How to Build a Garden Room Yourself

Kyube Timber Framed Garden Building Anthracite Grey with French Doors

Building a garden room is a fantastic way to improve your outdoor area, increasing living space and even adding significant value to your home. Now more popular than ever, garden buildings have become more than just extra space; they are used as garden offices, playrooms, gyms, yoga rooms, and even home pubs right across the country.

One of the main concerns homeowners face when constructing a garden building is the potential cost. Along with the ever-rising cost of materials, hiring a professional will also dramatically increase the cost of a garden building project. Thankfully, with a bit of time and effort, building your own garden room is well within the reach of any handy DIYer.

Here at Roofing Megastore, we stock the fantastic Kyube Timber Garden Buildings, which come ready to go with the necessary materials and components needed to complete the construction DIY. In this article, we will take you through the full step by step process of how to build your very own garden building including preparation, a handy tools checklist as well as other key tips and information.

Preparing to Construct Your Garden Outbuilding
What Tools Will I Need to Build a Garden Room?
Building a Garden Building Step-by-Step
Will I Need Planning Permission to Build a Garden Building?

Preparing to Construct Your Garden Outbuilding

The very first step of any garden building project is selecting a suitable space on your property. For maximum structural stability and practicality, we’d recommend choosing a clear, flat space that is large enough to accommodate the building as well as providing full access in and out of the garden room.

Clear all debris, foliage, rocks, and garden furniture from the area so you have a completely open and workable space. Take a look at the base you have to work with and ask yourself these questions:

Is the ground flat, stable, and level?
Is the base dry and will it stay dry? – Ensuring that water will not pool beneath, on or around the structure, will help to prevent structural issues in future.
Do I have enough space to safely access the building?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions, it’s time to get your project underway. Before you begin to build your garden outbuilding, remember to thoroughly check all products and components to ensure they are ready for use with nothing missing.

What Tools Will I Need to Build a Garden Room?

Most garden rooms come pre-supplied with everything you’ll need to build it from start to finish. Usually, you will just need a few additional standard tools and components that any handy homeowner would have already. Below you’ll find a list we’ve compiled of all tools, fixings, and components you’ll need to install a Kyube Garden Building on your property:

Tape measure
Long spirit level
Drill
Screwdriver
Sealant
Sealant gun
Hammer
Ladder
Roller
Paintbrush
Brush
Broom
Clamp
Pry bar
Mallet
Water based adhesive
Contact adhesive
Screws & fixings
Coach bolts
Washers
Plastic packers
Poly pins

Building a Garden Building Step-by-Step

We’re going to talk you through each stage of constructing your Kyube Garden Building. We’ve broken the process down into installing the floor, walls, and roof.

Installing the Floor

Before you begin, ensure that the base is completely clean, level, and clear of any debris.
You will notice that every floor panel has a helpful label printed on the back. This will help you know where and how to position each panel.
Lay the floor panels according to their labels, and slot them into place using the ‘tongue and groove’ method.
Before you move onto the walls, ensure that the floorboards are correctly positioned with all diagonals checked.

How Do I Check the Diagonals?

Measure one diagonal across from one corner to the other and then the opposite. If the diagonals are the same, then you can move on. However, if they are not, move or knock the base into the correct position until diagonals are equal. You can use a mallet for this.

Missing this step can have an impact on the structural integrity of the rest of the garden building so make sure to take your time double-checking.

Installing the Walls

Just like the floor boards, you’ll notice that the wall panels are also helpfully labelled. Beginning at a back corner, lift and move one of the panels into position. You will likely need assistance for this step so make sure to have another person on board to help. You need to ensure that the wall panels hang over the floor slightly but are still tight up against it.
Carefully move the corresponding side panel into place, about 100mm away from the back panel.
Slide the side panel into the back panel. The composite cladding should go into position under/into the aluminium.
Use a few screws to secure the panels to each other. Then, use a single screw in each panel to secure them to the floor. It is a good idea to not fix the screws 100% into the panels, only driving enough so they have a level of hold. This allows easy re-positioning if the panels are incorrectly placed the first time. Once you are completely happy with their placement, you can then fully secure the panels.
Continue fitting the rest of the wall panels using the same method. Take time to make sure the walls are accurately positioned and pulled tightly up against the floor.
When fitting panels that butt together, use the coach bolts and washer provided through the pre-drilled holes.

