and positioning of the doors and windows. In fact, you can have input into virtually every element of the design, down to the smallest details, such as the finish of the electrical sockets. We will help you through the entire design process and show you all the options that are available to you.
Doors
Doors have a big impact on the style of a garden office
The style of door you choose is one of the biggest design decisions you’ll make. Not only will your choice impact on the aesthetic style of the building, but it will also affect how you access the building and the connection your new room has with the garden around it.
There are several styles of door used in garden room design. Each one influencing the design and usability in a different way.
The doors used in garden room design are the same as those that would be used in a house. Meaning they are secure and durable.
Single doors
You will often see single doors used on smaller garden office designs. They can be positioned to maximise wall space for desks and storage. Commonly fully glazed single doors are used to let in light and create the same connection with the garden as their bigger counterparts. Single doors can be mixed with fixed pane panels to create a cost-effective glazed wall. ​​
French Doors
French doors, where you have two doors that open outwards into the garden. They come in varying widths with all but the narrowest designs allowing you to easily pass through just one door, although it is easy to open both.
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French doors are used in both traditional style and contemporary garden offices. They can be used on their own or mixed with glazed panels to create a wider expanse of glazing.
Sliding doors
Sliding doors are a popular alternative to French doors, particularly in contemporary style garden offices. They come in varying widths.
Bi-fold Doors
Bi-fold doors are popular in garden room design, as they are the ultimate way of creating an inside-outside connection. The doors can easily slid to one side, opening up a large section of wall to the outside.
Bi-fold doors are used in both small and large garden room designs. The bigger the opening, the more door leaves used in the system.
Commonly, the doors stack on the outside of the building, which maximises space in the room. Whilst the most common configuration is for all the doors to slide to one side.
Glazed Walls
Large expanses of glazing have become a popular feature in garden office design. Big sections of floor to ceiling glazing create a real connection with the garden.
In many cases, wide sets of doors are used to create this effect. The thing is big sets of doors tend to be expensive. Luckily, you can create a similar effect by mixing a door/s with fixed panel windows alongside.
Secret Shed Doors
Incorporating a storage area within a garden office building has become popular. These storage areas normally have their own exterior access door. Making the office and door independent of one another. Single doors are commonly used.
These doors are often clad in the same material as the walls to create a 'secret entrance'. Done well, attention is given to matching the boards so joins etc., are in line with those on the wall around the door. Commonly, wooden doors are used and then faced with the wall cladding material.
Cladding
The material you choose for the exterior cladding will have, perhaps, the biggest impact on the appearance and durability of your garden room.
All of the materials available are chosen for their durability. Some materials will require ongoing maintenance to keep them in optimum condition, while others have a natural durability and will need only a little maintenance. Some composite cladding materials will require virtually no maintenance going forward.
Cedar Cladding
Cedar cladding is by far the most popular choice for garden offices. It has become popular for two reasons: it's natural reddish brown colouring and its natural durability against fungal attack and rot.
Cedar has a long maintenance free lifespan of 25+ years. Having said that, if you want to maintain the new, reddish brown colour you will have to have a UV-oil applied and keep it topped up. Otherwise, the Cedar will weather to a silver grey colour within a few years. This change in colour does not affect the durability of the cladding, but it does change the appearance of the building.
Thermowood Cladding
Thermowood is a heat-treated pine softwood. By treating the wood at temperatures in excess of 200°c, chemical and structural changes occur in the wood, making it highly durable. The process also makes the timber more dimensionally stable, making it ideal for exterior cladding. Thermowood has an estimated 30-year lifespan.
Thermowood is often left uncoated, with the grain and knots of the pine on-show. Over time, it will start to go silvery grey.
Siberian Larch Cladding
Siberian Larch cladding is growing in popularity as an option for garden rooms. It has become a popular alternative to Cedar as it costs significantly less but offers similar long-term natural durability.
Newley installed it has a more golden colouring than Cedar. The slow-grown trees create a straight grain with fewer knots than Thermowood.
Siberian Larch, like Cedar, can be left untreated to weather to a silvery grey, without affecting the durability of the wood.
Composite Claddings
There are two main types of composite cladding used: cement fibre board and composite wood.
Cement Fibre Boards
Cement fibre boards such as Cedral and Hardie Plank are commonly used. The cladding planks are made from a mixture of cement and fibres creating a hard, dimensionally stable board. The boards are pre-coloured and have a wood grain surface.
Cement fibre boards are popular because of their low maintenance properties, but it's their low fire rating that has seen a growth in their use. This makes it a particularly useful material if you are planning on building within 1 meter of a boundary.
Composite Wood
Composite wood is made from a mixture of real wood fibres and resins, creating a tough, dimensionally stable product. Like the cement boards mentioned above, composite wood cladding has the colour pigment added during manufacturing. The boards retain their colour and won't need repainting.
Composite wood comes in wood colours such as Cedar and a palette of greys. Some companies offer a wood grain surface and a brushed surface. The brushed surface offering a contemporary look.
Metal Claddings
Metal cladding is another low maintenance option for the exterior of a garden room.
Powder coated aluminium is growing in popularity as cladding. It is normally mixed with a timber cladding such as Cedar.