We were asked the other day if a garden office is a weathertight structure, which will keep its contents protected and stand the test of time. The short answer is YES. Although often called posh sheds a garden office is more akin to a one room modern timber frame house.
Like the modern timber frame houses we see on TV shows like Grand Designs. A garden office is made up of a series of layers. These layers all play a key part in ensuring that your building will withstand all the elements the British weather can throw at it and last for decades with little maintenance.
A garden office designer has the durability and performance of the building at the forefront of their mind when designing. This why materials and building techniques have been adopted from the house building industry.
Whether they build off a traditional timber frame core structure or a SIP’s system. The layered external build-up of the walls tends to be the same across the industry.
These layers all play important roles in a garden offices build-up
A breather membrane is wrapped around the exterior of the office. This works rather like a set of lungs allowing the building to breathe. The membrane stops moisture from outside entering into the core structure, but allows it to escape from within the building – clever, er!
Treated battens are usually fixed over this membrane which offsets the cladding from the membrane and core structure. This means that any moisture that penetrates the external cladding is not in direct contact with the core structure.
The exterior cladding, most commonly timber, is fitted onto these battens. All timber claddings will create a weathertight building. Your choice of species though will affect the long-term durability of the building. More expensive finishes such as Western Red Cedar or Siberian Larch have natural, long-term durability with little or no ongoing maintenance.
Cheaper cladding types that require painting will have ongoing work/cost implications to keep them performing – so its worth considering spending a bit more today to save money tomorrow.
Roof design is also important
The roof of a garden office also plays a key role in the weathertight properties of a garden office. Garden office designers have chosen materials for their roofs that have been used in commercial building for decades.
The most commonly used material is EPDM, a rubber roofing membrane that has been used in large-scale commercial buildings for many decades. This finish has become popular because it can be fitted in one piece, so it eliminates the risk of leaks. It also has a maintenance-free lifespan estimated at 40 years.
So, as you can see a garden office is weathertight by design. Talk to these suppliers about how they ensure their buildings are weathertight.