Building a shed office (help!)

leveller2911

capeverde wrote: »

because we do! other people were asking for advice and posting links to other websites. Ive not done this and am more than happy to advise on any queries till the cows come home. However if somebody likes the look of what we do and it is a lot better quality and cheaper than the links, isn't this the point of the money saving forums? Ive asked that they may pm me rather than directly advertising my website.. I dont understand why this is an issue and you are taking the thread off topic.

But other people aren't promoting their own businesses thats the point, you overstepped the mark by posting that you "deliver nationwide and pm me for info".

The website is there to promote saving money but the rules are clear about promoting your own business.You could have easily given advice with mention of delivering nationwide.

Your shed does indeed look better quality than some but then again people could get a better shed than yours from elsewhere ,so if the site ends up strangled by self promoting spam people won't bother to join it.

If you were'nt actively looking for business you shouldn't have posted you deliver nationwide....I'm not knocking your sheds, I'm just cynical as to why it was relevent to post "delivery nationwide" and "pm me for info".

capeverde

it will more than likely get strangled by people wanting to be the forum police. your'e moaning about one sentence and this has now taken 5 or 6 posts. . Ive not put up a link or pretended to not be connected to the company, which Ive not mentioned. All I have said amongst my advice is that if anybody wants to pm me, they may. How can the forum get strangled with spam in this manner.

There you go, Ive removed the offending sentence, hope this makes your day.

I wont respond anymore as its ridiculous and truly is ruining the forum.

leveller2911

capeverde wrote: »

it will more than likely get strangled by people wanting to be the forum police. your'e moaning about one sentence and this has now taken 5 or 6 posts. . Ive not put up a link or pretended to not be connected to the company, which Ive not mentioned. All I have said amongst my advice is that if anybody wants to pm me, they may. How can the forum get strangled with spam in this manner.

There you go, Ive removed the offending sentence, hope this makes your day.

I wont respond anymore as its ridiculous and truly is ruining the forum.

If you had a website and regular posters put up a link to your website then theres no problem at all. You crossed the line when you posted about your nationwide delivery and "pm me for info".If you actually answered my question I would'nt have posted again.

You know the rules and if you stuck to them like most of us do theres no problem.No point throwing your toys out the pram........

artichoke

hi

i am the poster who asked for advice and capeverde gave me some advice and posted a picture to show me what he can do and said to pm him if i wanted more details...

i don't see the problem in what he did....

I agree MSE is not for blatent advertising but i would rather the person giving advice also gave me some proof that they do know what they are talking about and can show me eveidence of that - ie the picture and they can do them modular and deliver (which implies it is not just the one he has built for himself) rather than someone giving advice who dreams of building one but has never got round to it...

People do have to earn livings from their skills for but if they give advice for free that is fantastic...... and sometimes that free advice might turn into a sale ...... but that is not the basis on what the free advice is given. We need to ensure that all the forums are visited by people who are asking for advice and also those who have the experience and qualifications to give advice (and that those posters build up a reputation of trust on the forums).... there is nothing worse than asking for advice on a forum and finding that the only other people who read / reply are those who are as equally in the dark about the issue as you are...

i value MSE as it does seem to have a good mixture of people willing to give advice for free on a number of issues ..

please dont all shout at me - i tend to live in old style and uk holiday board - so dont know the atmosphere in here....but all the other MSE forums i visit are a good mixture - we need reliable and trustworthy advice for free.....mse does give us that...long may it continue...



Now can we return the thread to giving advice please??

can anyone give me any more advice as to what sort of requirements re insulation i should look for?


art

capeverde

We normally use 50mm thick insulation with a further 50mm air gap. As standard we use jabolite, but if you are really pushing the boat out you can use celotex. As mentioned we also use a breatheable paper membrane.

