Rotunda Garden Buildings in prestigious Garden Centres

If you’re keen to spend a little time inside a Roundhouse to get an idea of our finishes and the overall look and feel of the Rotunda garden building you may now be able to do so…..

Rotunda Roundhouse buildings are already on display at two Blue Diamond Garden Centres in the UK.

The first of ten units are part of an onward drive by our distributor Jon Burke at World of Smile and his partners BlueDiamond Garden Centre Group to promote the Rotunda, along with a small selection of other exclusive, high quality garden buildings across multiple sites over the UK.

The step forwards into UK Garden Centres is a huge leap forwards for our small joinery firm as we expand into a larger organisation and extend our reach into the homes and gardens of domestic home owners who stumble across us whilst shopping at the retail outlet. We expect to see at least ten units exhibited during the course of 2019 with more sites popping up in 2020 through to 2021.

Nottingham….

The first Rotunda Garden Building to complete was at Bridgford Garden Centre in Nottingham. This one is being publicly unveiled at the opening day on the 26th of January. We chose a 5.5m en-suite Garden Annexe for this site which was the same model exhibited at the Glamping Show in September 2018.

This magnificent garden building boasts a curved, sweeping bespoke Kitchen dresser unit with an integrated hob, electric oven, integrated fridge and seamless sink unit which drops down below the smooth corian work-surface.

Fleet…

The spectacular Redfields Garden Centre in Fleet (Image credit: https://studionesh.co.uk/projects)
This little Roundhouse has a floor area of under 10m2 and would be perfect as a garden office, consultation room or art studio.

Sitting at the entrance of this impressive new Garden Center in Fleet is a little 3m garden room called “Joy”.  Given the dramatic roof line of this spectacular building, it’s only fitting that a curvy Roundhouse would sit at it’s entrance.  

Inside the 3m internal diameter Rotunda unit “Joy” in Fleet

What’s next….?

The third site is already underway for Bicester, Oxford. This time, Jon Burke and his team have designed a dual-wing 6.5m diameter garden building (similar to the below design) called “The Angel”…. This will serve as their sales-office and show-room. We’re installing it in April 2019.

Of course, you needn’t travel across the UK to a Garden Centre. If you’d like to book a visit to see a Rotunda which has been installed near you please don’t hesitate to drop us a line on 0161 2223350 whereby we’ll do our best to connect you with a client of ours who may be kind enough to allow you to see their pride and joy.

Have a lovely start to 2019! See you soon.

Rotunda x

Why choose 100% British Timber?

The Rotunda is a rural creature, and sits well amongst trees

“We are the only modular buildings company in the UK who use 100% British Timber in their buildings.”

Gemma Roe
5m external diameter British Cedar shingled Rotunda

Most modular and garden buildings sold in the UK are usually clad with either Canadian or Siberian timber.   Not only is it absurd that timber is being flown half way across the world, it’s nowhere near as attractive as our homegrown British wood.

As a consequence, our own woodlands are suffering and traditional forestry trades and crafts are dying out.   We would like to reverse this trend.

We source the majority of our timber from local UK woodlands only, we love wood to have character and love to use Larch, Douglas Fir, Oak and Sweet Chestnut from our very own country – to promote active woodland management and encourage more woodland management schemes!

Modular Buildings: How much should I budget for professional fees?

Are you looking to create a new-build, home extension or bespoke modular building in your garden or on your land?

When it comes to commissioning your bespoke project there is nothing more exciting than designing your dream space, to the very last detail.   A ‘Grand Designs’ Dream in reality, you can be your own architect, designer and envision your space…. With the help and guidance of the right professionals of course! But therein lies a plethora of hidden costs and regulatory hoops which you are required to acknowledge.   

Hopefully this blog will break down some of the core costs associated with a self-build modular building project and highlight the best direction to take as you embark on your journey. 

