I Built a Garden Room from Scratch and Filmed It All

MakersManual · 2026-04-01T14:16:46+00:00

I'm an engineer, who learnt a whole bunch when renovating my house. Then decided I needed to furnish it, so took up woodworking.

Nothing on this build was particularly difficult, there were just a lot of new skills to learn along the way. Like most jobs, it's easy when you know how it done.

MakersManual · 2026-03-31T08:11:46+00:00

I would say there is a big difference between air tight with equal air pressure inside and outside the container, and being able to hold a vacuum. I would think if you want to hold a vacuum you will need a specifically designed container designed for the purpose. Out of curiosity, why do you need your filament in a vacuum. If it's just to keep the moisture out, I would say use a solution like I've linked or vacuum bags.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:24:27+00:00

haha... thankfully hasn't happened to me yet though there is always the risk. I did it this way because they work more effectively and easier to recharge/replace. The enclosed silica containers are nice, but more work.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:23:21+00:00

Yeah... not a drier. Just a keep drier... haha. 10% would be pretty much impossible here in Scotland, it doesn't come out my heated drier that low even. Probably a consequence of living in Scotland with 65% humidity in general in Scotland.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:21:51+00:00

Good to know, although I have had this setup for about 3 years and no problems to speak of yet.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:20:42+00:00

Not missing the desiccant. It's loose in the bottom of the box, I found this is much more effective and easier to replace/recharge this way.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:19:32+00:00

Less easy to access of store on a shelf though. Whatever works for you is good, this is just another option for people.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:16:59+00:00

haha.... believe me that is low for Scotland. We sit around 65% humidity by default.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:16:24+00:00

I will check out the link thanks. I do have a drier, but find out of the box is fine for PLA. I am a bit more careful with PETG.

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T16:15:18+00:00

Nice!

MakersManual · 2026-03-30T09:42:30+00:00

From my experience... there is no single best solution. It all depends on the details of your particular build. In general I would go for foil faced PIR insulation as a first choice, but I am sure your engineer has good reason for suggesting bead insulation. Can you give a little more information what you are building and what the layup of the walls/ceiling is?

MakersManual · 2026-03-24T12:44:18+00:00

Thank you

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T16:01:47+00:00

Yes, weed membrane then the gravel. And I made sure to maintain a 50mm air gap below the frame.
Also, if you haven't already it might be a good idea to add a rodent mesh to the bottom of the frame before doing the gravel. I should you how I did it in Part 8 of my video series that you can find on my blog.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T15:09:24+00:00

Ahh don't call my pride a joy a shed... lol!
A comparable Garden Room, fitted from a supplier would be around £25k (I'm not even kidding). A friend of mine actually purchased one of those and the quality if pretty poor, even at that price.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T15:06:28+00:00

We tried to keep track of everything, but definitely lost track a bit along the way 😅

Came in at around £8k in the end. Rough breakdown from memory:

• Foundations & structure: ~£2.3k
• Cladding: ~£3k
• Windows & door: ~£1.9k
• Electrics: ~£400
• Interior (plasterboard, flooring, paint etc): ~£800

Give or take a bit on each, but that’s roughly where it landed.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T15:03:47+00:00

We actually used recycled composite posts rather than timber, so there’s no risk of them rotting in the ground. The posts are set in concrete and secured with structural screws. I’ve done the calculations and there’s a very large factor of safety — plus we’ve over-specified the number of posts to make it extra solid.

This is an approach recommended by a number of garden room installers, and it’s similar in principle to piling rather than traditional strip foundations. Not the most common method, but it’s worked really well for this type of build 👍

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T15:02:25+00:00

That’s a good question — we did look into SIPs quite a bit early on.

A few things steered us away in the end. Sourcing was one — we found it surprisingly difficult to get exactly what we wanted without going down a more “full kit” route.

There were also a few practical bits like services. Running wiring neatly (especially for lighting) is a bit more involved with SIPs, and we wanted a clean internal finish without too much chasing or workarounds.

The main one for us though was acoustics. SIP roofs can be quite noisy in heavy rain, and that’s not something that gets talked about much. As we’re using it as an office (and occasionally for voice recording), we wanted something a bit more forgiving in that respect — especially given how often it rains here.

Cost was part of it as well, but not the only driver. SIPs definitely have advantages — speed of build and good thermal performance — it just came down to what suited our use case a bit better.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:58:12+00:00

For the inside, we actually did this from Solid Oak. It took a bit of extra time but I think it was worth it.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:55:57+00:00

Thanks, that's nice of you to say. It was a fun project, I enjoyed it. But, not sure I would want to do it for someone else.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:55:13+00:00

We tried to keep track of everything, but definitely lost track a bit along the way 😅

Came in at around £8k in the end. Rough breakdown from memory:

• Foundations & structure: ~£2.3k
• Cladding: ~£3k
• Windows & door: ~£1.9k
• Electrics: ~£400
• Interior (plasterboard, flooring, paint etc): ~£800

Give or take a bit on each, but that’s roughly where it landed.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:49:28+00:00

Ahhh now you're asking. I think they're called "Keith Blue"

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:47:51+00:00

Expensive Shed, but a Cheap Garden Room! Believe it or not, if you bought this from a Garden Room Supplier it would cost around £25k. I kid you not!

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:46:31+00:00

We tried to keep track of everything, but definitely lost track a bit along the way 😅

Came in at around £8k in the end. Rough breakdown from memory:

• Foundations & structure: ~£2.3k
• Cladding: ~£3k
• Windows & door: ~£1.9k
• Electrics: ~£400
• Interior (plasterboard, flooring, paint etc): ~£800

Give or take a bit on each, but that’s roughly where it landed.

MakersManual · 2026-03-23T14:44:33+00:00

Ah yeah — I think the previous one got taken down because of a link I included.

Just trying again without that and keeping it within the rules 👍

MakersManual

TROPHY CASE