Garden Room kits

RainInSummer

Hi,

Anyone bought a kit and gotten on ok with it? Looking at a couple of options, from the physical kit to just plans with quantities and measurements.

Long story short, have a max of four weeks to get this project done, so not looking to cobble all the parts together myself. I'm happy to assemble it all and do the digging and dragging, but ideally I'd like to grab everything off a truck and go. In the case of the plans I'd also be happy to give the parts list to someone and take delivery. What I'm not looking to do is spend a week getting everything ordered and handling a dozen separate deliveries from a dozen suppliers.

Looking at 5m x 4m type thing, but not tied to that size, could go bigger.

Looking at:

https://sipkits.ie/product-category/sip-kits/

Or something like:

https://www.oakwoodgardenrooms.com/new-products/63a55zuc75kc8kqiool0s4bkxrb76i

What's holding me back about the kit is that by the time you add in all the bits you actually need to have the thing weather proofed you're into silly money. You'd be as well to pay for the entire thing installed.

The plans are UK based and from watching the YouTube videos I'm not entirely sure you'll get all the bits and pieces here that easily. You're back into that supplier juggling territory.

Or of course if anyone has alternate kits/plans it would be great.

Cheers!

R.

jopper

very interested to see any updates here too

cgc5483

The plans are likely great for the UK as you said though not so clear where source the material in Ireland. If you look at the related Facebook page to the Youtube guy you will see that for many people you are talking months to get a room together.

A SIP room is going to be much quicker to put together. It is expensive but something equivalent installed is going to be €€€.

raxy

There's the log cabin type companies too that you could look at as an alternative. Much simpler to put together & don't need to be getting Nything separate to finish.

I've went to a loghouse.ie display area & they did look ok, not a good as a proper built garden room though. They also built SIP buildings using the sipkits that you linked, gives you an idea of the cost of a finished build to see if DIY makes sense.

Is your 4 week time frame how long you can spend building or when you need it completed?

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122120552#Comment_122120552

look up reviews. Seems like lots of people have issues with them

You need to decide if you want a concrete base. That’ll take time to cure

well24

I have a small one 8ft x 6ft..

was put in sept 17.. no concrete base just on blocks.. dipping to the right a tad.. they take a bit of maintenance I.e. painting every year.. if was to do again would get concrete base and get a metal one.. but of course that would be twice the price..

RainInSummer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122120905#Comment_122120905

The sip kits or the loghouses?

cnocbui

I'd just like to chip in and warn people against so called log houses and wooden garden offices rooms.

Built this in 2006:

Two decade later and it needs to be knocked due to the lower sixth rotting, despite using Sikens products every single year with repaints or touch ups. This climate and the continual year round high humidity, mist, rain, and fog is murder. Such a build might last a good deal longer if the lowest 3 layers were made of the best pressure treated timber in existence to the point of almost being toxic to touch. I'm in the midwest, so adjust for that.

Gusser09

You're nearly as well off just putting in a decent shed and insulating it if its only for the likes of an office.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122121501#Comment_122121501

loghouse

raxy

There's ground screw base aswell as an option, didn't price a concrete base but groundscrews & insulated base was €120 + vat per m2 a couple of years ago. I wasn't planning on buying anything so didn't look too much into any option. I did see an expose on a northern crowd that screwed people with these kind of buildings though. No personal experience with any of them.

I'm thinking of getting a stel shed atm & add some insulation myself. Trying to decide if it's better to put a concrete base or buy 1 that doesn't need a base. Thinking a garden room will be a waste & end up just for storage anyway. Probably buy a decent basic steel shed & insulate it myself later.

RainInSummer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122121592#Comment_122121592

Fair play. Did you DIY that?

Unfortunate that it hasn't lasted despite the maintenance you put into it. You did your part well, but I guess we're only delaying the inevitable.

RainInSummer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122122785#Comment_122122785

Yeah I was looking at ground screws as an option, only thing is it's kind of rocky about here. Well more bouldery actually.

I sometimes end up making hybrid fences with some posts sunk in on spikes and some concrete pads as I can't sink a hole.

I often hit fridge sized rocks in my travels underground.

Concrete pad be my best bet, could DIY that but finding the time is the trick.

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122122785#Comment_122122785

I used ground screws on my shed build. The result is fantastic, seems like it will last forever and is completely dry despite occasional floods, but there are disadvantages - it makes the structure higher, you won't get a flat threshold and alignment is tricky as the screws can get knocked off course by rocks during drilling.

I had specific reasons for using them - the site has a big slope and I built under the canopy of a big old cherry tree whose roots I didn't want to disturb.

On a flat site I'd use a conventional slab base or dwarf wall.

It's really important that load bearing timbers are kept dry, and that any cladding is either sufficiently durable (I used Siberian larch which is expensive but doesn't require treatment) or at least replaceable up to rain splash level.

Obviously gutters and downpipes are critical and must be kept clear.

RainInSummer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122120552#Comment_122120552

Cheers,

The 4 week thing isn't critical, but the kids are away so make hay while the sun shines and all that. Never like having them 'help' when circular saws, etc are buzzing!

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122122998#Comment_122122998

Thanks. Yes, I built it. Single person job except for a bit of help from the ex moving and positioning the ridge beam.

Later I added a woodshed at the back which was a bit tricky due to the terrain. Many might disapprove of the aesthetics, but I didn't build it for them, I wanted light. You can see the shed is darker due to all the layers of useless Sikens rubbish over the years.

NIMAN

With the dimensions you gave, would you not need planning permission?

RainInSummer

It's that aimed at me? If so, already sorted.