Garden buildings come in one of two forms:

  1. Off the peg  standard range of sizes.  Available usually within 6-12 weeks and one or two elements are customisable to a point
  2. Bespoke  Designed around the clients ‘wish-list’, highly customisable features & non-standard finishes 

The first option may suit you if:

  • You are short on time and need something which has already been designed, tested and certified and is ready to go!
  • You do not require planning permission and you just need a turnkey option to arrive in your garden with minimal work required by you
  • You would like to stick to a set budget and avoid the risk of any surprises where the final bill is concerned
  • You are happy to allow the manufacturers to dictate the design elements and you can work around their specification

The second option is more suited to you if:

  • You have specific requirements/design aspirations that you would like to achieve
  • You would prefer to specify the materials and the finishes yourself
  • There are elements to the building which are ‘out of the norm’ such as linking it to an existing building
  • You enjoy design and creative work and wish to dictate the shape/scale and orientation of the building
  • You are a stickler for detail and would like to source bespoke fittings/ironmongery/sky lights and finishes
  • You like to browse design sites such as Pinterest and incorporate design schemes within your building

What are the cost implications for bespoke modular buildings?

Briefing requirements will vary from project to project depending on scale and specific design requirements. 

We take time to understand your specific needs, your property wish-list, material requirements and building orientation. We work with our customers to design, build and manage the project from start to completion, to your style and budget.  

The steps required to embark on your bespoke modular building: 

    1. We offer an initial FREE consultation at our Design Studio & Rotunda HQ or site survey at your property, where we take a brief from you and spend time to understand your project, needs, budget and timeline.   (If you are unable to make it into our facility, we can meet via Skype)

  1. We outline the core elements of your design scheme and discuss orientation, finishes and construction style
  2. By the end of the session we undertake a review and provide you with a simple floor plan sketch and a guideline estimate for your project

FREE  £

PRELIMINARY DESIGN WORK

An Architect or Designer undertakes a more in-depth analysis of your basic design concepts and converts these into:

  1. 3D design sketches & mood boards (if specified) 

   3D SCALE DRAWINGS  £300.00 ex VAT 

2.  AutoCAD plans and Elevations

Architects Drawings For Planning Application Purposes

  • Full planning package £2,495.00 ex VAT – This includes the FOLLOWING:
  • Plans
  • Elevations
  • Site Plan
  • Location Plan
  • Design & Access Document
  • Submission
  • Liaison with the Planning Authority

It excludes:

  • Specialist reports
  • Local Authority fees

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT & APPROVALS

We can provide you with all of the architects drawings for local authority Buildings Control applications, and we can assist you with processing of approval documentation in collaboration with local councils and statutory bodies.

We fully specify and provide a fixed cost for the build and delivery, and packages, if any have been selected.

BUILDINGS CONTROL DRAWINGS ONLY CIRCA £650.00 – £750.00 (DEPENDENT ON COMPLEXITY) 

To include Application Management & Buildings Control Liaison through to approval <£2,400.00 

 

CONSTRUCTION & DELIVERY

Following Design, Contract, Approvals and Costing stages we start off-site manufacture and on-site preparation works, including (if specified) foundations in readiness for delivery.

We then arrange access, delivery and placement of your bespoke modular building and liaise with you to organise the connection to services and final completion.

If you have selected any bolt-on packages like kitchens and bathrooms these are also delivered and completed as part of the final on-site stages.

EXAMPLE PAYMENT SCHEDULE 

  • Initial design service and ballpark quotation £ FREE
  • 3D Concept drawings £300.00 ex VAT
  • Mood Boards/ Interior design and bespoke materials £300.00 ex VAT per board 
  • Architects Plans and submission to Planning inc. Site and Location Plans £2,495.00 (dependent on complexity of design)
  • Architects Detailed Drawings for Buildings Control £650.00 – £1,200.00 (dependent on complexity of design)
  • Buildings Control Application Management & Liaison to approval <£1,900.00 

To use the example above, excluding third party / Local Authority fees and Planning consultants fees you may need to budget between £5,000.00 – £7,500.00 to design your Bespoke Modular Building.

Professional services fees are not applicable on ‘off the peg’ buildings as manufacturers have already soaked these costs into their R&D for the product when it was initially designed. 

The fees we’ve cited are applicable to our pricing structure only and you may find that other contractors fees may vary from ours. It could be more economical to enlist the services of a local architect to design your dream bespoke modular building with you and take you through the planning process independently.   We can then manufacture to your design once you have undertaken the design work and are satisfied that your concept is feasible and meets regulatory approval. 

Are you a Social or Zen-Preneur?

