It is actually very rare for the site where a garden office is being built, to be perfectly level. Excavation works can be carried out to level a site before building work starts, but this is both time consuming and expensive. Luckily, thanks to the modern foundation systems that garden office designers use, most sloping sites can easily be overcome without the need for extensive groundworks.
The thing is, though, when you are creating a building that is level on a site that isn’t you are going to end up with a void between the building and the ground. How this void is dealt with differs between suppliers.
Some firms will leave the void open saying that it creates air flow under the building. We know this approach concerns many buyers as they fear rodents and in some areas, foxes to nest underneath. To address this concern, most garden office designers will opt to create a fascia around the building which cleverly boxes in the void and creates a neat intersection with the ground.
On shallow slopes, this fascia/skirt can be quite very discreet. On steeper slopes, this fascia will be much more visible. Some designers will extend the cladding on the walls beyond the base and trim it so that it creates a neat joint with the ground. Other designers will use a contrasting material or colour, often a dark colour which can create a clever optical illusion.
When slopes are on the steeper side, you may need to consider a step or two to enable easy access to the office. Most garden office designers will handle this for you, designing steps that become part of the overall garden office design. Steps can be small, situated to one side or run the length of the building.
Don’t be put off if you have a sloping site; garden office designers are very adept at working around issues like this and making them look a part of the overall design, without it costing you more money.
You may find these articles useful reading:
- Bespoke garden office overcomes site issues
- Contemporary grey larch cladding
- Garden offices and sloping sites