Building an outbuilding - first timer

[ButtonIt]

Hi Everyone, I'm new here and new to building so please be gentle.

I'm planning to build a building at the bottom of my garden to be used as a home office/drum studio/motorbike store.

As you can tell by the description, it needs to be large and solidly built.

My neighbours all have buildings at the ends of their gardens, and my garden is big enough to handle it. It won't be over 50% of my garden space (for permitted development, right?) and it won't impact any of my side or rear neighbours.

It will be 30 foot wide (across the garden) and 14 foot deep (front to rear).

This will allow access down the sides and round the back of a couple of foot for maintenance etc.

Ideally I'd like the back wall built out of a solid material, some kind of brick/block so that I don't need to maintain it as much as a wooden structure would need.

The sides and the front, I'm not sure about. I'm in two minds whether to have them solid or wood.

I did have a couple of estimates from local builders but they were all in the £10k region!! I can't afford to spend that kind of money, much as I'd like to.

I'm a fairly handy guy and I've got a lot of friends who are good engineers/DIYers and willing to help out.

A friend of mine has already come round with his digger and dug out the top soil, leaving me with a decent sized hole at the end of my garden. The idea behind this was just to lay down a concrete slab and build on top, but another mate suggested we'd need footings at least for the back wall.

I've been trying to research and just don't quite grasp what needs to be done.

I would really appreciate any input you guys on here can give me. I have a willing workforce (promises of beer and barbeques).

Many thanks, Chris

 

[Bouba]

Outbuilding of that size will need solid foundation. How deep is the hole your friend dug. Is it half/full brick thick or block. Material wise you are looking at around 4-5000£ depending where you buy them from.Price includes Skips.

Do you want cheap and lasting you couple of years or looking for something which might outlast you. Doing a similar project,so can guide you along with the more experts here who can offer their advice.

 

[ButtonIt]

The hole is a full size hole slightly larger than the building is going to be. It's about 2 foot deep. Originally I was going to fill it with rubble and lay concrete on top, but now I think I need to dig a trench round the perimeter.

I should've done a bit more research before hand really. I'd like it to outlast me if possible.

I'm not concerned with the actual cost, especially for materials, just don't want to "waste" money on labour if I can try to do it myself. Plus, I'm keen to learn and find this kind of thing very rewarding.

 

[tony1851]

You haven't stated what sort of roof you're contemplating (flat or pitched?).
Have you checked the permitted development rules?
Too many unknowns.

Not meaning to be critical, but digging a 2-foot deep hole before you have decided what you're doing is a bit pointless.

 

[ButtonIt]

I was thinking a tiled roof sloping towards the house. Permitted development says I can build as long as it's not more than 50% of my garden area (it's not even 25%) and no more than 3m high.

Yeah, digging a hole without planning it first was a bit silly.

 

[Bouba]

Permitted development allows only 2.5 metre if going on the boundary and 4 metre if leaving a 1 metre gap around the building. Your best bet is flat roof to utilise maximum space.

 

[ButtonIt]

Ahhh, OK... 2.5 Metres it is

 

[themiddleagedun]

Sounds like an interesting project, a fair old size too!

I'd be inclined to say go either all masonary or all timber, and not mix the two.

I would go for footings, concrete slab and timber frame, plenty of insulation, flat roof, EPDM rubber covering, and some nice cladding (cedar?) on the visible parts-exterior plywood on the hidden sides.

It could be done to a lower spec. cheaper, but if you're doing most of the labour...

 

[ButtonIt]

Thanks for the advice everyone

I'd really like the solid back wall if possible, just for peace of mind more than anything. Although now I think about it, completely solid might be the way to go. I do have a bricklayer friend who could help out if I can convince him to come up for a weekend.

 

[Bouba]

Go half brick with pillars and insulate inside. Cheaper and warm too.

 

[garyo]

Permitted development allows only 2.5 metre if going on the boundary and 4 metre if leaving a 1 metre gap around the building. Your best bet is flat roof to utilise maximum space.

There's also a 3 metre middle ground you could make use of:

Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.

The boundary limit is two metres, by the way:

Maximum height of 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within two metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.

 

[harlingtonstraker]

to help clarify that for you . . . in order to build under permitted development . .

if you stay away from the boundary by 2 metres or more, you can have a dual pitch roof 4 metres high or any other kind of roof no more than 3 metres high, the eaves should not exceed 2.5 metres.

if you are closer to the boundary than 2 metres then the total height of the building must not exceed 2.5 metres.

this is measured from the highest bit of land immediately adjacent to the new building . . .

I think thats right anyways ! , heres a link to the rules if you need it.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/100806_PDforhouseholders_TechnicalGuidance.pdf

have fun with the build . . . I'm just starting one too hopefully . . .