FAQs - Frequently asked questions
Professional Garden Offices and Extra Rooms, fully insulated for long term use, plastered, fully wired and really complete. From less than 6.5K. Can we see the actual building we want to buy?
Q. Can we see the actual building we want to buy?
A. Not until we are building it as they are all different but you can come and see the quality of what we are building at the moment or else one near you we have done in the past. If the distance between your address and ours is great then as we build yours we upload progress photos onto this site to a secret spot where you can see the progress almost daily and also see that we are doing just as you asked.
Q. Other companies charge a lot more for this standard of specification, with real plastering, complete decorating to our wishes, full hidden wiring and lighting, complete insulation etc, why is yours less?
A.. We want your business.
Q. I want a turnkey project, do you provide everything?
A. We provide if needed, the foundation, we do this for a token sum of £8 per sq foot or just £80/sq.metre no matter how uneven the ground is, we supply and erect fully and finish the building completely, ready for use, you only have to provide the electrical power to the building and get your electrician to connect it to a consumer unit we provide inside. You can erect it yourself if you want to, but generally we do it for you. Delivery and erection is normally anticipated but if you wish to just take delivery and erect it yourself, we will supply full instructions and of course, not add the erection charge of 10%.
Q. What thickness are the walls made of?
A. About 100mm or 4-5 inches, it varies very slightly of course dependant on the cladding chosen and the use of course, if it is to be made to be as soundproof as possible the thickness increases can be drammatic.The walls are double skinned with a cavity in between, similar to a normal stud wall or a wall in a timber framed house, this means they are not prone to condensation and rotting like sheds or summerhouses where the timber on the outside is also the timber in the inside, causing problems for the future and a short life. The extra reflective properties of our insulation, (see bottom right letter link in blue below) add extra thermal efficiency, making extra rooms cosy in winter and cooler in summer.
Q. Do you give a guarantee?
A.We certainly do, for a full 5 years, it does not cover minor faults, such as a door which needs easing after 4 years for example, it covers the fabric of the building, structural integrity, roof leaks, the foundation etc, and after the five years is up, call us anyway as we will always try to help as we take pride in our work. We have never had to remedy any of the buildings we have built, but we did have to for two we imported, which is why we only supply buildings we have made ourselves as we have control over quality this way.
Q. Are all ceilings and floors insulated?
A. Yes every surface is insulated throughout.
Q. What maintenance will be required over the years?
A. Little or nothing for the first 5 years, after that, an extra coat of fence guard or some such preservative to strengthen the colour or change it if you want to but it is only cosmetic as all claddings are fully pressure treated. otherwise it is just like any other room of your house. Extrarooms are built to last.
Q.What is a good size for working from home?
A. 8` by 8` is plenty for one person because all our sizes are the true sizes of the actual footprint, we do not add the roof overhang or any decking and include that to the supposed dimensions of the building itself. 8 feet by 12 ft is enough for up to three people.
Q. What are your lead times at present?
A. As of today, Jan 08 our lead time is about 12 weeks for bespoke.
Q. .Am I likely to be "hit" with extras I did not expect which inflate the cost?
A. No, we give fixed prices but if something dramatically untoward occurred such as being unable to deliver the panels due to access being insufficient and we had to hire a crane or something then that would be extra but it has not happened yet. When you order your studio, ask us the likely sizes of the largest panels if access is questionable.
Q. If I want to pay the deposit to secure my position in your order books and I have to apply for planning permission in the meantime and it is refused, what happens to my deposit?
A. You get it back in full so long as we have not started to build your studio, in fact you will get it back under any circumstances so long as we have not begun your building, we give you notification when we start the process so if the worst came to the worst, you could miss one turn or so in the queue until full permission was granted, it would then be 4-6 weeks from the granting date until delivery. If you need planning permission we only ask for £500 rather than a third of the quote as usual. Likewise if our lead times are very long.
Q. Are your prices plus VAT?
A.Yes I am afraid,as they are also for our competitors.
Q. Are you a small company, and if so is my deposit safe?
A. We have been a small building and joinery company for 30 yrs, so have plenty of experience but this particular enterprise is relatively recent, we built our first extra room just over 6 years ago but because we are a small company, you and your level of satisfaction mean more to us, so we take great care to provide quality and service, we take pride in our work and not all business owners are empire builders, but if you are concerned in case you fear we may go bust with your deposit, then we have no objection if it is placed in escrow, but you will have to pay all fees however, all deposits are also backed up by a personal guarantee from the Sole Director until the studio is installed in your garden.This would not be offered if the business was not rock solid and debt free.
Q. What level of insulation do you use? I found that many firms use polystyrene of only an inch thick and they call that "full insulation".
A. As standard, we use a modern insulation which is equal to 3-4 inches of fibreglass in our walls which make our buildings one of the most heavily insulated available, we cover the topic further and also offer an even higher insulation which measures at 40% more efficient than 8inches or 200mm of fibreglass, this is rather excessive for a garden room with no draughts but for more info, click here for information about roof insulation
