Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Shed or caravan?

Well, technically, it's a caravan. Designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman for Retreat Homes, this is how they explain it:
"Technically, it is a caravan and conforms to the definition of a Caravan as set out in the Caravan Sites Act 1968. It is also built to British Standard BS/EN 3632. It is therefore exempt from Building Regulations and VAT (apart from any furnishings, upon which VAT is applied). Classified as a transportable building, it is ready to move into within days and can be situated in places that a conventional home cannot. The Retreat is also National Caravan Council (NCC) approved."
So could it go in the garden?
"A Retreat may be sited within the grounds of a dwelling house, without the need for planning consent, provided that:
* - It is legally a ‘caravan’ (ie: it complies with the definitions within the Caravan Sites and Development Act 1960 and the Caravan Sites Act 1968).
* - The caravan is sited within the curtilage of the dwelling house.
* - The caravan is sited for a purpose incidential to the enjoyment of the dwelling house as such."


Although it's aimed at a holiday home market, there is a garden office option. It's FSC timber, with floor to ceiling windows, oak floors and kitchen or bathroom options, plus furniture suggestions. Thanks to Tim Baber for spotting this at the Grand Designs Show.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:15 AM

    any idea of price of smaller ones

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  2. Anonymous11:19 AM

    I always thought a caravan would need to have wheels to be classed as a caravan. I guess I was wrong. In any case it looks like a great structure. Don't know it would fit in everywhere but interesting none the less.

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  3. This is neither, it is by the looks of it a sectional building, possibly about 180mm walls, flat roof and on some kind of pad. I like the concept, but as always I dislike the timber used for construction. Yes as always i am shouting Siberian Larch, truly the water proof timber needed for a flat roof construction.
    I love the way they have used the panel layout, and the extra log windows, I have my fingers crossed that these are triple glased toughened windows?
    When manufacturing this kind of building I think TEK 10 which is the Norwegians standard of build for high insulated buildings, which we all know is the highest standard in the world, England sadly is 20 years behind the Norwegians. but gladly the EU are now pushing the UK builders to start upping their game.
    Also another difference between the Britt's and the Norwegians is the use of higher quality building material. The UK builders will use C16 and believe this is fine, yet we for the Norwegians would only use C18 for horizontal timbers and load bearing timber only C24 PEFC CE stamed timber ( can be seen on our face book page).. I understand in the UK the timber companies are completely ruthless on price for this kind of quality graded material, but when building Schools, nursing homes, residential structures, one would think quality would be the builders concern!
    Sorry, I always rabbit!
    Nice design....

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  4. Wonder what the effective lifespan is of the structure

    ReplyDelete