Built properly, step by step.
A real Arden & Oak timber-frame build, photographed on site in the order it happened — from a bare patio to a finished room.
Setting out & base
Every build starts square and level. The perimeter is set out, damp-proof course laid beneath every timber, and the floor frame packed level on adjustable supports.
Perimeter timbers are positioned and checked for square, with DPC tape laid ready beneath the frame. The surrounding patio is sheeted to protect it throughout the build.
Pre-treated C16 joists and cross-noggins are fixed into a rigid grid, each one sitting on DPC over adjustable supports so no timber touches the ground.
The complete floor frame, laser-levelled across its full width before any insulation goes in — the base everything else is built square from.
Insulated floor
The floor is built as a warm, sealed platform: PIR insulation between the joists, a vapour control layer, then a moisture-resistant structural deck.
Rigid PIR boards are cut tight between every joist and the joints taped, so the floor stays warm underfoot all year round.
A continuous vapour control layer is laid over the insulated frame and lapped at the edges, keeping moisture out of the floor build-up.
Tongue-and-groove moisture-resistant chipboard is glued and screwed over the whole floor, giving a solid platform to build the walls on.
Walls & weather envelope
Wall frames are built on the deck and raised into place. OSB sheathing adds rigidity, then a breather membrane and battens form the ventilated cavity behind the cladding.
The rear wall stands sheathed in OSB while the next frame is wrapped in breather membrane and battened on the deck — ready to be lifted into position.
Anthracite profiled steel sheets are cut to length and pre-drilled on site, ready to be fixed to the frame.
The full structure stands with the roof on, walls wrapped in breather membrane and battened out to form the ventilated cavity behind the cladding.
Glazing frames are fitted into the prepared openings, packed and fixed square before the glass panels are hung.
Roof & glazing
With the frame weathertight, the EPDM roof is laid in a single sheet and the glazing is installed — the room is now sealed against the weather.
A single-ply EPDM rubber membrane is bonded over the 18mm OSB roof deck — one continuous sheet with no joints for water to find.
The membrane is rolled out, trimmed and dressed to the edges ready for the trims, leaving a clean, watertight roof.
The corner glazing is in, closing up the front of the room and bringing the garden right inside.
Final adjustments are made from inside, with the floor still protected and the frame ready for insulation.
Insulation & airtightness
Rigid PIR insulation is cut tight between every stud and rafter, then the whole inside is wrapped in a vapour control layer so the room stays warm and dry.
PIR boards are friction-fitted between the C16 studs, wall by wall, with the joints taped to stop cold spots.
Every wall is now fully insulated, with cable runs for the electrics in place and the 90mm PIR roof insulation going in between the rafters.
A continuous vapour control layer is stapled over the walls and ceiling and taped at every lap, sealing the insulation from moisture inside the room.
The whole room is wrapped and sealed, with plasterboard stacked and ready to go up.
Boarding out
Plasterboard goes up on the ceiling first, then the walls, giving a solid, crisp interior ready for a hand-skimmed plaster finish.
The ceiling is boarded first, each sheet lifted and screwed to the rafters over the vapour control layer.
With the ceiling finished, the wall boards follow — the room starts to read as a real interior.
Walls are boarded floor to ceiling with tight, straight joints, ready for taping and skim.
The boarding is returned neatly into the glazing reveals, framing the view down the garden.
Fully boarded and ready for a hand-skimmed plaster finish — the next stage is plastering, decorating and fit-out.
Cladding & exterior
Outside, the battened frame is finished with roof trims and vertical cladding, fixed over the ventilated cavity so the walls can breathe.
From the garden: glazing in, breather membrane and battens on every wall, and the roof edge ready for its trims.
The roof edge is built out and dressed, giving the deep, crisp fascia line the finished room is known for.
Vertical cladding goes on board by board, starting from the corners and working across each elevation.
Fully clad, trimmed and cleaned down — the garden room as the neighbours see it.
Plaster, electrics & flooring
Inside, the boards are skimmed and painted, lighting and sockets go live, and the floor finish is laid — the room becomes a room.
Walls and ceiling are hand-skimmed and painted, with the recessed downlights fitted and working.
Underlay is laid across the deck and the first rows of herringbone are set out square to the glazing.
Each herringbone plank is cut and fitted by hand, running cleanly into the corner glazing.
A dark slatted feature panel is fitted to the media wall, with sockets and data points ready for the TV.
The herringbone floor is finished wall to wall, with skirting fitted around the room.
Glazing opened up, floor down, walls finished — ready for the client's furniture and fit-out.
Handover
Two weeks after setting out on a bare patio, the finished garden room is handed over — furnished, warm and ready to use.
A built-in media unit beneath the slatted feature wall and wall-mounted TV, with corner glazing on to the garden.
Sofa, vertical heater and full-height sliding doors — a calm, warm room for every season.
Floor-to-ceiling corner glazing frames the garden and the house beyond. Handed over and ready to enjoy.
From a bare patio to a fully finished, insulated garden room in two weeks — warm timber-look cladding, a crisp anthracite fascia and the corner doors open on to the lawn.
Warm LED strips run through the slatted soffit and down the reveal, picking out the roofline after dark.
The lit reveal frames the entrance and the herringbone floor inside — the finishing touch on handover day.
After dark
The same room at night — LED-lit soffits and reveals trace the roofline, and the glazing turns the whole room into a lantern at the end of the garden.
Warm LED strips outline the slatted soffit and corner reveals, with the lounge glowing through the glass.
Full-height glazing across the front shows off the media wall and mood lighting inside.
With the doors folded back, the room opens straight on to the lawn — made for summer evenings.
Seen down the lit stepping-stone path, the room sits neatly beside the illuminated seating area.
From the house, the garden room finishes the garden — a warm, lit destination all year round.