Initial Consultation, Onsite Meeting
Prior to any design activities, an initial consultation is a critial step for the design process. An onsite meeting will be arranged to discuss the following;
Size and shape of the garden room
Appearance of the Garden Room
Location of the Garden Room
Internal layout of the Garden Room
Cable and Pipe runs for Electrical, Internet & Water connections (if applicable)
During this meeting various sketches will be made, designs discussed and some site photos taken.
Design
Once you have appointed HomeTek Garden Rooms we will enter the design phase. Each and every garden room is drawn on AutoCad (Computer Aided Design Software) to produce detailed plans. These plans will be emailed to you for approval. Any revisions can be made at this stage. Once approved these will become the blueprints for the whole project.
Build
Site Clearance
The first stage is to clear the site for your new garden building. This may be to clear any Tree’s, Bushes or vegetation to make space for the new structure.
Foundations and Floor Construction
Depending on ground conditions we use either a concrete pier foundation system on a threaded rod system that allows us to work on sloping ground. These steel rods are placed into a concrete pile at depths up to 1 metre. This system allows for a very fine adjustment that will allow us to finely level the building. The oversite is covered with a weed membrane or slate/pea shingle to stop the growth of foliage. The timber ring beam (100mm by 75mm timber) is placed onto shoes and then onto these rods and fixed into position. Further floor joists are fitted on joist hangers and the full floor construction insulated with 100mm of Polyurethane insulation. The entire floor structure is covered with a breathable membrane and finally covered with 18mm moisture resistant OSB board. This method provides a structure that will be good for years to come.
Wall Construction
Upon completion of the floor structure, the building of the side walls can proceed. Our standard structural method is for 100mm * 50mm stud work to be constructed for the side and back walls and 125mm * 50mm for the front wall. The front wall consists of a rolled steel joist (RSJ) to allow for the installation of the aluminium bifold doors. The entire wall structure is covered in 11mm OSB and wrapped and stapled with a breathable membrane. Battens are installed to accommodate the western cedar cladding and allow for the building to breathe. Finally the walls are covered with the cedar cladding.
Roof Construction
Following on from the wall construction, comes the roof. The roof is constructed with 125mm * 50mm joists. Depending on the roof span, twin 125mm * 50mm may be used. 12mm tongue and groove moisture resistant OSB is fitted on top of these joists, ready to accept the EPDM rubber roofing system.
EPDM Rubber Roof installation
An EPDM Rubber roof system is glued on top of the OSB roof covering. This roof covering is supplied in a single sheet and features no joints. This removes the likelihood of any leaks and is guaranteed for 20 years from the manufacturer.