Some advice on a garden studio
Discussion
Planning permission issues aside, we've done the ground work in preperation to build a garden building/studio at the bottom of the garden.
It is approx 150ft from the back of the house, the size of the base foundation is 3.5m x 8m (28m2).
Regardless of what we build, the foundations will be done (and obviously will limit what can go on top) but I am looking to answer a few questions in my head.
The first is regards to electricity. The building is planned to be split into 1 room that is 3x5 the second being 3x3. Each room will require power which I will get a sparky to install. The proposed use for the building is a summer house come photo studio for my hobby. The key being it will require standard roof lights, ability to power an lcd tv etc but also my flash lights which run from standard 240 mains. From memory they are on 5amp rated plugs but can check.
Due to the distance and the issue of wiring to the house mains, I was considering a diesel generator of some kind. What recommendatins for generators to people have? I want something that I dont need to keep filling up every 2 hours and should be able to last a full day if at all possible. What ever I use must be as quiet as possible too (and ideally run off chip fat
). I'd like it to be simple enough to maintain, have a sound reliability too.
Next is the question of construction. On top of the hardcore, we have a 12 inch deep reinforced concrete base. I liked the idea of a wooden framed building but also the idea of a blockwork building with interior stud wall appeals too. For possible building reg requirements I feel the blocks would bethe best way to go as the boundary will be about 50 to 100cms on one of the sides.
I'm not looking for plans as the shape has been drawn up, I'm just asking from those with similar buildings/experience which way they would go to construction material and to the question about power generation.
The roof btw is planned to be 2 sided pitched so will be able to go up to 4 meters.
It is approx 150ft from the back of the house, the size of the base foundation is 3.5m x 8m (28m2).
Regardless of what we build, the foundations will be done (and obviously will limit what can go on top) but I am looking to answer a few questions in my head.
The first is regards to electricity. The building is planned to be split into 1 room that is 3x5 the second being 3x3. Each room will require power which I will get a sparky to install. The proposed use for the building is a summer house come photo studio for my hobby. The key being it will require standard roof lights, ability to power an lcd tv etc but also my flash lights which run from standard 240 mains. From memory they are on 5amp rated plugs but can check.
Due to the distance and the issue of wiring to the house mains, I was considering a diesel generator of some kind. What recommendatins for generators to people have? I want something that I dont need to keep filling up every 2 hours and should be able to last a full day if at all possible. What ever I use must be as quiet as possible too (and ideally run off chip fat
). I'd like it to be simple enough to maintain, have a sound reliability too.Next is the question of construction. On top of the hardcore, we have a 12 inch deep reinforced concrete base. I liked the idea of a wooden framed building but also the idea of a blockwork building with interior stud wall appeals too. For possible building reg requirements I feel the blocks would bethe best way to go as the boundary will be about 50 to 100cms on one of the sides.
I'm not looking for plans as the shape has been drawn up, I'm just asking from those with similar buildings/experience which way they would go to construction material and to the question about power generation.
The roof btw is planned to be 2 sided pitched so will be able to go up to 4 meters.
Poer from generators can be a bit surgey/spikey, this often varies depending on the load and can bbe the death of electronic equipment. I would suggest that you also consider inverment in some form of smoothing/regulation/mains regeneration for the generator input before circulating it around the proposed building. Talk to your sparky on this.
Yes you can get long run tanks on generators (I have a Honda 2200W petrol generator with a 10 hour tank on it, I get frequent power cuts, and can run the house basics from this).
davidy
Yes you can get long run tanks on generators (I have a Honda 2200W petrol generator with a 10 hour tank on it, I get frequent power cuts, and can run the house basics from this).
davidy
Generators are fine for emergencies, but do you really want one banging away in the background while you're concentrating on a shoot? Studios - and especially summerhouses - ahould be calm places I think.
If it was me I'd look into getting the mains electricity connected, even if you have to pay for it.
Simpo Two said:
Generators are fine for emergencies, but do you really want one banging away in the background while you're concentrating on a shoot? Studios - and especially summerhouses - ahould be calm places I think.
If it was me I'd look into getting the mains electricity connected, even if you have to pay for it.
Listening to a diesel generator chugging away and carrying bottles of chip oil around with be a pain in the arse.
Just get a spark to calculate the cable requirement and run it in a trench back to the board in your house. Then have him install a board in the studio and wire the building normally from there.
Would probably work out cheaper than a good quality generator anyway plus you don't have to put up with the racket, dirty power and maintenance issues.
Regarding construction methods a 12" deep concrete raft sounds a bit overkill to me. How you build the place will depend on its intended use and whether that means you have to comply with building regs or not.
Would probably work out cheaper than a good quality generator anyway plus you don't have to put up with the racket, dirty power and maintenance issues.
Regarding construction methods a 12" deep concrete raft sounds a bit overkill to me. How you build the place will depend on its intended use and whether that means you have to comply with building regs or not.
stigmundfreud said:
cheers for the advice, sounds like the house mains is the best (as suspected) route. Its just that going that distance with armour cable I figured would be prohibitively expensive (plus the hassle of laying it).
In my last house I built a recording studio 300 yards from the house - laying armoured cable is not as expensive as you might think....It needs to be about 2 1/2 feet down with lots of spare coiled on both ends. Get an electrician to wire you up.
49 amp is probably enough for your needs - £1 a metre.
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SW4slash2.htm...
Get digging!
