We are always amazed at how creative our customers are, from potters to painters and felt workers to framers, there are a whole army of creatives busily working away in a Garden Affairs cabin at the bottom of their garden. Many customers have taken their hobby a step further and are earning a living from their creative endeavours, and some like our customer, Marshall Irving, who runs his picture framing business from a large Garden Affairs cabin, have turned their passions into very successful businesses.
Of course, we are not surprised at the benefits working from a cabin affords, Garden Affairs began in a garden cabin way back in 2001 until we moved to our current premises. But even after leaving our trusty garden cabin behind as our business grew, we have always practiced what we preach and run our business from our own cabins. As Marshall has discovered it provides a warm, breathable and inviting environment in which to spend your day and invite customers to view your work, plus a major benefit is that the running costs are low.
Building Specification
Marshall's business is run from a large 4.5m x 6.5m Log Cabin designed from scratch to fit his specific requirements. 70mm timber provides additional wall insulation and both the roof & floor of the cabin are insulated to keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer. The building was designed with open roof trusses (see picture below) to give a more spacious interior feel & provide more head height. Plenty of glazing to the front face of the building allows for natural light, this is boosted by four skylights for overhead direct light for close working. Installed by Garden Affairs the building was ready for use almost immediately. After doing the first fix of electrical wiring for him, Marshall engaged an electrician to connect to the mains and has very impressively kitted the workshop out internally and built a shop counter space for customers.
The benefits
Marshall told us that "After searching on the internet for some time, we found Garden Affairs and visited their office in Trowbridge to view the buildings and different options available. It was important to have a bespoke build due to the shape of the garden and its intended use as a picture framing workshop. Opting for a deck base the Garden Affairs team built it from the ground up which helped save time which was an important consideration as the business would not be open during the build. The workshop provides a perfect environment and is snug and warm in the winter with just one electric wall heater!" All my customers are amazed at how good it looks inside and out".
Marshall enjoys the challenge of framing all sorts of unusual items including objects such as sports shirts and medals. he has even framed a 6-foot-long silk scarf and a dog whistle!
If you want a space to launch your new business idea or work from home, try our easy-to-use 3D design tool to design your very own garden log cabin. Simply choose the size that fits your space, play around with door and window options, and find the colours that will suit your garden. Once you're happy with your design, send it to the team at Garden Affairs to discuss bringing your design to life.
