Garden Rooms Dorset Archives - Executive Garden Rooms

Amazing Abodo

Alison EGR — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 10:16:06 +0000

We now provide Abodo timber cladding as an alternative to Western Red Cedar.

Abodo timber is harvested from sustainable plantation forests, it has class 1 durability and is the only timber that can be sold as carbon negative.

These timbers are sustainably grown in New Zealand forests, whose rich soils and high annual rainfall ensure rapid growth. At harvest time, they apply a 30/30 principle. For every tree milled, they ensure it provides more than 30 years of service, which is as long as it takes to grow a replacement tree.

Abodo timbers are crafted to be durable and long lasting. With simple yearly maintenance, their beauty evolves slowly with time. Their exceptional weatherability means the timber is enjoyed for decades.

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How much does a garden annexe add to your property value?

Alison EGR — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:59:01 +0000

We built this superb garden annexe 10 years ago, the clients have recently sold the property and were delighted when they heard that the annexe added £110,000 to the value of their home and made the property so much more saleable. The new owners said the garden room was the main reason that they chose the house as it was such a unique selling point. This is lovely to hear.

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Insulation is the key to keeping your Garden Room warm

Alison EGR — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 12:03:44 +0000

When researching Garden Room suppliers, one of the most important question you need to ask is “how much insulation does the building contain?”

We asked one of our clients who had an annexe built by us last year, how warm was your garden room during the recent cold snap December 2022, here is what they said:-

“Our building is very warm and a lot of people have commented on how warm it is. Apart from the towel rail in the shower room we did not put the heating on until the beginning of November, due to the position of the building we are fortunate to have the sun most of the day to the front which helps but the building keeps the warmth in for hours, given the high insulation installed.

We have the heater thermostat set to 20 degrees from 7am to 9pm our thermometer in the building is generally constant at around 22 degrees so the heating is only switching on occasionally, having said that the outside temperature has not been above freezing lately and down to minus 4 degrees which doesn’t seem to have an effect to the inside temperature.

We do not have any heating on after 9pm and the inside temperature has not dropped below 18 degrees at night which is not uncomfortable at all and the heater only takes about half an hour to reheat the room in the morning. We couldn’t be happier”. Gary Mason – Bournemouth, Dorset

All EGR Garden Rooms include 90mm slab insulation in the roof, 90mm slab insulation in the floor and 140mm insulation in the walls – this results in lower running costs. To achieve a height within permitted development of 2.5m, this is the maximum we can put in the floor and ceiling, which is a superb specification. For a building used for sleeping/living accommodation such as an annexe which requires planning, then more insulation is fitted per building regs and the height of the building is increased accordingly.

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Shedding some light

Alison EGR — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 11:58:53 +0000

Making the most of daylight via Roof lights has a whole host of benefits for mental well being and energy bills.

Providing a bright and naturally lit interior by installing a roof light, reduces the need for interior lighting, reduces energy usage and CO2 emissions.

Natural daylight creates an environment which lifts peoples spirits, eye and brain funtions repond better, people will be more productive and concentration increases.

It is proven that natural light improves peoples working productivity, with an increase in home working this can be an attractive benefit for Garden Offices.

The roof lights that we install in our garden rooms are electrical, operated via a remote with rain sensor closing, they are available in different sizes.

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Fireboard

Alison EGR — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 21:21:24 +0000

To comply with Building Regulations, if your garden building is over 15m2 and within one metre of the boundary, it needs to be clad with a Fireboard underneath the exterior cladding (even if the building is clad with Cedral Weatherboard).

Here at EGR we comply with all building regulations to ensure your building is safe.

See photos of projects which have had Fireboard installed, making the buildings compliant.

The post Fireboard appeared first on Executive Garden Rooms.

Solar Glass

Alison EGR — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:08:23 +0000

Solar Glass is becoming increasingly popular as a method of keeping the garden room cool in the summer

The solar glass we use in our buildings has the following advantages:

Provides excellent levels of solar protection, reflecting unwanted heat by up to 56%
Reduces excessive heat build up compared to standard glazing
Has an attractive neutral appearance giving you a clear view of your surroundings

It will also help to keep it warmer in winter

63% less heat loss compared to ordinary double-glazing
Provides unbeatable thermal insulation, reflecting heat back into the room
Reduces your heating bills by retaining more heat in the room
Reduces the environmental impact of excess energy production
Maximises the amount of natural daylight coming in to your home, especially important during the darker winter months
Virtually eliminates internal condensation

The post Solar Glass appeared first on Executive Garden Rooms.

Magnetic Integrated Blinds

Alison EGR — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 16:24:07 +0000

Magnetic Integrated Blinds

Stylish and sophisticated, this totally cordless system is operated via sliding magnetic blocks.

Simple-to-use, contemporary and durable Venetian blinds are available with the full lifting operation happening in one slick and easy motion.

The tilt function allows you to set the privacy and shading to your specifications, available in 9 colours.

Great if you have pets as they can’t get tangled up in them!

Many of our clients ask about blinds, this options is perfect for those looking for a dust free solution as the blinds sits within the sealed unit.

Allows:-

Privacy
Control of light, especially important if the room is to be used for sleeping accommodation.
Keeps the sun out of the building, great for south facing gardens.
Tilt & turn function allows light control, good for controlling light onto a computer screen.
Dust free, for those who suffer from allergies this is a nice solution.

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Material Price Rises!

Alison EGR — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 10:03:27 +0000

Material costs affecting garden room prices

Across the market, garden room prices are on the rise again. Supply and demand forced prices up at the end of last year, and they look set to rise again now as raw material costs have gone up significantly.

