Hampshire Wildlife Trust

Last year, in the summer of 2019, we at Rotunda Roundhouses have been fortunate enough to build a small 4m diameter Eco-building for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife trust. Set in the wetlands of the the Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve, this gorgeous little engagement office greets visitors as they arrive.

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This unit is unique, as are all of our commissions. The Wildlife Trust were keen on having an extra large bi-fold door which is a light oak effect Aluminium and spans a 2.5m width. The roof is our standard sedum blanket which promotes biodiversity for the insects and the interior walls are finished with their selected Farrow & Ball paint shade.

Overall, despite the harsh winter in an exposed spot, the building is weathering well and will continue to stand here as a beautiful “welcome office” for decades to come.

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Larch, incidentally, is our cladding of choice on all of our structures. It’s got excellent water repellent features due to it’s high resin content which is also a natural insecticide. The Scottish, historically used Larch for boat building and we beleive it to be the most durable exterior wood finish available in the UK. Working lifespan of a building like this would exceed 30-40 years.

So, if you take a visit to the nature reserve and spot a little round building boasting a Mandala on it’s glazing… you’ve met our little baby. We love this building so much!

Winner announced!

…. Drumroll please……

And the winner of the #Lockdown HERO campaign is…..

Congratulations Anisa! You have a free Weekend break at the Yurt Retreat in Somerset! https://www.theyurtretreat.co.uk/

House build on-going in Cheshire

Fortunately for our client, the COVID situation hasn’t affected the progression of her beautiful 5 bedroomed house construction in Lymm, Cheshire. Before we unveil it publicly on it’s completion we thought we’d upate you with a few progress shots…

Ah! This is the mother of all Rotundas! With the largest Roundel measuring 13m diameter and the second largest at 12m; this is a truly exceptional undertaking. Designed by our director Joanna Hayes, this is the largest build and the first double storey we’ve ever constructed. Breaking boundaries, pushing paradigms and building a better world, one Roundhouse at a time.

Oh, and the plans… just to give you a glimpse of what the finished project will look like…

Remember to water that roof!

We are so fortunate to have the most amazingly clear skies and warm weather at a time of national and international crisis! Whilst we are busy honing our newly acquired skills in baking soudough and homeschooling (erm, well, if you could call it that) it’s easy to overlook some key maintenance requirements in the garden. Although our English lawns are not yet as dry and parched as they were back in the summer 2018, the lack of rain is starting to affect many of our small shrubs and border plants.

One plant that might have been overlooked is the one on top of your Rotunda Roundhouse garden room! It’s a very hardy little succulent; the sedum. Nevertheless… if left in a drought situation it can end up looking like this:

But it doesn’t take much to revive it- you can either purchase some seeds from us and re-seed it, or go directly to our Sedum roof supplier SKYGARDENS who can perform a maintenance service for you.

If you remember that your roof is a living organism and if you remember to give it a little water in a drought, you can keep your roof looking like this!

COVID-19 Update

To protect the health of our workforce we have had to slow our organisation down. As of Monday the 30th of March we have had to cease activity in our joinery workshop. We still have builds on site ongoing and we are still answering our phones and email.

This does mean, that work in production as slowed down and we have prepared our factory so that the moment the lock-down is lifted we can get straight back to work. We have a dozen clients waiting on their buildings over the next three months. Be rest assured that although you are still a priority for us, our installation schedule will certainly be affected by this temporary shut-down of operations. We will be in touch to advise each and every one of our clients of the estimated build date once we have a clearer idea of when we can commence manufacture pending hibernation.

Please bear with us whilst we ride out the storm. We will be fully operational again as soon as the situation improves.

Contact us here if you have any queries in the meanwhile. See you soon!

Rotunda Roundhouses x

MP visits Rotunda Roundhouse at a local school to offer condolences

On Friday the 20th of March in the little Peak District village of Combs, the one and only infant school closed its doors to the vast majority of their children and families in local community.   The MP Robert Largan came to visit the school as they closed their doors to wish everybody well, offer his condolences and support.  Whilst remaining open to key-workers families, this temporary school closure is particularly difficult for Combs Infant School considering it was only six months ago that they celebrated the opening of their inspirational new eco-building “The Treehouse” which afforded them the space to accept extra pupils and keep their school open despite funding cuts.    A truly unique building which was very special to the school; a circular timber-framed structure designed to provide an uplifting and engaging learning experience, inspired by the Iron Age roundhouses of our ancestors and the circles, nests & cycles of nature

When asked how he felt about the National school closures Robert Largan stated that “it’s an unprecedented situation and very sad to see it happen but the government are having to do this based on the best medical advice. But at the same time they are doing it in a way which allows key workers to send their children in. This ensures that NHS staff can continue their vital services. We realise that we are asking a lot of parents teachers and everybody involved but I’m confident that we will find a way through this”. He finished by stating “We’re all In this together”. 

