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

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!

before

after: a well insulated garden office

 This small office in Cambridge gives the owners of this property in Cambridge a really cosy place to do paperwork and removes the computer from the kitchen/dining room. Complete with underfloor heating and high quality double glazed windows and doors, the office is well insulated against the cold fen winds.  The cedar clad garden building replaced a small outhouse and fits neatly into the garden.

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.

Insulated garden building specialist, Vivid Green has introduced two new concepts to their range of insulated garden buildings.  Designed to offer even more value for money, these high quality garden buildings offer exactly the same standard of insulation and finish externally but now include the option of a ‘bare board’ internal finish.  Vivid Green Director, Neil Johnston commented “many more people are buying our buildings as offices or even temporary accommodation while they build their own houses and we wanted to offer them the option of completing the internal fitout themselves.  Many have the skills to carry out this work and, because of the recession, many more have the time.”  The company is able to provide a weathertight building complete with external cladding, roof covering, windows and doors in 5-10 days depending on size and this Bare Board finish is up to 15% cheaper than a normal structure.  The level of insulation is not compromised and can be as high as housing standard.

The other innovation is to offer standard designs.  To date, bespoke garden buildings have been the norm but, with a sizeable portfolio of bespoke designs completed, the company is now offering these at a reduced price.  Selecting one of these designs reduces the investment by around 10% and a further 15% can be saved if a bare board finish is chosen.  A selection from the designs available is shown below.

Small, insulated garden office

Medium sized, insulated garden office Large, insulated garden office

Large, insulated garden building with cedar clad, pitched roof

 

Large, insulated garden office

 

Medium sized insulated garden room with apex roof

insulated garden buildings     bespoke garden offices, studios, workshops      garden buildings to housing standards

Contents: sound insulation, beat the VAT increase, save money on standard designs, novel solutions

Vivid Green News.  Autumn ‘09

Young working mother wins Vivid Green garden office
Amanda Farren of Ella Announcements was the recent winner of an insulated garden office at the Remote Worker awards ceremony held at Cliveden on September 10.  The garden office, donated by us, will give 22 year old Amanda much needed additional space as she juggles caring for her three young children and building her business.  Amanda said: “I am totally honoured to have won! Words cannot describe what this means to me. All my hard work and dedication has paid off and I am over the moon that my achievements have been recognised with winning such a prestigious award.”

Ella Announcements is run by Amanda, a work-at-home mum to 3 young children from her home in Coventry.  Amanda stumbled upon the idea of Ella Announcements when trying to find a way to stay at home with her children, whilst engaging her brain in something stimulating.  Funding childcare was not an option so she went about setting up her own graphic design business with the added benefit of working with lots of gorgeous squishy cheeked and chunky thighed babies!  

www.ellaannouncements.com

Neil Johnston presenting the award to Amanda Farren of
Ella Announcements together with Paula Wynne of Remote Employment
 

Sound proofing

Having now completed two bespoke garden studios with extra sound insulation we are getting a good idea about what works and what is easy to fit.  However, it is a complex subject and the frequency of sound plus how it is created impacts considerably on solutions.  Below are some links to very informative sites plus a few hints and tips.  Don’t forget the floor!  Especially if it is a piano, the sound can travel down the legs and reverberate on the floor.  Also check to see the floor is strong enough to take the instrument.  We recently designed a studio to take a concert and baby grand weighing a total of almost a tonne!
Reducing the escape of sound from the building may impact on the quality of the sound you hear in the room.  This may or may not be important but check it out with experts before specifying materials.
Simply increasing the density of material on the walls can help so two layers of plasterboard with staggered joints can work well though one of the specialist boards is probably better if you can afford it.  Soft furnishings such as curtains, blinds and sofas will also help to some extent.  Windows and doors, especially if fully glazed, will let out a good deal of sound unless designed not to.  Most manufacturers offer special arrangements of glass including different thicknesses, asymmetric construction and lamination to reduce sound transmission.
Soundproofing – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia    JCW Acoustic Supplies – About us    Institute of Acoustics
Skanda UK LTD – Roofing & Insulation Distributors – Products – Acoustic
VAT; call now to save yourself up to £500!