What is a Zenpreneur?   
In the words of Ron Rubin, owner of The Republic of Tea  “Zentrepreneurs have a strong sense of self and of purpose. They are poised and centered. They have discovered their ‘why’ (per Simon Sinek), which allows their ‘what’ to carry the greatest impact that it possibly can.””he said in an interview with Awareness Magazine. 
Interestingly, it would appear from our research that the rise of the Zenpreneur comes at the same time spirituality is on the rise, the environment is in crisis and many of us are seeking answers.
The Global accountancy firm, Deloitte, have just released the Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2018, entitled “The Rise of the Social Enterprise.”
The introduction to their report states that “​Organizations are no longer judged only for their financial performance, or even the quality of their products or services. Rather, they are being evaluated on the basis of their impact on society at large—transforming them from business enterprises into social enterprises.”

Deliotte believe that it is “driven by social, economic, and political changes that have grown since the global financial crisis. Despite the economic recovery the world has seen since 2008, many people feel frustrated that financial gains have failed to improve individuals’ lives, address social problems, support political stability, or mitigate technology’s unintended consequences. People today have less trust in their political and social institutions than they have in years; many expect business leaders to fill the gap.”

At the same time, The Financial Times recently reported that ‘Social Entrepreneurship, once a nich area is spreading it’s wings‘ and that ‘Across the world, almost half as many people are creating ventures with a primarily social or environmental purpose as those with solely a commercial aim‘.  Their article claims that the movement is driven mainly by younger entrepreneurs and the growth has taken place against a backdrop of corporate scandals that have brought capitalisms values into question.’

This resonates deeply for us at Rotunda and we whole heartedly celebrate the rise of the zen and social-entrepreneur.  We too are driven by the same motivations, as are many of our clients.  A powerful desire to be a force for social and environmental change is the undercurrent which runs deeply through the fabric of our organisation.  For us, we not only understand that circular spaces serve as better social spaces for human interaction and wellbeing but also see our business as a vessel to achieve our long term objectives of protecting woodlands and biodiverse habitats around the world.  Our product is an exquisite manifestation of this passion. 
“It’s a desperate time for the ecology of our planet at the moment.  Now more than ever, the other species are depending on us to make drastic changes to our behaviour.   Information flooding back to us through the media (of the loss and devastation of natural habitats, unprecedented species decline and of course the horrors of microplastics and these impacts upon our food chain) is quite frankly terrifying. Especially for those of us with children.” 
The real question here, why would anyone starting a business today or designing a product NOT be a social or zen-preneur?  If you have the capacity to create. You have the power to be part of the change.  When we are losing sight of our hedgehogs, when 90% of marine birdlife have plastics in their stomachs, and when the status-quo of our pre-existing capitalist system is failing us and others on this planet on all levels there’s only one thing left to do….     
Dream big.   

Building your working week – The PRO’S to installing an office in the garden

Large Garden Room 6.5m Retreat Building Workshop Space

Tired of the commute/office?  Maybe it’s time to think about working from home, at least occasionally.

Here are a few reasons why you might benefit from working from a home office.

Ditch the commute, gain time: If you usually drive over 30mins to work you’ve already gained an hour of time each day by switching to a mere stroll down to your office in the garden. That’s a 5 hour gain each and every week. If making the switch permanently this equates to 260 hours of increased productivity a year. Equivalent to 32.5 full (8 hour) days…. let that sink in for a moment…. 32.5 days a year! This is a golden opportunity to claw back more of your essential time to ensure you’re optimally maximising your diary and your efficiency.

More time with family.  Working when your family are otherwise occupied, and spending quality time with them when they’re not.

No dress code.   Working in your Pyjamas?  Why not?!

Healthy environments = increased productivity: There have been papers written for eons by environmental psychologists confirming that our environment is absolutely crucial to our productivity. Most commonly termed as ‘Sick Building Syndrome‘ this is a condition affecting office workers, typically marked by headaches and respiratory problems, attributed to unhealthy or stressful factors in the working environment such as poor ventilation. If you’re working from an office in the garden, you are by very definition submerging yourself into your garden and more often than not in a timber-framed building (check that it’s not built with SIPs panels/filled with polurethane) which have been proven to promote greater health benefits than any other building style! Of course, an office in the garden is a micro-eco-building.