SUESMITH_2

we made our own out of usb board that we then insulated. husband works next to a window place and they gave him a door and a window. it has a sloping roof that is asphalted. that's it in a nutshell, obviously a lot more to it than that

got everything from a builders merchant except insulation which we got off freecycle. didn't cost too much to do as apart from the roof we did it all ourselves, biggest thing was the time

capeverde

SUESMITH wrote: »

we made our own out of usb board that we then insulated. husband works next to a window place and they gave him a door and a window. it has a sloping roof that is asphalted. that's it in a nutshell, obviously a lot more to it than that

got everything from a builders merchant except insulation which we got off freecycle. didn't cost too much to do as apart from the roof we did it all ourselves, biggest thing was the time

Think you meant OSB boards. With respect these boards are meant for protected construction and are not designed to be permanently exposed to the elements. Ok to line the insides with if you dont mind the look.

spmc

artichoke wrote: »

hi all

We need a garden office at least 4.5 meters by 4.5metres. We want it to be divided into 2 rooms.

It will be used all year round as we both work from home so it needs to be very well insulated and we also would like a wood burning stove in one of the rooms.

We are undecided about getting someone to build it for us or getting a cheaper kit and adding insulation etc ourselves or getting a high spec kit with all the insulation already in there....

does anyone have any recommendations? ideas about which types of kits are best? I read the comment above about the overhang being good for shade in summer and letting in light in winter which i have taken on board...

i am thinking it will be below 2.5m tall and at least 1m away from boundary walls..

any more tips?

thanks

art

We bought a garden studio from http://www.boothsgardenstudios.co.uk/ two years ago as a children's playroom and it has been excellent. It has very good insulation and we are in it mid winter with snow on the ground using one oil filled radiator (our studio is 12' x 10'). I have no connection with the company but found them great to deal with, very friendly and helpful. Built in a day and they take care of the base - we had to provide an electric connection between the house and the studio. Prices are provided on the website.

They do all sorts of sizes and number of rooms and you can have toilets and sinks etc. I posted a picture in this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2120989=

sunshinetours

We used a local cabin/shed maker and had one made to spec. Also had 50mm insualtion in walls and 25mm planed external cladding and 12 mm internal pine cladding. Roof insulated also and clad. We didn't have floor inulated but could have done. We had the bitumen type individual shingles whoch are cheaper than cedar but probably won't last anywhere near as long - but lifetime costs - not sure whoch is cheaper

To be honest even in cold winters days it only takes a smallish convector heater to warm it up nicely. Wood is a good natural insulator and providing you don't go overboard with windows you need enoughto let some natural daylight in (and fresh air of course). Just consider you likely view from the windows and privacy for otehr houses etc when deciding on layout

Ours is 4.5 x 3m roughly and was around £3k all in although this was 5 years ago or so.

Cheapest route obviously is do it yourself just depends how involved and how much time you have. Do get quotes and specs from local shed makers though.
i also like the look of the log lap finish mentioned above as makes it look like a real log cabin as such

Penniesmakepounds

jussterr wrote: »

I'm planning on building a shed office come summertime, provided we get more than 1 day of sunshine this year and I am settled into my new home by then

The style I'm interested in is contemporary with a shed roof for modern feel and easy maintenance.

I don't really want to hire a specialised company for the project because prices start at around £10k for the sizes I need (10 x 8 foot) and I enjoy a bit of DIY so it'll be something to keep me busy. I've got a budget of £6,000 for the project and I want to build the shed on top of a deck.


My initial concerns are:

1) Is it viable to build it on top of a decking? How should I build the foundation?
2) What type of cladding should I use? It needs to be of a decent quality as I will be spending lots of time working in it.
3) How much would it cost to call in an electrician to run cable through the garden and into the shed? (Let's assume it's relatively small garden 10 metres in length.)

One option I've looked into is buying a flat pack from a shed company like Skinners. The 'studio summerhouse' from Skinners Sheds would cost just under £2000. It comes as a shell and I would provide my own interior insulation, doors and windows. That leaves me £4000 for the interior, electrician/cable, decking, windows/door and heating (wood burning stove.)

It is possible for me to buy cladding/battens from a wood supplier for less than that? I've had a look at Wickes but fear I am looking in the wrong place as they only stock shiplap that's far too thin to be of any use in a project like this. I was thinking of using tongue & groove but haven't dismissed shiplap. Western cedar is my preference, oak and other high quality woods would be ok too.

Has anyone embarked on an adventure like this before? I hear these things are getting quite popular.

Have you looked at ideas on http://www.readersheds.co.uk/share.cfm?shedtype=Garden%20Office ?
Might be useful