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Property/DIY

Garden office/gym

8 replies

inhibernation · 23/10/2013 03:10

Feeling rather overwhelmed with choice & need some advice.
Need a garden office type building to use for dd as a gym (who has had neurosurgery related to her physical disability & needs intensive rehab) and possibly later as office or playroom for kids.
Budget is a problem. It will cost 3k just to get the hard-landscaping done so we want to spend as little as possible on the structure. It needs to be usable all year round (good insulation) and would prefer a building that has a lot of glass for light. The size we need is 8ft deep x 16ft wide. Would appreciate advice from any of you who can navigate the complex specifications listed by suppliers!

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inhibernation · 23/10/2013 11:18

.

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OnePlanOnHouzz · 23/10/2013 17:45

Hi !
If you want to use this all year - you are right, you will need good insulation but also a heat source somewhere too ?! Sometimes it's not always the cheapest option to get a kit one online or from a garden centre etc as a lot of prefab ones seem to be wider / deeper than your plot size too - have you thought about speaking to local carpentry workshops ?!? Happy to look over your spec sheets if you are finding them confusing ! [email protected]
:-)

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meandsid123 · 23/10/2013 18:32

Have a look at InsideOut's Garden Buildings Guide. They explain all about garden offices, gyms etc and I think they are independent and not trying to sell you anything. They seem to know a lot about how to choose garden office type buildings, how much insulation you need, not that I wanted any in my garden gym. I think you can contact them here for advice - //www.iobuild.co.uk/garden-office/

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UnexpectedFrightInShaggingArea · 23/10/2013 18:45

We just bought a shed from a shed co. and did all the insulation etc ourselves. Much cheaper.

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iwantanafternoonnap · 23/10/2013 19:30

I have just had one built by hortons portable buildings and it is fab. Twin skinned and fully insulated at the moment it's warmer than my house

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inhibernation · 23/10/2013 22:21

Thank you for the replies/advice. Before I'd seen them dh and I were wondering about an alternative option of putting the structure on the decking near to the house then moving it when the weather improves & we can get the landscaping done. But we would then need to go 12x8. Interested in shed option but we're not DIY savvy so would have to get someone to do it for us. One - thanks for offer :) Suppose what I need to know is what thickness the insulation should be, options re heating and how to insulate the floor.

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OnePlanOnHouzz · 24/10/2013 20:42

Kingspan products come in various thickness - check out their website for info - also check ebay for people who bought the wrong insulation for building regs projects as they sell the thinner stuff ( which WAS regulation before ) and so you could get a bargain this way !! Aim for 50mm or thicker if you can !!

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inhibernation · 25/10/2013 00:27

Thank you :)

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