Log cabin advice

Four things decide whether a garden building is the right idea: what it costs, whether you need permission, how warm it has to be, and what the layout should look like. None of them needs a salesman. Start wherever you are.

What it costs

Every cabin is made to order, so the price follows the building rather than a catalogue line. What drives the cost sets out the things that move the number — size, wall thickness, insulation, glazing and delivery — so you can see where the money goes before you ask for a quote.

Whether you need planning permission

Usually not. Most garden rooms and garden offices are Permitted Development, and what catches people out is the use rather than the size. Planning permission, nation by nation sets out the limits for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each with its source and the date it was checked.

How warm it needs to be

The wall thickness question is really a question about how much of the year you want to use the building. Insulated garden rooms and log cabins goes through walls, floor and roof, single skin against twin skin, and where the heat actually escapes — which is usually the floor.

Design your own layout

You do not need to know spans or wall thicknesses to sketch a floor plan. The floor plan designer lets you lay out rooms, doors and windows yourself, free, and send the result to us. The engineering checks happen at our end.

Everything else

Delivery, the base, how the timber behaves in a British winter, and what happens after handover. Questions and answers covers the ground most people need before ordering. If yours is not there, ask us — the answer usually takes a sentence.