Making room for green commitment, a garden office without compromise

As more and more of us reject the grind of commuting, the compromises of big business and the sacrifices of long hours away from home, we are seeking options for our home-based workplaces which still sit comfortably with environmental commitments.

Extending or converting part of your home is the obvious choice for many, but an assessment of the energy impact of such a major project may make it unattractive, to say nothing of the disruption and cost. 

At Garden Affairs we practice what we preach. We work from a log cabin made of a living, sustainable, renewable material: wood. It’s breathable and its natural thermal qualities mean it’s easy to keep warm without being stuffy, and we don’t need air conditioning even with our PCs running.

Garden Affairs Director, Richard Squire, confesses that he only realised the environmental benefits of this working environment once he had started using it himself.

Garden Affairs, grew out of Richard's own enthusiasm for garden offices. "All the garden buildings we supply are constructed from high-quality timber be it spruce or larch wood all grown in Northern Europe in managed woodlands. Or you can choose eco-friendly Tricoya, a rot-proof wood composite, used in our Proline buildings. Unlike some off-the-shelf garden buildings, these come non-chemically treated. Whilst the base timbers are treated against rot,  the rest of the construction is painted with low VOC, water-based finishes, or treated individually according to client preferences,” explains Richard. “And we can recommend a number of great options for treatments which minimise the off-gassing and other harmful effects.”

What about insulation? This is built into the design: Heat-conserving double-glazed windows come as standard, as is additional insulation built into the floor, and roof & some buildings also have wall insulation. Many of our garden offices also have the roofing option of thermally-efficient green sedum roofs. 

“These outdoor rooms can be comfortably used all year round, and do not require expensive heating”.

The cost of a Garden Affairs home office obviously depends upon size and specification. “A medium-sized garden office such as the contemporary flat roof 3m x 3m log cabin delivered, base work, installed, insulated is very reasonably priced, compared to £30,000 and upwards for a standard loft conversion”, says Richard, adding that clients can choose a complete DIY assembly option to keep costs down if they prefer. “And it will be ready for business in a couple of days at most – not eight weeks of mess and disruption like having the builders in!"