A small office in Cambridge we completed last year but our client has just completed some further landscaping so we called in last week to take some photos.  It was a freezing cold day with occasional snow flurries but it was lovely and warm in the office thanks to the underfloor heating and the excellent insulation.  Third photo shows what the garden looked like before!

Edden: 2.4x 2.4m; £6,500 complete, £4,700 bare board

Collier: 6 x 3m; £17,800 complete, £15,320 bare board

McClelland: 3 x 3m; £12,100 complete, £9,900 bare board

Rawlings: 3.2 x 3m; £11,700 complete, £9,500 bare board

Wikinson: 5 x 5m; £23,000 complete, £19,800 bare board

Fowkes: 6 x 3m; £13,500 complete, £11,000 bare board

Insulated garden office with verandah

We recently completed this insulated garden office in our home town of Harpenden. With a hipped roof clad in cedar shingles and a verrandah for the client to hang his hammock, the office provides a good sized work space away from the clients two young chindren. Although the building required planning permission because it is higher than the 2.5m limit, this was readily granted. With 120mm of insulation in the roof and our standard 100mm thick walls and floor, the office has been very warm even during the recent cold. External cladding is vertical cedar and the decking is larch. The photo is not great but we shall be taking more if and when the we see the sun again.

A budding playwright wanted a small but comfortable den in which to write but there was only one place it could fit in this London garden.  So, we designed a long thin building with most of the glazing and door on the front wall to give views back to the house and over the garden.  Clad in durable cedar, the studio enhances the recently re-designed garden and provides a warm and secluded space in which to write.  It also looks a lot better than the shed that was there in the first place!

Insulated garden building specialist Vivid Green recently completed a garden studio for music writer and producer Jon Musgrave which delivers excellent sound attenuation as well as a comfortable working environment.  Measuring 4.2 x 3.2 metres and with a vaulted ceiling, the high level of thermal insulation in our garden buildings significantly reduces sound transmission.  However, this was further enhanced by the addition of a number of special materials internally.   A second layer of ‘Soundblock’ plasterboard increased the mass of walls and ceiling and ‘Impactafoam’ strips were inserted between the battens and structural panels.  Finally, ‘Green Glue’ was used to secure the second layer of plasterboard.

The floor to ceiling windows give plenty of natural light but are deliberately smaller than normal to reduce sound loss.  Together with the underfloor heating and the high thermal efficiency of the windows and doors, the building exceeds the current standards for insulation in new housing.  Jon said: “this is a wonderful space in which to work, cool in Summer and warm in Winter with the added benefit of good sound insulation”.

A well insulated music studio

Read more…

Despite its size, this large office makes good use of a neglected corner of the garden

 Vivid Green recently completed this large insulated garden office in Woking for a client who had been renting office space in the town.  Partly as a cost saving measure, the client wanted a large garden office which would not be too obtrusive and chose a space at the bottom of the garden between large fir trees.  Vivid Green was chosen over competitors because of the quality of the construction and flexibility over design.  The underfloor heating was also a significant benefit and is being appreciated now the weather is on the turn.  Measuring 6 x 3m, the office provides plenty of space for a large desk, filing, bookcases etc. without dominating the garden.

When the Government changed the planning rules relating to outbuildings on 1 October last year we thought flat roofs were the only answer. So we designed a couple of flat roofed buildings to meet the demand: the Penthouse 8 and Penthouse 7.5. Both these Vivid Green buildings incorporate all of our design principles: low energy, low maintenance, plenty of natural light. Headroom is between 2075 and 2150mm (6’ 9” to 7’). Both buildings offer attractive space for an office, studio or workshop.

Penthouse 8

Penthouse 7.5

However, over the last few months we have designed several other buildings for customers who wanted to site the structure close to one or more boundaries but liked the idea of a more attractive roof shape. The following sketches give an idea of the options available if you can leave at least one metre between your boundary and the wall of the building.

Flat roof & lantern

Flat roof with lantern

The simplest way of adding headroom and light is a lantern. Glass lanterns can be very expensive but we have found a polycarbonate version which offers a great alternative. Double and triple skinned versions offer superior thermal and sound insulation. Headroom is typically 2075 to 2150 (6’ 9” to 7’) plus an extra 300-500mm (1’ -1’ 7”) under the lantern.

Shallow hip

Shallow hip

A shallow pitch of at least 15 degrees offers the option of cladding the roof with cedar shingles and just a few more degrees opens up lots of options including eco-slates (imitation slates manufactured from recycled plastic). Because of the need for a slope, the height of the walls (eaves height) is reduced but greater headroom can be achieved throughout the rest of the building. Typically 1800mm (5’ 10”) at the eaves, headroom increases to 1930mm (6’ 4”) 500mm in from the walls and is 2600mm (8’ 6”) in the centre.

Shallow hip + gablets

Gablet roof with porch

When the garden is a little bigger there is the potential to add ‘gablets’ to the roof: triangular gable ends. These can be left solid but, using triangular windows makes a very attractive roof shape and provides additional light. Headroom is similar to the shallow hip design above.

Both shallow hip designs require one wall to be inset by approx 600mm to allow installation of doors. This creates an attractive porch or veranda depending on size

For more details, call or email us: 01582 469076 or neil@vividgreen.co.uk

Planning guidance

If you want to know more about planning regulations take a look at this web site: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/wales/genpub/en/1105619048902.html

If you need to check on planning issues, there is a great site: www.planningportal.co.uk

The Vivid Green philosophy of high levels of insulation plus good quality windows and doors still apply in our standard unit but, with standardising sizes, colours etc allows us to pass on discounts to customers.

There are two units in the range, the Penthouse 8 with 8 sq metres of floor space and a very contemporary, five sided look and the Penthouse 7.5, a rectangular building with 7.5 sq metres of floor space.  Both units have a porch and the Penthouse 8 has two bays for a window seat (with the potential for storage under) and desk whereas the Penthouse 7.4 has just one bay.

Both units are installed with surface mounted electrics, internal lighting, clad in treated Larch or Douglas Fir with a rubber membrane for the roof covering with a 15-20 year life.

The Penthouse 8 is priced at £9,890 and the Penthouse 7.5 at £9,530 (inclusive of VAT, delivery and installation in Herts, Beds and Bucks plus London, North of the Thames).

Penthouse 8

A striking, contemporary design with 'letter box' windows, a large porch and two bays

Penthouse 7.5

A high quality space with one bay and large single door