In most cases planning permission is not required for your Horto bespoke garden room as it falls under Permitted Development, unless you live in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In the latter cases Permitted Development would have to be applied for under a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC). Listed buildings and apartments will require a formal planning application as they do not have Permitted Development rights.

At Horto we would always recommend that a Lawful Development Certificate is put in place for your bespoke garden room investment as it certifies that your building is immune from any potential future enforcement action. Generally, this only becomes an issue when you come to sell your property, as the buyer’s solicitor will request formal confirmation that the work carried out did not require planning permission, even if it was carried out under Permitted Development rights.

Ultimately it is the homeowner or landowner’s responsibility to ensure that the correct planning permission is in place.

The cost of building the garden room does depend on your specification, however to give you an idea of costs a 3m x 2.5m bespoke garden room starts from £16,500. This price includes VAT and is built to our standard but comprehensive specification.

We would advise that a gap of 500mm be available for ease of construction and maintenance of your Horto bespoke garden room.

The foundation detail is dependent upon the existing ground conditions where your Horto everyday spaces garden room is to be constructed. Our most widely used system is a concrete mini pile with customised steel anchors – engineer designed to not only support the imposed weight, but to also ensure lateral restraint.

If the existing ground is soft or ‘made-up’, we would use ground screws or a concrete raft foundation.

Whichever foundation is required for the garden room, Horto will undertake all the work, and this will be included in the price.

Gary and Ellen will visit your property and carry out a survey, which will include your preferred location of the garden room, and of your existing electrical system. They will also discuss your requirements for your bespoke garden room, the design and answer any questions you may have. Once the survey is completed, we will provide you with a written quotation detailing the cost of your Horto Everyday Space.

Your Horto bespoke garden room is insulated to Approved Document Part L1a Building Regulation using high spec foil-faced insulation in the walls and floor and pre-fabricated insulated Trapezoidal roof panels. Doors and windows come as standard with Pilkington K double glazing and air-tight seals to keep out drafts.

We commissioned Award Energy Consultants to test the U-values on one of our 4 metre x 3 metre bespoke garden rooms and the results were:

External walls 0.24 W/m2k

Roof 0.20 W/m2k

Ground floor 0.24 W/m2k

Windows 1.60 W/m2k

Doors 1.70 W/m2k

The garden room will be heated by a variable temperature wall-mounted integrated smart technology panel heater with a 24 hour timer for efficient heating.

Yes, Horto Everyday Spaces’ certified electrical contractor who will be more than happy to provide you with a quotation for this work.

Alternatively, you may wish to appoint your own electrician for this procedure.

Your Horto Garden Room is inclusive of an engineer designed pile foundation system, structural timber framed walls, clad with Western Red Cedar or Thermo Wood, Trapezoidal polyester coated metal roof system, half-round gutter and fall pipe connected into a water butt with tap. PVC-u double glazed French door set and 2 x fixed glazed side panels, all finished in dark grey externally and white internally. Your Horto Garden Room is fully insulated with 100mm rigid foil faced insulation boards, giving excellent u-values which achieve a higher rating than current housing standards.

The garden room has a plasterboard and traditional plaster skim finish, MDF window and door reveals with moulded architrave and skirting boards. The floor surface is finished with an SPC (Stone Polymer Composite) slip resistant, fire rated and 100% waterproof embossed planks with a choice of colours. The electrics package includes 1 x consumer unit, 4 x double sockets, one of which has a 3.1a 2G USB charging facility, central ceiling light, LED canopy lights, (only applicable to garden rooms with a canopy), 2 x external wall lights, 1 x 3-way light switch with external motion sensor and 1 x variable temperature wall mounted integrated Smart technology panel heater with a 24hr timer for efficient heating. Sockets, switches and light fittings are finished in satin chrome.

The cost of the garden room is inclusive of delivery and full on-site construction. All that remains for you to do is the final electric cable and connection back to your property and finished internal/external decorations.

We are more than happy to undertake the electric connection for an additional cost.

The cost does not include decking, flagging or any landscaping works.

All our Garden Rooms come with a Consumer Protection Association insurance backed 10 year structural warranty.

Yes, your Horto bespoke garden room is insulated to meet Building Regulation Approved Document Part L1a which is the current requirement for newly built houses. It also comes with a variable temperature wall mounted integrated smart technology panel heater with a 24 hour timer for efficient heating.

The garden room is designed to last whether it is built with Themowood or Cedar cladding. The cladding on the garden room requires no treatment. Cladding typically lasts at least 50 years. Some customers prefer to oil their garden room which gives additional protection against the elements.

Yes, all Horto bespoke garden rooms come with a 10 year insurance backed structural warranty. We are also a member of the Consumer Protection Association (CPA) which guarantees the deposit you pay to secure an installation date for your garden room.

Your Horto bespoke garden room is easy to maintain.

Cladding;

Cedar is a durable soft wood that has a natural resistance to rot, fungal and insect damage. No maintenance is required, unless you want to retain the original reddish brown colour. If so, we would recommend a product called TEXTROL HES which is a one coat penetrating oil developed to penetrate deep into the wood. TEXTROL HES has a high solids content that protects the wood against the vagaries of the weather and UV rays. Having a matt-sheen finish, this product enhances the grain and natural beauty of the cedar.

The first coat should be applied to the garden room one week after construction, then monitor depending on how much sun it gets.

If left untreated, the cedar will start to change colour to a silver grey over a period of a few years.

Roof;

Simply brush off any debris and wash the garden room roof with soapy water every 5 years – more frequently if in close proximity to trees.

Windows & Doors;

Aside from routine glass cleaning, wash the frames of the garden room down every 12 months with soapy water.

Guttering;

Clear out debris from the garden room guttering every 12 months.

Water Butt;

The water butt for the garden room does have a built-in overflow system, but it is good practice to empty it every month.

Around the base;

It is good practice to keep the base of the garden room clear of leaves and long grass.

Yes, subject to a survey and your personal requirements, it is possible to get internet in the garden room.

Unfortunately not as the garden room is a permanent structure. However, studies have shown that a good quality bespoke garden room can add value to the sale price of your property of between 5% – 10%.

Once you have decided to have a bespoke garden room built, we will provide you with an installation date. If you are in agreement with this date, we will invoice you for a 25% materials deposit of the total value. This is guaranteed by the CPA. One week before the start date, we will then invoice you for 50% of the total value. On completion of the garden room, the 25% balance will then be due.