Mrs Cook added that: “Combs is a small school but all the staff and governors are working really hard to support our children and parents.  At this difficult time it has also been great that all the local schools have been working together to support each other.”

Working from Home? A Garden Office is the way to go!

Covid-19 is a very real and very depressing state of affairs for all of us. Some might argue that this is a positive pause for the environment and natural world (Venice canals with clear water and an abundance of fish) and the slowing down of our seemingly unstoppable capitalist system is a welcome reduction in pollution and C02 emissions. Many of us at Rotunda Roundhouses are now working from home, although our guys on the installation teams are still working around the clock to deliver truly exceptional Garden Buildings.

Working from home is something of which I am a true advocate. Some of my clearest moments and best phone conversations can happen in the sanctity of my home, away from the distractions of the workshop and HQ. However, throw UK School Closures into the mix, and there is a disaster waiting to happen. Children are a truly terrifying addition to home working. Forever a joy to behold on time off, but an endless distraction and source of stress and frustration when one really needs to focus.

So, how can you get some headspace when your childen are going crazy, the washing machine is on full-pelt, the dog is trying to eat the cat and your wife/husband is in your ear?! How can any productivity happen when you’re homeworking and you’re at the kitchen table with a zoo-like scene cascading around your ears?

You get out into the garden.

With a purpose-built garden building. We can design and construct:

• Garden Offices
• Garden Studios
• Garden homeworking space
• Garden houses
• Workshop buildings
• Meeting rooms
• 90% soundproofed and quiet music studios
• Creative garden buildings
• Writing dens for the garden
• Garden office sanctuaries

If you are struggling with the homeworking/home/life balance and require a dedicated space to work in, we can assist you with a fully installed, insulated, heated, expertly finished timber-framed garden home office to enable you to work from home in a peaceful environment.

For a single person micro-office, we can build and install in approximately 4 weeks. The factory can manufacture in 14 days. We need 5-7 days to install in your garden.

We will actively prioritise those forced to work from home due to the virus epidemic and will aim to deliver within weeks of your order being placed.

• Free upgrade to wildflower meadow on the roof until the end of April
• 5% Discount on orders placed in March
• Free Installation
• Haulage fee applicable dependent on distance
• Your electrician will need to lay your electrical cable

Call us without delay 0161 2223350

Meet Tilia

On a blustery mid-winters day in 2018 the first panels for ‘Tilia’, a 5.5m en-suite “assisted build” (self-build kit) were delivered to a rural site in North Wales.

This building was crafted in our workshop and assembled on site for a very excited couple, Jenny and Tom Williams of the Laundry Retreat, in Wales.

When we left site, the walls were up, the roof on, the door and windows in and the building left in a structurally sound and watertight condition. Ready for the clients to take the reigns.

Over 12 months later…. we see these photographs come back to the Rotunda Roundhouses Mothership…. one of our babies is now out in the world and has been lovingly finished and furnished to an exceptional standard.

If you’d like to book in for a stay at this beautiful spot in Denbigh then there is a link to the booking form and their website here https://thelaundryretreatnorthwales.co.uk/contact-the-laundry-llanrhaedr/north-wales-boutique-accommodation/

Biodiversity & Rotunda

Rather than delve into the multitude of reasons why the Rotunda is a unique eco-structure which is positive for people, planet and biodiversity; we thought we might just highlight TWO of the main elements which we promote as our primary specifications. (1) Sedum (Green) Roof and (2) Groundscrews – low-impact/above ground footings.

We believe that an eco-building is one which causes minimum disturbance to the landscape; and not only avoids concrete wherever possible but actively replaces the loss of vegetation taken up by it’s footprint – with the roof! These two elements alone, go a long way to mitigate the impact of your building. Next week – timber!

Curved Sliding Doors in a Roundhouse Garden Room

Yesterday, the shipment, from Balconette Window Systems was the first of it’s kind for Rotunda Roundhouses. It was with much trepidation and bated breath that six of our skilled tradesmen gently and very, very incredibly slowly unloaded a consignment of curved sliding doors into the workshop. At a cost which would make your eyes water, the eight highly precious & valuable panels were gently unpacked, inspected and carried into our facilities with care and a little bit of fear. If we were to break one, the result would be utterly unimaginable.

Having waited for over four months for their arrival, there was a tangible mix of expectancy and dread as we carried them to their storage area and wrapped them in blankets ready for dispatch on Monday.

A client of ours in Sussex has commissioned us to design and build an incredible Rotunda 6m Garden Room for entertaining and dinner events. The building itself has a composite slate terracotta roof and deep canopy. Built with an en-suite w/c and finished with underfloor heating and a bespoke paint finish, this is set to be one of our most glamorous garden buildings yet. Needless to say, we have to carefully transport them to the site next week and we’ll not sleep much until we see them safe and installed into this majestic building.

In the meanwile, here are some illustrations and photographs of the scheme concept and comparable door styles to whet your appetite pending the photography of the completed Rotunda Roundhouse.

Fingers crossed for a smooth and stress-free installation! Good luck team!!