Focus on quality: It’s often true that reducing distractions and placing a greater emphasis on a dedicated workspace can provide you with the opportunity to think clearly and work to your highest potential. Of course, it’s a well-known trait of authors and artists to take themselves off to a quiet haven in which to work; the same is true for a plethora of other professionals.  Every professional requires a dedicated office to enable them to work to their greatest potential. Whatever you do, if you’re creative and/or need to use your brain to create work which requires peace and quiet, an office in the garden could be the most appropriate solution for you.

If you have any specific questions about how we could assist you with the creation of your dream office in the garden, please do call us on 0161 222 3350 or email .

Rotunda Roundhouses deliver all round comfort with Baxi Boilers

Excellent Post by the team at ‘Baxi Boilers’ released this week! Thanks Baxi!

Rotunda Roundhouses design, manufacture and install circular timber-framed prefabricated eco-buildings across the UK and Europe. With so many applications, in many different markets, the company needed a heating and hot water solution that could deliver a range of cost and performance benefits for end users. Turning to Baxi, a system that ensures optimal comfort and user experience was devised.

Based in Stockport, Rotunda Roundhouses is a business on the up, with its range of prefabricated eco-buildings in demand.  

For company founder, Gemma Roe, inspiration for the roundhouses came from the curves in nature and the Neolithic and Iron Age structures of the past. Spotting a gap in the market for an alternative to the vast swathe of generic boxes available in the marketplace today, the business has not looked back and 2018 is set to be its best-ever year.

Customers range from individuals looking for a garden guest-room, yoga studio or annexe, to hospitality businesses and well-being sites looking to add ‘glamping’ pods to their offering. The company will also be installing its products with the Blue Diamond Group (the second largest garden centre retail group in the UK) via their Distributor ‘World of Smile‘.

Assessing the options

With business booming, Rotunda sought a partner to provide heating and hot water solutions to its expanding range of roundhouses.

Philip Kay, managing director at Rotunda Roundhouses explained: “The ethos behind our roundhouses is one of connection – to both nature and each other – and an important part of the experience is comfort. For the optimal experience to be achieved, we knew we needed to spend time on considering the type of heating and hot water system to install in our buildings.

“While wood burners are great for providing ambiance, we wanted to offer another economical alternative. Electric options such as panel radiators and underfloor heating can be expensive to operate over time and electric showers don’t always provide the best experience for users.”

Performance and efficiency

Having assessed a range of options, Rotunda decided to opt for the Baxi 428, a high efficiency boiler that operates on either LPG or natural gas, depending on end user requirements.

“Rotunda’s products are unique, and it was important that we worked closely with the team to understand typical heating and hot water requirements,” said Tom Oldfield, area sales manager for independent merchants at Baxi. “A flexible, reliable and efficient system was needed because of the sheer range of potential applications – from therapy rooms to glamping accommodation. The Baxi 428 is perfect because it enables buildings in off-grid areas to enjoy the benefits of a high efficiency boiler.”

The Baxi 400 Combi range offers powerful heating and hot water supply to meet the demands of most property sizes. Efficiency is boosted with a range of features such as weather compensation, which utilises a small outdoor sensor to adjust the system flow temperature in order to compensate for changes in outdoor temperature automatically.

Philip Kay said: “As an environmentally conscious company, we are proud of the efficiency of our manufacturing processes and the thermal efficiency of the buildings being ‘in the round’ provides a building which has the lowest carbon footprint possible. As such, it was important for us to select a boiler that could deliver energy efficiency and help our customers to reduce their fuel bills and carbon footprint. The Baxi 428 enables us to deliver heat and a powerful hot shower, without compromising our values.”

Easy installation

Given the limited space available within the roundhouse structure, another major consideration for Rotunda was to choose a boiler that is compact to and easy to install. Not only is the Baxi 428 small enough to fit into a cupboard, it’s also super light and easy to move, which means that it can be fitted quicker than other conventional combi boilers.

Through clever design, the Baxi 428 can be installed, commissioned and handed over to the consumer without ever removing the front cover, leaving all components safely protected during the installation and commissioning process. This is made possible by a dedicated wiring access panel and a condensate trap that can be primed with water via the flue adapter.

Philip Kay concluded: “With a strong pipeline of orders, 2018 is set to be one of the best years for Rotunda Roundhouses. As we grow, it is important for us to develop partners that can help us along our journey – and Baxi heating has come up with a heating and hot water solution that delivers comfort and performance, as well as energy efficiency.”