I would suggest lining the trench with sand, so that there are no sharp stones against the cable, also new regulations now indicate that you must put a warning polythen tape above the cable (don't know what height (1ft?) that any future digger will discover first before getting to the cable. Your sparky will know.
Just a bit of an update.
Foundations were layed with 9 inch reinforced concrete, builder did a great job transforming this:
Into this:
In two days. OK that shows just the base, I forgot to shoot the actual finished foundations before building started. It might not seem impressive but to me, the speed compared to previous builders is fantastic.
Today the building started. I decided to go with a wooden frame as it isnt going to be a dwelling. Sitting on sleepers for longevity the frame is taking shape. This is what he did today:
The room dimensions will be internal 3.1m x 7.5m with a 2.5m ceiling. The roof is going to be challet style with a steeper pitch to the right with a long pitch to the left which will form a veranda which will add subsequent room space if needed/desired. The plan is to come out to give approx 2.5m room space to the left but for now just leave as a vreanda type area.
A sparky is coming tomorrow to quote for the work of running a fixed live feed from the main house with a fresh breaker board. One question here, is it possible to fix above ground if trunking is used?
The next big question is heating. I want to use it year round but with no other means than electricity what is a good idea for heating? The frame is going to have marine ply on the external and internal walls (thinner on outside as we will use shiplap cladding), cavity insulation, plaster board, 2 sets of ply for the flooring and loft void insulation. The roof will be slate with felt underneath but what recommendations for heating is there? I was thinking if there are systems that can run ducting into the ceiling space and blow warm air down? As it is wooden construction I dont want to use any electric heaters that run bare wires for heat, nor do I want to use gas burners. I have had oil filled electric heaters but they do not seem very good.
Any advice to heating would be welcome!
Foundations were layed with 9 inch reinforced concrete, builder did a great job transforming this:
Into this:
In two days. OK that shows just the base, I forgot to shoot the actual finished foundations before building started. It might not seem impressive but to me, the speed compared to previous builders is fantastic.
Today the building started. I decided to go with a wooden frame as it isnt going to be a dwelling. Sitting on sleepers for longevity the frame is taking shape. This is what he did today:
The room dimensions will be internal 3.1m x 7.5m with a 2.5m ceiling. The roof is going to be challet style with a steeper pitch to the right with a long pitch to the left which will form a veranda which will add subsequent room space if needed/desired. The plan is to come out to give approx 2.5m room space to the left but for now just leave as a vreanda type area.
A sparky is coming tomorrow to quote for the work of running a fixed live feed from the main house with a fresh breaker board. One question here, is it possible to fix above ground if trunking is used?
The next big question is heating. I want to use it year round but with no other means than electricity what is a good idea for heating? The frame is going to have marine ply on the external and internal walls (thinner on outside as we will use shiplap cladding), cavity insulation, plaster board, 2 sets of ply for the flooring and loft void insulation. The roof will be slate with felt underneath but what recommendations for heating is there? I was thinking if there are systems that can run ducting into the ceiling space and blow warm air down? As it is wooden construction I dont want to use any electric heaters that run bare wires for heat, nor do I want to use gas burners. I have had oil filled electric heaters but they do not seem very good.
Any advice to heating would be welcome!
If it's well insulated, buy a couple of electric oil filled radiators - they're cheap to run and very effective. You can get ones with a timer built in on one end too. It's what heats my studio. Completely safe too, which is a consideration with a wooden building.
Once word of advice about your floor, spend some time making sure it is rodent proof underneath. The last thing you want is rats/mice/squirrels etc living underneath it. Some decent fencing wire (maybe a bit higher grade than chicken wire) and have it dug down and in at least 6 inches or so - more if you have the energy.
thanks, the issue with the oil filled ones is are they sufficient enough to heat a 22msq floor space, that what 66csqm?
I have seen underfloor heating mats, a place I have seen has quoted 700 quid but I do like the idea of a constant even heat and as the floor will be the biggest source of coldness does this make sense?
The cost is high vs the oil heaters but I'm happy to spend it to get the job done right first time. If I do go underfloor heating, is there any issues with furnature sitting on the floor? I've seen comments that anything with less than a 50mm ground clearance can cause problems?
What oil heaters did you use? Whats the Kwph? Thanks
I have seen underfloor heating mats, a place I have seen has quoted 700 quid but I do like the idea of a constant even heat and as the floor will be the biggest source of coldness does this make sense?
The cost is high vs the oil heaters but I'm happy to spend it to get the job done right first time. If I do go underfloor heating, is there any issues with furnature sitting on the floor? I've seen comments that anything with less than a 50mm ground clearance can cause problems?
What oil heaters did you use? Whats the Kwph? Thanks
My last recording studio was roughly the size of 5 single car garages - a very large space. I paid quite a bit for insulation when it was built - a multi-layered bacon foil and tissue looking stuff. Two 1Kw rads kept it warm even in the teeth of a cold winter - one was kept on full time at half power though, but it was very cosy. Good insulation really does pay for itself.
My current studio (which I did not build) does not have good insulation and it's as cold as a witches tit - so the rads are on in the winter 24/7 along with a dehumidifier too (you might invest in one of these too).
Underfloor heating should be OK, but I wonder how much heat will go strait under the floor and out? I am no expert on underfloor as I've never tried it.
Personally, I would pay more for insulation (cool in the summer, cosy in the winter) and less on underfloor systems. The underfloor heating would be used November to April maybe? Good insulation works in the summer too......
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