There was a time when working from home meant confiscating a corner of the kitchen table or a spare bedroom, piling the files on the floor, and generally upsetting the rest of the family. In effect, it meant making the best of what was (or, in the case of the kitchen, generally wasn’t) on offer.
Working from home is, according to largely self-appointed experts, an established trend (a government report talks of 50% of people working from home within the next 10 years). Moreover, it is cost-effective: companies require less floor space and employees can be more productive because they no longer need to travel to the office.
If it sounds like paradise all round then it’s a surprise that far more people aren’t doing it.
One obvious reason is that home office conditions are often less than ideal.
Ardis Design, a Devon company, is changing all this with its timber construction garden offices. For people who have a vision of a glorified garden shed, freezing in winter, suffocating in summer, and suitable only for lawn mowers and sacks of compost, the only factor the two have in common is the garden location.
Office suite
According to Ardis designer and qualified architect Michael O’Connor, the accommodation “is as good as, if not better than, any modern city centre office suite”.
The Ardis provides a fully-fitted garden office available in a range of sizes, fully insulated, double-glazed, clad in exterior Medite MDF, with multipoint locking of doors and windows, fitted carpet, flame-retardant interior, and with its own heating system, lighting and power points, and a mobility threshold for wheelchairs. Smaller models come complete with furniture, heating and lighting.
The building has its own integral foundations and is usually erected in a day by an Ardis crew. Virtually any size of garden is suitable, along with a firm, level site and a power supply. There is a 10-year guarantee.
A special jointing system – made easier by using Medite Exterior MDF – enables these largely timber buildings to be broken down into smaller parts and literally taken through the front door or down narrow side passages. Such flexibility (it can be equally easily dismantled and relocated) is making the Ardis a favourite among companies seeking low-cost extra offices and conference rooms.
Major benefits
The switch to Medite Exterior MDF from shiplap has provided major benefits. For a start, the use of Medite Exterior – produced by Weyerhaeuser Europe – has considerable savings both in labour and maintenance costs. Medite Exterior panels, supplied by Silverman, are already profiled, whereas shiplap required individual machining. There are also savings of around 20 hours per building on fixing too, said Mr O’Connor. Spray coating of the large Medite Exterior panels as opposed to shiplap means another 20 hours saving.
Altogether, Ardis calculates it has achieved about one week’s labour saving by introducing exterior MDF panels.
Maintenance costs
The saving in maintenance costs – Medite Exterior has a 10-year guarantee – is incalculable. Ardis is, in fact, breathing a collective sigh of relief. With shiplap, even a moderately knotty exterior might cause problems, prompting the provision of a maintenance team. With Ardis garden offices now sold all over the UK, there was the potential for a highly expensive problem.
Ardis takes care to follow the requirements for the successful use of Medite Exterior – sealing of all edges, avoidance of contact with the ground (Ardis garden offices are mounted on preservative-treated timber sleepers), and the use of a proven coating system.
Ardis uses a Sikkens waterborne acrylic primer, applying an initial coat to all machined areas, plus two further coats over the complete surface area. This is followed by two coats of Sadolin Superdec satin opaque wood protection. The result is cladding that is effectively impervious whatever the weather.
“Medite Exterior MDF is a superior product,” said Mr O’Connor, “and it has had a very positive impact on our company.”
Colour range
The garden offices range from 2.2×1.6m (7x5ft) to any size required, in 2ft or 4ft modules, available in 50 different colours. The smallest Ardis office can be erected within the grounds of listed buildings, in national parks, in areas of outstanding beauty, and within 5m of a dwelling house without planning permission being required.
And here’s another good reason for working from home. Because the Ardis equals the Building Regulation requirements of a new house, its value is likely to rise, tracking house prices in the area where it is located.