For further information please visit www.baxi.co.uk

 

Roundhouses appearing in Garden Centres across the country

This week we’ve been celebrating the launch of a UK Garden Centre Distribution agreement with our new partner World of Smile Ltd. through their platform with Blue Diamond Garden & Living at sites all over the country.

We will also be part of future designs integrated into new centers as Blue Diamond look to expand their sites over the next 5 years.

The first Rotunda Roundhouses Display unit will be installed in their Flagship, Bridgford (Nottingham) in early November.  This is the unit we exhibited at the Glamping Show 2018!

Other sites, Melbicks, Birmingham, Sanders, Burnham-on-sea, Bicester, Oxford and Cambridge will follow early next year.   World of Smile will continue on to 15 locations as part of this deal over the coming years.  Rotunda will be taking centre stage amongst their primary 5* display units for leisure and domestic applications.

As part of our future expansion plans we are excited to be partnering with a trusted distributor who will assist us by reaching out to the British public in a way which would not otherwise be possible.   This is purely down to the inexhaustible efforts of the tenacious Jon at World of Smile, who has proven that his organisation understands our mission, ethos and many passions.  ‘World of Smile’ not only admire the Rotunda Roundhouses range but know how much benefit it would bring to happy ‘Rotunda-owners-to-be’ all over the UK.   It’s no surprise to us that a firm called ‘Smile‘ is promoting the one UK building which radiates joy!

It’s time to spread the love.

We believe that our presence will complement and enhance Blue Diamonds garden centre sites as the jewel in the crown of the ‘5 star range’ along side another quirky British Garden Room manufacturer, Garden Hideouts.

This is part of a larger expansion project by World of Smile with a new website being launched in October (uniquetimberbuildings.com)

#wellnessisround #wellness is the future. The future is round. Let’s join forces and spread the word.

Have a lovely Autumn!

PS. It’s not too late to book your tickets for the OM Yoga Show in London on the 19th,20th and 21st of October.  See you there! 

Come & see us at The Glamping Show 2018

Have you a desire to step inside one our our exceptional buildings to see the quality for yourself?!

Please do pop over to see us at the show – we are exhibiting with a 5.5m en-suite holiday-lodge building as per the design below:

Address:  Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG

Date:  Thursday 20th,  Friday 21st &  Saturday 22nd September 2018

The 5.5m Show model will be for sale at the event.  

Further information on the event can be found here:  https://www.theglampingshow.com/

 

 

Building a timber-framed Yurt – An interview with ‘The Yurt Retreat’

“The Nest” a self-build 6m  (Yurt) Roundhouse Credit Photography Matthew Heritage @ http://www.matthewheritage.com/

The Yurt Retreat.

As a proud mother bird may admire it’s fledgling, we too look back with pride at the self-build kits and frames which leave our joinery workshop.  Bound for somewhere beautiful to call home, on to the next stage of their development; the final stages of build and second fix joinery overseen or undertaken by the new owner.

All too often, we declare to the world that each and every Rotunda is unique; but none are more so than the self-build structures.   One, in particular stands out as a very good example of what can happen when two firms work together to acheive a spectacular result.

For Paul at ‘The Yurt Retreat’ https://www.theyurtretreat.co.uk/ , his vision was for a Roundhouse he could design and build himself to the standards and aesthetics which would tie in with his existing style.  His site is a set in rolling Somerset hills and is a luxury retreat for adults only.   Already boasting four luxury 20ft yurts, a treehouse, luxury shepherds huts and boutique barn conversions, Paul needed something he could be sure would complement his site.

Guided by his requirements, Rotunda designed and built the cassettes only (the structural framework) and provided him with the  walls and the roof panels which cleverly slot into their positions and bolt onto the structural steelwork at the dome aperture.

As with all of our self-build kits, we always install the structure and leave it watertight prior to handing it over to the client on site.   In this instance, we erected the walls and roof.   We gave him the bolt-on service of  tiling the roof with the 100% recycled flexible eco-slates and then left Paul and his team to work their magic.

Six months later, we were emailed photographs of his building in situ which blew us away! So we caught up with him to ask him how the project went.

