Pergolas, Log Cabins and Garden Structures

GARDEN · UNITED KINGDOM

Pergolas, Log Cabins and Garden Structures

Planning rules, foundations, timber and building one that lasts

Garden buildings are sold as kits and succeed or fail on the base and the rules, both of which are settled before anything arrives.

Planning permission

In England, outbuildings are generally permitted development within limits — no more than half the garden covered, a maximum height of 2.5 metres within two metres of a boundary, single storey and not forward of the principal elevation.

Conservation areas, listed buildings and designated land are tighter, and anything used as living or sleeping accommodation changes the position entirely. Check with the council rather than assuming.

Building regulations may apply depending on size, use and proximity to a boundary.

The base does the work

A level, firm base larger than nothing and no larger than the building — concrete, slabs on a compacted sub-base, or a ground screw and bearer system. An uneven base is why doors stop closing within a year.

Keep timber off the ground and allow airflow underneath.

Timber

Check the wall thickness for log cabins, since it determines strength and insulation. Slow-grown northern spruce and pine are the usual materials, and pressure-treated timber is needed for anything in ground contact.

Log cabins move seasonally, which is why they use storm braces and adjustable feet rather than being fixed rigid.

Treatment

Treat all faces including the underside and cut ends before and after assembly, and recoat every few years.

Pergolas

Fix posts properly into concrete or on post anchors, and consider wind load on anything with a solid roof or a climbing plant.

Roofing and gutters

Felt shingles or EPDM outlast basic mineral felt considerably and are worth the difference on anything you intend to keep. Fit gutters, since water running off a roof onto the base is what rots the bottom logs.

Check the roof pitch suits the covering, and clear leaves off annually.

Insulation and use

A building used as an office or a gym needs insulation, a damp-proof membrane and proper electrics. Electrical work outdoors and in outbuildings is notifiable and belongs with a qualified electrician.

Sleeping accommodation changes the planning and building regulations position entirely.

Security

Fit proper hinges and a decent lock, and tell your insurer, since contents in an outbuilding are frequently capped or excluded.

Assembly

Check the delivery against the parts list before starting, and expect two people and a full weekend for a log cabin. Log cabins are assembled dry without fixing the walls rigid, since the timber must move seasonally.

Follow the instructions on the adjustable feet and storm braces rather than improvising.

Buying

Check what is included — roofing felt, floor, fixings — since these are frequently extra.

WHERE TO BUY

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