Garden Room Extensions
Swift Garden Room Extensions provide you with one of the fastest and most satisfying ways of adding more space to your home. Our modern approach ensures a permanent addition to your home, providing exceptional levels of airtightness and insulation for comfort, practicality, and cost-effectiveness.
This makes your new space comfortable, practical and economical. Our design expertise and bespoke approach enable you to have an eye-catching addition to your home.
If this is already sounding like your ideal solution for more space, you can phone us on 01625 875 588 or send us a message about your particular needs. If you would like to provide us with some more detailed information (and maybe plans or photos if you have them) then please click below to access our project planner.
We will be back in touch to have an informal chat about your project within a couple of days.
Recent extensions we’ve completed:
Swift Garden Room Extensions use many of the same processes and materials that we’ve successfully developed over seventeen years of designing and installing our bespoke luxury Garden Rooms – which are essentially a ‘detached’ extension.
This major extension (below) to a detached bungalow provided an additional 80 square meters of luxurious living and sleeping accommodation. The contrast of white render and cedar finishes produce a modern and refreshing appearance to this existing 1970’s property.
Here are some of the main features:
- SIP panel construction
- EPDM roofing
- Large triple glazed roof lantern with electrically operated blind
- Bifold doors in anthracite grey.
Due to the quality, speed and efficiency of our system, more people are now coming to Swift requesting that we build their new accommodation as a home extension.
This small extension on the right was completed within 2 weeks. It was carefully designed to complement the detached garden room that Swift had built the previous year!
Originally planning for a conservatory, our client quickly recognized the superior benefits of our construction method. Utilizing SIP panels that surpass current UK Building Regulation U-Values on thermal efficiency, our system offers a far better solution. Unlike a conservatory, our extensions provide a beautiful room that can be enjoyed year-round. The internal temperature remains unaffected by external conditions, addressing a common downside of traditional conservatories. Swift – where innovation meets comfort in every home extension.
- Large, plain roof-light in grey to match the doors and windows
- External cedar cladding with pillars between the full height windows and door
- Opening windows for ventilation
Planning permission was gained for this appealingly modern structure that sits so well against a more traditional house. It is used every day and has transformed the enjoyment of this lovely home.
It was one of our fastest installations, taking just 7 working days – including the flooring being laid and the internal walls painted white!
How are they built?
Design Process
We often work with architects and designers who have been appointed. If this isn’t the case, we can also provide a bespoke design ourselves. What we will always promise is a straightforward and honest approach. We know our strengths and we know how these can serve you the best. Our business strategy and our values determine that the greatest advantage can be in the installation of straightforward extensions – the extra room attached to the existing property. The speed and predictability of this kind of project give you very clear benefits in terms of efficiency and ease.
If your project demands complex alterations to the existing fabric of the house, then this will probably not fall within our remit. However, we may be able to work with other parties to provide the main fabric of your new space. Other contractors can concentrate upon items such as major preparations, knock-throughs, kitchen re-fits, etc. Communication is key here – we are well-versed in working alongside other trades and contractors to reach a common goal.
Planning Permission
Some home extensions can be undertaken without full planning approval – this is the case if they fall within Permitted Development Rights (PDR). You can find out more by visiting the Official Planning Portal (just click here).
There are some important PDR conditions, especially concerning the dimensions and the external materials. Once again, we are here to guide you and advise you. We are able to provide a full planning consultation service and so the process can be simplified for you. Where a planning application is made on your behalf we usually expect a decision within a couple of months and, when successful, we can immediately start work on creating your new space.
What to do now?
Please get in touch so we can chat about your project and learn about the elements that are most important to you.
Perhaps we can add some inspiration that will excite you and make your investment all the more special. Call us on 01625 875 588 or send us an email to support@swiftunlimited.co.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you.
SIP’s
Our SIP Method of Construction allows all structural elements to be prefabricated off-site in clean, dry, factory-controlled conditions. This means you can see your new home extension room completed in days – not months! What is a SIP? The acronym stands for ‘Structurally Insulated Panel’. The panels that we use are British-built and adhere to the highest quality standards, including BBA certification. This means that you can relax, knowing that the quality is approved, monitored and independently regulated. This translates into a building that is both structurally strong and – more importantly – accurately installed.
By using these panels, we can have most of the work carried out in a dedicated factory where nothing will get in the way of the perfectly designed and aligned panels being prepared for your new room. After they are delivered to site, they can be erected in impressively short timescales.
Footings and foundations
The footings specified are dependent on your specific site conditions. The footing system used is signed off by a Structural Engineer who takes into consideration the weighted ‘loads’ of the structure itself, in relation to the ground conditions. Some basic considerations will be the proximity of any existing drainage and underground services, trees and associated root systems, soil type etc. We try to keep things as predictable as we can and have a number of options to suit your particular project.
These include the following:
- Reinforced Concrete Raft (insulated and non-insulated)
- Isolated Concrete Pads
- Helical Screw Piles
Roofs
Part of the style and panache of your new Garden Room Extension will be due to a stylish, contemporary flat roof. Maybe this could incorporate a roof lantern or glazed sections to let natural light flood into this new section of your home? Your flat roof will have a small gradient designed into the structure to guide rainwater away from the house and into the guttering. As a rule, we use Firestone EPDM – a one-piece, synthetic rubber membrane that is installed by our certified installers, enabling us to provide you with a material warranty of 20 years. This has been on test for over 60 years and is still going strong! Other options with a flat roof are to have a sedum ‘living’ roof to provide colour and variety through the year.
If a flat roof isn’t for you, we can also design a pitched roof extension, which can utilise more traditional finishes such as tiles to match or the existing property, or how about a raised zinc profile? Possibilities are endless!
External Finish
Now for the interesting part! SIP panels provide excellent strength and insulation properties for their relatively slim profile, which gives us the opportunity and flexibility to work with you to create a stunning extension that can really make a statement (if that is what you choose!) Examples of the finishes that you can choose from include:
- Cedar, larch and other timber cladding
- Render (in various colours)
- Coloured fascia panels
- Powder coated aluminium, steel, or zinc
- Composite cladding
- Tiles
- Green ‘living’ walls
As you can tell… the choices are almost endless.