  • Your site is beautiful. Could you please explain when you decided to set up the Yurt Retreat and what your primary driver/vision was?

Owner of the Yurt Retreat – Paul Irish

The Yurt Retreat was a collaboration between my brother and I. Having seen some inspiring places while traveling I was looking for a new challenge after 5 years of working for an eco building company. Andrew had tested the water with two fantastic self catering barn conversions on the farm. Neither of us were instinctive farmers but we were both aware of the beauty of the farm we had grown up on and were excited to share it with others.

  • Has the business lived up to your early expectations?

We are now 8 years into running the business and we are still constantly learning. Developing a site in a beautiful location, away from services, is expensive. Initially we were the builders, house keepers, gardeners, laundry and marketing. As we have grown so has our team which enables us to deliver a great experience whilst constantly evolving the site. The sector has changed very rapidly and we have seen a major shift from the adventurous 25-35 year old demographic to guests from 18 to 80! It means that the expectations are higher which raises the running costs but more people now are looking for a hotel experience in a field and delivering that is going to be one of the few ways to stand out in what is now a very busy market place.

  • Your treehouse is a real jewel in your crown – when did you decide to install it and who built it?

The Treehouse was a personal labour of love. Designed on the back of an envelope it was a two Winter project for myself and a carpenter friend. My brother sketched an initial idea over breakfast one morning and the Birdhouse was born. 15 years of construction has taught me one simple design concept and that is contrast. It was very important to have a building that blended beautifully with its environment on the outside but offered a bright, light interior. The tree views and details like the clad kitchen bring reflections of the outside in to tie the experience together.

The Bird house. the luxury Treehouse at The Yurt Retreat

  • What motivated you to install a Roundhouse on the site?
After 7 years of running the Yurts I was looking for a replacement building that would keep the same aesthetic but have a longer letting season and be durable built. Canvas doesn’t last!
  • Why did you choose to contact Rotunda to build the frame for you?
I had spent several months working with a local architect trying to design a truly modular round building. I knew that we would figure out all of the details eventually but it took a surprising amount of time to work out every detail and in the end time got the better of me. Rotunda were the obvious choice as they had a great product and had already done all of the hard design work themselves.

The interior of “The Nest” @ The Yurt Retreat

  • How did the build go? What did you design yourself?
I chose a frame only option as I wanted to incorporate our existing bathroom building and use the existing Yurt deck. Unsurprisingly, every element of the project not undertaken by Rotunda took more time and money than initially predicted and we completed the build  a whole 15 minutes before the first guests arrived. It took Rotunda 2 days to put up the frame complete with excellent recycled rubber roof slates but it took us 2 1/2 months to do all of the finishing work, and that was with plenty of help.

The kitchen – designed and built by Paul @ the Yurt Retreat

  • How have your guests responded to it?
The Guests love it. It is already much more popular than our Yurts and will hopefully end up with the same occupancy rate as the Treehouse.
  • Are there any pearls of wisdom which you could offer to others looking to build a Roundhouse?
Don’t underestimate the project if you opt to go for the frame only option. I did get the bespoke finish that I wanted but I didn’t make the savings I thought that I would. Do use Rotunda’s expertise wherever you can. Both Gemma and Joanna were excellent to deal with and Gemma had an impressive wealth of knowledge that helped me out on several occasions.

Credit Photography Matthew Heritage @ http://www.matthewheritage.com/

Thanks Paul for allowing us to share your story and inspire others who might be hoping to become spectacular.
From all of us at Rotunda, have a glampingly splendid summer season!
x

Rotunda Roundhouses at the OM Yoga Show

Were you were one of the lucky ones who managed to drop in to the OM Yoga Show, Mind Body Soul and Vegan Life Live exhibition in Manchester last weekend? I am sure we don’t need to remind you of the highlights of such a fun and inspiring event!   Amongst the free Yoga sessions and seminars there was a dazzling array of stands and an incredible amount of really very good vegan food…. and some… interesting vegan food.

We had such a brilliant time meeting likeminded souls that we’re booking ourselves back in for the LONDON event, in London on the 20th of October! So, for those of you who might have missed us and are geographically more local to London, please do keep in touch and look out for us later on in the year!

(And there’s the mighty Philip Kay our Managing Director looking very smiley.)

 

 

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