Garden office - log cabin vs. modular modern garden room

M

mikeky

Guest
Hi folks,

First time poster, so be gentle... :) I work from home and have reached the point where I need a space separated from the house for the sake of everyones sanity. I've read many of the posts on garden offices - Shomeras and log cabins - on the forums but I have a few more questions.

I was wondering if there are people out there who work full time in one of the log cabins that are widely available right now. I'd be interested in hearing about your views and experiences. I've looked at some from a local supplier who has various dimensions with boards of 45mm, 70mm as well as a twin skinned option and I'm not wildly enthusiastic about them, but it's hard to tell when you're looking at a bare cabin.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has experience of getting a modern garden office (similar to the Shomera) from one of the many suppliers in the UK.
The list is endless - the Swedish Garden Office from garden2office, Garenberg Garden Office, Booths Garden Studios, Garden Lodges, The Garden Escape and on and on - I don't know yet if any of them even ship to Ireland. I've sent a few emails and am waiting for replies. (I can post links if people are interested, but I wasn't sure it that's appropriate here)

With current exchange rates, some of them might be viable, though I assume you'd have to undertake the installation yourself. My preference would be for something more modern looking than the log cabin - no offense to log cabin owners - but the costs for something like that seem very high so it'd be great to hear about other folks experiences on this.

Thanks
 
Mikeky,

There is a company in Derry that might do what your looking for. They're called Oakgrove Cabins and being in the north operate in sterling so the exchange rate will be favourable. Irish or not is debatable.
 
walsher said:
Mikeky,

There is a company in Derry that might do what your looking for. They're called Oakgrove Cabins and being in the north operate in sterling so the exchange rate will be favourable. Irish or not is debatable.
Click to expand...

Can you confirm if you have any association with this company? Recommendations from a first time poster are most likely going to make contributors wary.
 
Sue Ellen said:
Can you confirm if you have any association with this company? Recommendations from a first time poster are most likely going to make contributors wary.
Click to expand...


Yeah Sorry, No connection saw them at the Self Build show in Punchestown.
 
There's also http://www.gardenrooms.ie/. I have no connection with them and know nothing about them other than what's on the website, plus I made one call to them a couple of years back to ask if they would build something other than the standard sizes shown on the site, and they said yes. I never took the plunge in the end.

Interested to hear how you get on whatever route you take -- I am still considering something similar for the future.
 
Thanks dub_nerd, I'll update when I come to a decision.

I've gotten a few responses from companies in the UK - mostly in the negative, unfortunately. There's one or two that look promising, and if I do go ahead with it I'll try and post something.
 
I have an office in the garden bought from [broken link removed] in Duleek Co Meath.

They are concrete finished no need for planning and fitted in a day.

Its just great, I was working in house and nearly drove everyone mental
 
Just one quick point about the garden rooms - they don't necessarily add the same value to your home as they cost which may or may not be an issue for you.

I've attached a link to a newspaper article published in 2006, when, even at the height of the market, they weren't making their money back according to Sherry Fitzgerald.

I'm not connected to either Sherry Fitz or the other consultant mentioned but found this piece when researching my own business:

[broken link removed]
 
Thanks for the link - I was sceptical of the "will add value" adage anyway.
Besides, the motivation for getting one is to preserve sanity, rather than add value. Though obviously I don't want an eyesore at the end of the garden either.

So far I've had positive responses from a few companies in the UK. Some would ship in kit form, some would come do whole thing.
On the face of it it seems a lot cheaper to import from the UK. I suppose the argument would be that you're not comparing like with like, but I don't find that credible.

Moderator: Is it OK to post a names of the UK garden office suppliers who ship to Ireland?

Also, I tried contacting some local timber frame house companies but couldn't even get someone to call me back. Maybe this whole housing slump is myth ;)
 
Hi Norbatious,

Newbie here. I'm researching a home office at the moment and the concrete option sounds best for me as run a stationery business. I have a lot of paper which is everywhere in the house and the thoughts of it getting damp in a timber office does not excite me. Do you mind me asking but what did you pay for your office? I'm trying to get a handle on costs. I think the timber option is very expensive and high maintenance but having said that I've no idea how much a concrete office would cost. Can you advise?

Thanks, Aquiline
 
I saw one of these from Errigal new homes a few months back parked at the mountain top retail park in Letterkenny.Was there for quite a while,but I think it's now gone.Had a look around it,looked pretty impressive.Seemed to be very good quality.Can't remember the prices,but the sales guy said that it was quite a bit cheaper than the competition.He said they also offer custom build solutions as well as bespoke houses.I have no connection with them,other than looking around their show house/room.

[broken link removed]
 
Aquiline,

The off the rack timber frame systems may not suit you but a bespoke structure will be more flexible to your needs / space and will enable you to insulate the structure to a much higher degree than what is possible with the same wall thickness of concrete.

A further point for consideration is an air tightness system which will moderate the air humidity without causing condensation or any issues for your stationery. This can be naturally ventilated so no additional cost to the build cost should eb expected.

If you want to give me an idea of the size of structure (and shape) with the internal layout I can better advise you on an expected cost. Also your location would help.

Sean
[broken link removed]
 
Would you consider an attic conversion? it would probably be similar price and would add to the value of the house more.
 
Right, you have just put me off ever looking at stu-whatever-it-is-your-selling.... go peddle your product somewhere else!! 4 posts in one day all about the same product? CHECK the POSTING GUIDELINES! Very annoying.
 
Hi Holly, please use the 'Report Post' button to bring such spam to our attention more quickly.
Thanks,
Leo
 
No prob, if everyone responded to spammers in that manner it might be much less of a problem here :D
Thanks.
 
I got a wooden office building from Abwood in Co. Wicklow about 6 years ago. It cost about 10k for a 15' by 10' (interior) room. The inside is plastered and finished like a regular room and is wired for electricity,phone, etc.

The roof is hard plastic but there's a choice of colours that blend into the environment. It can be be a bit noisy when it rains. The outside walls are made from pre-treated strips that (so far anyway) are maintenance free. The wooden window and door frames require annual treatment.

Overall, I think it was a good buy - certainly preferable to a concrete structure and much cheaper at the time than Shomera.
 
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