The reason for the material increases, is supply levels of materials like Western Red Cedar and knock-on effects of BREXIT.

You may have seen that garden rooms are now more expensive

If you have been exploring your garden room options for a few months, you will see a difference in prices quoted today compared with a few months ago. Prices seen in March ’21, those same buildings are now, on average, 14% higher.

Rest assured, it is a genuine reason for the increase in garden room prices. Here are a few examples in our buildings:

Rebar mesh sheets used in concrete slab foundations was £28 per sheet; they are now being quoted £88 per sheet. That’s 214% up.
6×2” timber used for framing was costing £2.70 exVAT in November 2020 and today is costing £3.96 exVAT. An increase of 47%.
OSB sheathing, an important layer in a garden rooms build-up, was £15 per sheet exVAT and is now £22 per sheet. Rumour has it that OSB could rise to £40 per sheet!
Doors and windows are increasing 7% from 1 July.
External cladding is 8-10% more expensive, with Western Red Cedar difficult to source as there is limited stock in the UK.

Lock in your garden room price

If you are reading this and worried about an order you have placed and waiting on to be installed, don’t worry. Where a price has been agreed and contracts have been signed, the price is locked in for you, and we absorb the increased material costs.

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Garden Room Storage

Alison EGR — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 21:30:02 +0000

Integrated storage is popular with our clients, but at circa £1200/m2, it is an expensive option for storing garden furniture/bikes etc.

Instead consider an ‘off the shelf’ shed, which can be placed near to the garden room – we can match the paint colour to your choice of Cedral Cladding colour, for a seamless visual effect.

The beauty of Cedral Weatherboard is that you can buy it ready painted, along with matching coloured corner trims. The grain finish looks like wood and comes in 22 different colours. It doesn’t require repainting and will maintain its new look, with little input from you.

A Contemporary look
Maintenance free
Weather resistant
Class O fire performance
Pest and insect resistant
Resistant to rot for 50 years
Colour matched corner trims

The post Garden Room Storage appeared first on Executive Garden Rooms.

VELUX ACTIVE Smart Home Indoor Climate Control

Alison EGR — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 12:59:37 +0000

Velux Electric Roof Windows are a popular option in our Garden Room Projects.

This piece of kit is ingenious and a must in an office environment where more than one person is working.

VELUX ACTIVE is the easy way to a healthier indoor climate, with sensor-based operation. Smart sensors continuously monitor the temperature, humidity and CO₂ levels in your home automatically and open or close your roof windows & blinds to create a healthier indoor climate.

It can also be controlled via a smartphone control app.

Call us today to discuss the various sizes and options for Velux roof lights.

Bring the daylight in and improve your working environment.

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Could Working from Home become the new ‘Norm”

Alison EGR — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:00:33 +0000

We have seen a 137% increase in enquiries since the end of March for a Garden Office.

Could the temporary solution from Covid-19 become the new ‘normal’

The most important thing to consider is to make a dedicated workspace with connectivity – all our garden rooms are supplied with Cat6 data points, some clients require a server with multiple data points and floor power sockets.

73% of employees would like to work from home on a permanent basis.

Recently employees have benefited hugely from working from home and companies must now carefully consider their infrastructure to ensure they deliver an effective remote working strategy.

58% of people are happier working from home
27% say they work longer days at home
51% say they are more productive at home

Other benefits include:-

No travelling to/from work – saves time and cost
Flexible work/life balance
Able to wear cozy clothes
No office politics
Spending time with the dog

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Updated 08/06/20

Alison EGR — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 10:57:21 +0000

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support throughout lockdown. With people now at home, we have seen enquiries for Garden Rooms and Garden Offices increasing with the number of people currently working from home – now experiencing themselves the benefits that it creates for family life. We have also noticed that enquiries for Garden Annexes have increased significantly, with family thinking about independent living spaces for their loved ones.

As the Government advice regarding Coronavirus continues to change, we are monitoring our decisions and processes because the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers, staff and families are our highest priority.

EGR are ready and able to listen to your project ideas, requirements and advise you on the best possible solution to create and design your perfect Garden Building.

We are pleased to announce that we are now building our unique garden rooms again, with strict procedures in place to keep our staff and clients safe. We are experiencing some difficulties in sourcing building supplies, but we are trying our best to keep to our project schedules.

Our site surveys will continue to be virtual for the time being. A virtual appointment with one of our team will provide us with all the information we need in order to assess your site and provide you with a full detailed quotation.

To arrange a virtual survey via video, please call us on 01202 874766 or 0792 0047570, or email us on info@executivegardenrooms.co.uk or contact us via our contact form.

Stay safe.

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Garden decking triggers Rat plague

Alison EGR — Tue, 19 May 2020 10:49:08 +0000

Garden make-over shows have placed decking at the heart of the trendy home – however it is attracting a plague of unwanted guests.

Pest control experts warn the void beneath decking is proving an ideal breeding ground for millions of super rats and mice.

The wooden boards keeps out the cold and rain in the winter, fallen leaves can be dragged in providing bedding.

The British Pest Control Association said that rats live in environments where they feel safe and will not be disturbed, the space under decking offers them nice cosy environments in which to build their nests.

The national rat population has been estimated at 70 million, while the number of mice is through to be six to seven times higher.

At EGR build a concrete raft foundation for some of the following reasons:-

There is no void under the building which avoids rodents nesting.
No decking is required outside the room to cover the void area – we use paving slabs only.

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