Garden rooms are all the rage right now. It seems like half the country has been building an office, a gym or a pub in their back garden at some point in the last year. At Made Of Bits, we love this. It's brilliant to see creativity in times of adversity, and we hope these self-build projects continue through to a time when the pandemic is a distant memory.
That being said, we want to make sure these projects are done right. The little room at the end of the garden can be something that you and your family treasure for decades, and that's why it's so important to build it correctly. You don't want to have to tear your project down after a few years because the internal structure isn't strong enough, nor do you want to rush the process and build a boring room that you can't be proud of.
What Mistake Could I Be Making?
While we'd never knock anyone for giving a garden room project a go, a lot of the self-build projects we see are … well … a bit shit. They're functional and serve a purpose, but a lot of them are just square sheds, minus the lawnmowers.
We think a lot of people are underestimating their ability to build something beautiful that they can truly be proud of. They just need nudging in the right direction to get their creative juices flowing.
So, here's the issue. All garden rooms need a frame. A lot of people build this themselves with some wood and a few screws, but this comes with two problems. One, the frame is pivotal to the structural integrity of the room, and it's a little risky to cobble this together yourself. Two, it confines you to the 'square shed' style, severely limiting the potential of the project. If you want to create something unique, you'll need a little help.
How Can I Take My Project to the Next Level?
To get beyond the boring square style, CNC technology is your friend. CNC stands for 'computer numerical control', and its the process of cutting materials extremely precisely with the help of a computer. The accuracy of its cutting is an obvious benefit, as it means the measurements will be bang on every time, but the main advantage of CNC is that it allows you to cut materials into unusual shapes and sizes.
Of course, we're not telling you to invest thousands of pounds in a CNC machine for one DIY project. That would be stupid.
We're a CNC studio based in Matlock, Derbyshire, and we specialise in designing and creating bespoke frames for a range of projects, including domes (see above), glamping pods and, of course, garden rooms. We do sell pre-made glamping pod and garden room frame kits, but our speciality is creating unique, custom designs for our clients. We love nothing more than working with our clients to show them just how special their project can be.
A client recently came to us, wanting help building a garden office that wasn't just a glorified shed. We spoke with him, gauged his needs, and produced the frame design that you can see below. We're currently cutting the frame for him, and we'll be keeping you updated as his build progresses.
Now, you might not like that particular design, and that's fine. In fact, that's the point. We don't want everyone asking for the same style. Your project is for you, your family and maybe your friends, but nobody else. So you should be building something that you actually want to build. And we can help you with that.
Why Pick Made Of Bits?
We're not the only CNC studio out there, but we do believe we're the best.
Every design we produce is rendered like the one above. From there, you can make alterations to ensure it's exactly as you like it before we start the build.
Our frames are different to other CNC companies, as we fuse modern CNC techniques with traditional joinery. We work with large commercial manufacturers, such as Lune Valley Pods, and they love the strength of our frames and the level of customisation that we offer in our designs.
We also offer fascias, end walls and all sorts of optional extras that can help you out with your project.
Finally, we'd like to think that we're a good business to work with. As you can tell from this blog post (P.S. click here to see our other blogs), we're not afraid to drop the odd profanity here and there, and that's because we're normal people. We're not interested in being fake just to conform to the traditional definition of 'professional'. We're real people who take pride in our work and care about our clients. That sounds professional enough to us.
Oh, and we have a resident boxer dog called Rocky.
What Now?
If you're interested in having a chat, give us a call on 07557 435164, or drop us an email at hello@madeofbits.co.uk. In the meantime, feel free to have a browse of some completely unrelated projects we've worked on, and take a look at our Facebook and Instagram pages. We look forward to hearing from you!