Garden Studios For Sale

When deciding on a new building you need to check the specifications to ensure it will have the strength to last. So always check out the thickness of the timber, whether it’s made from redwood or the cheap inferior whitewood, how thick the framing is etc. Does it has toughened glass for safety or imperfect horticultural glass, plastic or perspex? Are the doors and windows joinery made meaning they will last a very long time? All important questions.

On many of the garden buildings available on the web you will find that they will deliver them to your house and leave them for you to build. You can save a little money this way but you will have to build the summer building yourself. That’s OK if you are a good DIYer but it will still be hard work. The best option is to take advantage of 1st Choice FREE assembly option. They will do all the hard work – all you need to do is to build a level base for it to go onto. And they can even arrange that for you as well if you wish. This way you can be sure your new studio will be built correctly and all you need to do is to enjoy it.

We have a large range of buildings for you to choose from and in several styles. However, we specialise in makings building to suit your needs. Whether it’s needs to be taller, extra or less windows, the doors and windows moved we can do that for you. Ensure you buy the building to suit you and your family with no compromises. Give us a call on (0800) 999 6995 or visit our show room and talk through what you would like. We are happy to provide a quote to suit you with no pressure.

To make the most of your summer room it’s a good idea to have it lined and insulated so you can get the most use out of you all year round. By doing so it will keep the building cooler in summer and also warmer in winter. It’s possible to do this yourself if you feel confident however on all the Platinum summer buildings there is an option to have this done for you. It can be seen to be a luxury but on those hot summer days or cold winter ones you will be glad you did. Just contact us and we will arrange a free quote for you.

Before deciding on a new building for your garden you should always do your homework (sorry!) as it’s very easy to be taken in with a flashy web site, leaflet or colour brochure. Try to find time and make a trip down to one of our show rooms where you can examples on view. By doing so you will then be able to make an informed choice about what you may be buying. We have a large collection of garden studios which you are very welcome to view. We will be delighted to show you the different buildings and answer any queries you may have. We are able to provide quotations as well. Another thing to do is to take a look at the feedback from previous customers which can be enlightening.

Treat them mean – keep them keen is a well-known phrase. Used in the context of the garden studio or garden office it can be taken to mean it you don’t bother with them then they will still serve you well which again is a ridiculous idea. Garden studios take kindly to being cared for and looked after. They will repay you by looking good, making you feel proud and will look after your valuable items to boot. There are many types of treatments available, ranging from water-based treatment through to fully pressurised tanalised treatments. Years ago one of the favourite treatments was crescote, often mixed with old engine oil. This did a sterling job protecting the timber from the harsh weather. This had a distinctive smell, quite strong, which tended to linger for quite a while.

Not ideal if you had treated the inside of your building which you wanted to work in. Improved safety rules were introduced in 2003 as it had proved dangerous to use and from 30th June 2004 it is actually illegal to even store it or keep it in any form. A new substitute Crecote has been introduced for people who wish to get a similar effect.

Water based preservative is commonly used on the cheaper garden studio room, mainly serving the purpose of a base coat, for your second coat to be put on. The water is actually a carrier for the chemicals and helps the chemical to adhere and react to the wood thus protecting it to a certain degree. This can be either painted on, sprayed on or the shed panels can be dipped into a bath of this treatment.

Solvent and spirit based preservatives is the preferred and better method of putting treatment onto timber. The solvent again is a carrier for the chemicals and works far better than the water. The solvent or spirit helps greatly and gives greater protection to the timber. Again this can be painted on, sprayed on or dipped. Very few people dip their wooden panels in this dues to the possibility of reactions to the operatives doing the dipping.

Oil-based treatments and you are moving into the realms of ‘Rolls Royce’ types of treatment. The oil holds the chemicals and bond the chemicals into the wood. The oil soaks into the timber giving a certain amount of ‘give’ helping with the natural movement of your timber garden studio

Tanalising, or pressure treating, is the very best you can do for your timber. The tanalising process consists of the timber being put into a sealed vat. And the Tanalith E fluid is forced into the wood under pressure. This ensures that the preservative goes a great deal further than just brushing or spraying. The result of this is that the timber should resist rotting for a period of 15 years. To reflect the high specifications of the Platinum range all their garden studios are made using fully pressure treated timber.

The treatment also protects against fungal and insect attacks giving your garden building a long life. The appearance of the timber is quite attractive having a light natural green tint to the wood which can blend into the garden. However, you can add a colour treatment to the wood if you wish. This treatment is ideal for any building in an enclosed space where treating the building would prove difficult or where you like the idea of very low maintenance.

However whatever treatment you have it is important to keep an eye on it to ensure that you retreat when necessary. The only extra treatment which the tanalised studio may need is a water repellent treatment, such as Thomsons WaterSeal. This would stop any dampness coming through if the building was subjected to torrential rain. (the timber is treated against rotting and is not a water repellent in its own right)

The water-based treated garden studio should be re-treated within 4 weeks of delivery, ideally, and then every 2-3 years depending on the weather conditions. The same would apply with the spirit or solvent-based treatments. With the oil-based treatment after the building has its first coat, you could get up to 4-5 years before anything needs doing again with the exception of any sides facing into the weather.

I do not recommend any of the water-based treatments for the top coats and would only recommend spirit, solvent or oil-based preservatives despite what the manufacturers may say. Water-based treatments are fine for base coats or for fences, nothing else.

Some garden studio manufacturers claim to offer a 10-year guarantee, even with the water-based treatment, however, like most things in life this is not as good as it seems. There are strict conditions stating that if the building is not treated EVERY year then the guarantee would be null and void. Clearly, this means that the treatment they are applying only last for ONE year and the further protection is coming from the treatment YOU are having to apply every year. Clearly a WORTHLESS guarantee. DON’T be fooled by them. The best thing (or worse) is that you will be very lucky to find any details of the conditions on those sites.

With the benefit of my 40 years in the garden building business I hope that the above advice is useful for you to understand how to get the best out of your new garden studio or wooden building. Over the years there have been many improvements and changes to the treatments available, some good and some bad, however, if you look after your summer studio it will last many many years.