Answers to the most popular questions, including setup, electricity installation, finish, permits and guarantee on our range of garden office rooms and lodges.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Garden Rooms
What areas of the country do you cover?
Vivid Pods install garden rooms, studios and offices nationwide across the whole of the UK.
Do I need planning permission for my garden room?
Our garden rooms normally do not require planning permission as they fall within permitted development guidelines. To be accepted as an ‘outbuilding’ under the guidelines it should not contain sleeping accommodation and should be no higher than 2.5 metres. Our garden rooms are built to comply with permitted development as long as certain criteria are met. If you do require planning permission we can help.
*Please see our planning permission guide.
Installation of a garden room?
On-site build times are between 5-10 working days depending on range and specification
Our fully trained, professional and highly skilled fitting teams thrive on attention to detail.They will ensure they leave your garden in good order and the garden room will be thoroughly cleaned on completion
On the day of handover our dedicated team will complete a 5 point completion/sign off form with you on a final walk around, and all relevant certification will be emailed through with any operation and maintenance manuals.
How should I prepare my site area?
Before foundations can be installed please ensure that the chosen site is free of trees, branches and plants that could restrict access. Any pipework that needs to be installed for water or sewerage should be carried out at this point.
*We can clear sites for a pre-agreed price if required (please discuss prior to site start date).
What space do you require around the garden room?
Vivid Pods that are less than 15m² internal in size will need a minimum of 400-500mm from the external walls of the building to any boundary, thi also helps with ease of installation and future maintenance, greater than 15m² (internally) require up to 1m gap from the property boundary in order to comply with current regulations.
Electrical connection?
Included in our cost is the main electrical connection from your house consumer unit to your new garden office run in (SWA) steel wire armoured cabling up to 20m (this does not include any trenches dug that maybe required) *conditions apply.
*Trenches can be dug for a pre agreed cost if required (please discuss prior to site start date) conditions apply and a pre site visit is normally required.
It’s a legal requirement that a qualified electrician undertakes any domestic electrical work including the connection of the electrics in your garden room to your home’s main supply, we offer a full turnkey service for added piece of mind and to limit the need to use any other trades for a quicker turnaround.
Internet connectivity?
We have various solutions available to provide internet connectivity to your garden studio, please call to discuss various options available.
Decoration - Farrow & Ball
All of our vivids pods are decorated with Farrow & Ball as standard to a colour of your choice (stock/colour depending) *colour must be decided pre start one week before our installation team arrive on site. Skirting boards/architraves farrow & ball white eggshell as standard.
What foundations do you use?
We use a ground screw foundation system which has a 25 year warranty on all of their helical ground screws for added piece of mind. The base is then constructed using 150mm x 50mm treated timber joists which are fixed into the foundations. The floor base is raised slightly above ground level to ensure that no timber is in contact with the ground. This prevents rising damp and creates an air gap underneath to prevent moisture.
What guarantee do you provide?
Vivid Pods come with a 10-year structural guarantee, a 20 year EPDM guarantee. Our specified screw pile foundations come with a 25 year product warranty. Our windows and doors come with a 10 year product guarantee against discolouration, warping and cracking.
Vivid Pods are built to modern house building standards so you can enjoy your garden room safe in the knowledge that it’s built to last.
What are the payment terms?
When an order is placed, a 50% deposit is required. An installation date is then allocated, and all necessary materials that are required to complete the build are ordered. The remaining 50% is due on build completion and handover documentation including part P electrical certification.
Warm enough?
All of our garden studios are very well insulated with celotex. Celotex PIR provides one of the most effective, thermally efficient insulation solutions to the UK construction industry. Vivid Pods are comfortable to use 365 days a year whatever the weather outside.
What is included in the price?
Our prices include VAT and the full price of installation including standard screw pile foundations (subject to a site survey), electrical connection cost to mains (up to 20m-fees apply over 20m and subject to a site survey).
Small additional costs if required
Quoted for separately will be location costs (applicable over 60miles) skip hire, mains connection over 20m, trenches, site clearance.
Garden room sizes?
Our garden rooms start at 2m x 3m with an internal area of 6m2, we have a flexible design approach and can build to pretty much any size. Please discuss if you are interested in our bespoke design service. Our designs help to minimise the overall building footprint while utilising the available internal space.
Bespoke garden room?
All our garden rooms have been professionally designed. Whilst we have a range of designs and styles many of our clients enquire if it's possible to make changes to the designs.
This is not a problem and we offer this service free of charge. We understand there is a multitude of uses and requirements for our Vivid Garden Pods and we are determined to create the best possible solution for our clients' needs.
Do your garden buildings come with heating?
All of our garden buildings come with one or two wall-mounted glass 1.5kw panel heaters as standard depending on specification. These are available in either black or white. Other options available are; Underfloor heating, Air Conditioning *and wood burners (*local regulations apply).