It is all but guaranteed that the Government will put VAT back up to 17.5% from 1 January 2010 so any invoices issued after this date will be 2.5% higher than before.  Doesn’t sound a lot but it amounts to £375 on a £15,000 investment or £500 on a £20,000 structure.  With our current workload and lead times we would need the go ahead on projects before October 31st to guarantee meeting this deadline so, if you are considering a purchase in the next 3-6 months, save yourself some money and call us now.
Testimonials

Customers have been telling us why they bought from Vivid Green and what they really like about their garden buildings now they have been using them for a while.  In the process we got some great testimonials and a real insight into what attracted them in the first place and what they really appreciate now.  Customers particularly appreciate:

• stylish, bespoke design      
• robustness and quality of construction and finish      
• comfort of underfloor heating plus low running costs   
• friendly service
  

The team were professional, adaptable and a joy to work with.  Mr M, Harpenden
Most satisfactory and so very superior to the cheap and nasty ordinary “shed”. This is not a shed but a house in the garden.  Mr C, Carshalton

It’s a very versatile room that can be used all year round thanks to excellent insulation and low-cost underfloor heating.  Mr G, Exeter

I am very pleased with my Vivid Green office. It is roomy, light, airy, stylish and the underfloor heating ensures consistent temperature control.  Mr W, Oxford

Standard designs on e-bay

All of our installations to date have been bespoke but, in recognition that there is a significant cost saving if customers choose a design that we have already built, we are now offering some of our bespoke designs at a significant discount.  Contact us direct for any of these designs and prices or check us out on e-bay.  The other option we are offering is ‘self completion’ or ‘bare board’.  We install the building, complete with roof membrane, external cladding, windows and doors and customers put in the electrics, internal plasterboard, heating and decoration.  For those with the time and capability this offers a 15-20% saving.   www.e-bay.co.uk

Updated guide

We updated our guide in August and most of you should have received a soft copy.  If you havn’t or you would like a hard copy please email or call us.
There are a lot more pictures and rather less writing and technical detail though this is still available in the Appendices if you want it!

Interesting designs

We have been working on a number of interesting opportunities including a 40 sq metre office, gym, bar combination for a large garden in Hertfordshire and a conceptual design for a retail/office building
in the conservation area of Harpenden.

We have also designed a number of offices with store attached.  The store is stud/shed style construction but clad in the same material as the office with an ‘invisible’ door.  A more attractive solution than putting a cheap shed next to a contemporary office!

Contact us for drawings of these structures.

Some recent installations

Small insulated garden office in Bushey

Large insulated garden office in Woking

Amanda Farren wins insulated garden office from Vivid Green

 Amanda Farren of Ella Announcements was the recent winner of an insulated garden office at the Remote Worker awards ceremony held at Cliveden on September 10.  The bespoke office, donated by garden building specialist Vivid Green Ltd, will give 22 year old Amanda much needed additional space as she juggles caring for her three young children and building her business.  Amanda said: “I am totally honoured to have won! Words cannot describe what this means to me. All my hard work and dedication has paid off and I am over the moon that my achievements have been recognised with winning such a prestigious award.”
“I am delighted our high quality office has been won by Amanda; she is exactly the sort of person for whom a separate space in which to work is so beneficial” said Vivid Green Director, Neil Johnston; “I am sure it will help her accelerate the growth of her business and allow her to stay close to her children as they grow up”.

 Although based in Hertfordshire, Vivid Green installs its bespoke garden buildings all over the country.  Built to housing standards, each one benefits from a high level of insulation, underfloor heating and low maintenance materials and components.  The company has a full order book and is now offering its bespoke buildings to schools and nurseries.
Ends