After installing each panel, you should check that the wall is plumb in every direction. You can do this by using a long spirit level.

If you find that the walls are not plumb, or one is higher than the others, you can slide plastic packers beneath the wall panel to level it up with the others. It is not necessary for all of the panels to be perfectly level at the top as this will later be covered by the roof. However, you should ensure that the panels are plumb.

Once all of the wall panels have been fitted, move and position the front section to sit above the doors. Use screws to hold this in place.
Next, add the setting rails. The setting rails will keep the walls in the correct position when lifting the roof in place – these can be removed once construction has been completed. Install the rails internally.
Do another check using your spirit level to ensure that all of the walls are plumb, then bolt the panels together using coach bolts. Extra screws can be used to fix the panels to each other and to the floor.

Installing the Roof

The roofing panels are labelled just like the flooring and wall panels. Carefully checking these, lift and position the panels into place and interlock them together. You need to ensure the overhang on the roof is even.
Check the roof is offset correctly to the side, back and front panels. Then, secure the roof panels to each other and to the walls using screws. When fixing panels to the roof, make sure you drill into the roof joists.
Secure the large fascia boards to the roof using poly pins. Ensure that the top of the fascia board is in line with the top of the roof. The fascia boards do have corner caps so the joins do not need to be completely accurate.
Before fitting the rubber, thoroughly inspect the roof checking for fixings and debris that could damage the material.
Lift the rubber with care onto the roof structure and spread out evenly, leaving an even overhang. Practice caution when moving and positioning the rubber material as it can easily tear when dragged.
Let the rubber material settle to the ambient temperature for at least 15 minutes.
After the relaxing time is up, peel back half of the rubber and apply the water-based adhesive to the exposed section of the roof. Make sure to leave a 150mm gap around the perimeter for contact adhesive application later on.
Lay the rubber over the water based adhesive carefully to prevent air bubbles. If there are any bubbles, use a brush to remove.
Repeat this process for the remaining half of the roof.
Apply contact adhesive to the roof and rubber around the 150mm perimeter gap you previously left. Be careful once again to ensure there are no air bubbles.
Apply the top trims to the front and two sides of the roof.
Seal the corners, fit the corner caps, then install the rear drip to the back of the building structure.

Installing Doors and Windows

Doors and windows can be fitted into the 70mm timber wall frames. They can be de-glazed on site and drilled directly through the frames. Fitted trims and silicone are included for a professional finish to the doors. Any windows are also supplied with a trickle vent and rain drip cowl with a capillary system to direct water on to the external sill and away from the building.

Will I Need Planning Permission to Build a Garden Building?

In most cases, planning permission will not be required to build a garden room, as long as the structure fits within guidelines for permitted development. Most properties in the UK will allow this, with some exceptions including listed buildings, homes in National Parks, World Heritage Sites, AONB, or the Norfolk/Suffolk Broads. For more insight into planning permission rules for outbuildings, here is a checklist from PlanningPortal.co.uk:

No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
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.
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.
No verandas, balconies or raised platforms (a platform must not exceed 0.3 metres in height)
No more than half the area of land around the "original house" would be covered by additions or other buildings.
In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from the house to be limited to 10 square metres.
On designated land buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.

Finished!

Your brand-new timber-framed garden building has now been successfully built! You are now free to decorate the internal space as you please, giving your garden room a touch of your individual style and taste. Fill with furniture, paint the walls, and make the space feel like your own.

For further questions and queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly customer service team who will be more than happy to help. Simply give them a call on 01295 565565, email [email protected], or leave a message in our handy live chat.

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