FAQs

Luckily our consultants are an imaginative bunch, so they’ll be able to work out where things will go without you having to do this first. You will need to level the ground before installation, but they’ll tell you exactly how much ground to remove and to what depth. And we’ll agree who’s going to do the work.

Our Hestia range has the option of black polyester painted corrugated steel sheeting. Our Hugo range has the option of pre-finished black open-jointed Thermowood but our other timber finishes are supplied natural. If left to weather naturally they will turn a silvery grey colour. However, if you want to create something funky, you can use a water-based paint or stain that’s safe for the wood, so you can be as bold as you like, or a clear stain to maintain the original colour.

A free design consultation can take up to 2 hours… depending on how good the biscuits are!

If your home is within a conservation area, then you may not construct a garden room to the side of your home without obtaining planning permission. The restrictions relevant to other types of designated land do not apply which simplifies matters. So, other than not being able to build to the side of your home with planning permission the normal considerations apply.

It’s amazing! No, really. We use high-performing Kingspan insulation in all our garden rooms.

If it’s likely your garden room will be refused, we’ll advise you not to proceed. If planning is refused contrary to our advice, we’ll refund our planning costs but not the Local Authority application fee.

We need you to have cleared and levelled the base area and surrounding working space. We’ll explain what needs to be done so there’s no guessing required.

Covenants restrict certain actions on your property, often with the aim of preserving the appearance of an area. They can be for a limited time or apply to both new and old homes. You will need to take advice from a solicitor if there are covenants in your deeds that might prevent the construction of a garden room.

Not at all, regardless of whether you buy a garden room from us or not.

We don’t offer a completely bespoke service, but the designs we do offer come with lots of opportunities for customisation and characterisation, so your garden room can be perfect for you.

If you’re planning to use your garden room for band practice or something equally noisy, we can specify certain options to improve performance - just let us know at your free design consultation.

No, all our quotations are fixed. We’ll only ever ask for more if you ask for extras.

You’ll be pleased to hear that if you’re just using it as an office then no, it doesn’t. If you are planning on using your Habin as a base for your business then you should discuss this with your local authority.

We don’t offer rooflights as an option, but you should get all the light you need from the joinery we offer.

You can! We’ve designed our Habin garden rooms with excellent insulation and double glazing to ensure they’re cool in the summer and warm in the winter, so you can use them comfortably all year round.

Yes, as long as the slab’s structurally sound, of course. However, if the existing base is too high, then your garden room will exceed 2.5 metres and need planning permission. Your consultant will be able to advise. Where planning permission is required we can assist in this process subject to an additional charge.

The timber claddings we use on our Habin garden rooms can be left to weather without a finish. If you choose not to treat/stain your garden room every couple of years, it will weather to a silvery grey colour. If you'd prefer to retain the original finish, treating / staining is required once the garden room is constructed and every couple of years.

Our Hugo range has an option for black pre-finished open-jointed Thermowood. This will require treatment every couple of years.

However, if you want to add some colour to your Habin, that’s absolutely fine; the world of paint is your oyster!

A member of our Habin team will visit you at home, usually beginning in the garden. They’ll take a look at the space and discuss what size of garden room will fit in your garden. They’ll also think about access and arrange for any other quotations that are needed. The consultant will also be able to explain how we build, discuss likely timescales, and steer you through the options at your disposal. They’ll also probably eat a lot of your biscuits, so maybe hide the bourbons.

Of course you can! We can include an ethernet socket in your garden room, so you can get an external grade CAT 6 network cable running from your house router to the garden room. This will usually follow the same route as your main power cable – we can quote for this after your free design consultation.

It absolutely can!

Our is open Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm and Sat 10am - 4pm. The Show Centre is closed on bank holidays. Our team are always on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Yes, if our build system allows it – in other words, please don’t ask for a zocchihedron.

We don’t offer painting (inside or out), but some of the internal finishes we provide are suitable for painting, just let us know and we can advise.

No, the price covers the foundation and installation. We just ask that you remove obstacles prior to us arriving, and we’ll take it from there. We'll also ask if there are any services running through where your Habin is to be located.

As they’re normally installed under permitted development rights, you can’t live in them without applying for Building Regulation compliance and , which we don’t currently offer.

Yes, and we offer a complete electrical installation in the garden room. We provide a quote for connection separately, which will be confirmed following your design consultation. Alternatively, you can arrange your own connection.

Breathe a big sigh of relief, because yes, that’s perfectly doable.

Absolutely, we can install partition walls (and internal doors, of course) in any of our larger sized rooms!

Your Habin consultant will be able to give you a price for the standard garden room including any chosen options. The full electrical package will be subject to further quotation. The good news is that we’ll always provide a fixed price before you place an order.

Our Hugo and standard height Hala garden rooms have been designed to fit beneath the 2.5 metre limitations of the Permitted Development rules when siting your garden room within two metres of the boundary without the need for planning permission.

For those of you who have space to locate your garden room at least 2 metres away from your boundaries, taller garden rooms like the Hestia or increased height Hala are available. These provide increased ceiling height within your garden room without the need to apply for planning permission.

Siting a Hestia or increased height Hala within 2 metres of the boundary will require planning permission.

Our Hala garden rooms as standard are clad externally in Thermowood vertical cladding. We also offer upgrades to Siberian Larch and Western Red Cedar.

Our Hugo garden rooms as standard are clad externally in black pre-finished open jointed Thermowood vertical cladding, with options of Siberian Larch or Western Red Cedar.

With our Hestia range, as standard the cladding is corrugated steel sheeting with a factory applied black polyester paint finish with options for Thermowood, Siberian Larch or Western Red Cedar.

Yes but you’ll need planning permission. We can secure this for you subject to an additional charge.

We offer a range of laminate floor finishes.

This depends on the size and spec of your garden room.

Most Habins will be complete in 1-2 weeks, larger ones will take a little longer. We won’t rush as it’s important to get things right.

We need a £500 deposit which will secure the date that your garden room will arrive onsite. Two weeks before we are due on site, you pay the remaining balance, allowing us to complete the manufacture on your garden room. And then the countdown until we arrive onsite begins!

We need you to sign our order quotation and pay the £500 deposit.

Yes, they’re so well insulated that they can be used throughout the year. All our garden rooms benefit from the thermal expertise that our parent company, Potton, uses to build houses, and also come with a heater for those rare snowy days!

All of our buildings have been designed by our in-house Structural Engineer. We’ve even thought about the load applied to the roof by a really big snowfall.

Our team are available Monday to Saturday and will agree a convenient time for the consultation with you. If you’d like to arrange a consultation then let us know via

Your Habin shouldn’t be used as living accommodation otherwise it will need . Luckily, ‘living accommodation’ doesn’t include nodding off at work… (we won’t tell if you don’t!)

Yep, no additional maths required.

Our garden room buildings are designed to last for at least 20 years and come with a . It’s important that you maintain the cladding on your room.

Yes, all our garden rooms come with a .

Our consultants are very good at visualising, so you’ll be saved that physical labour. They’ll be able to tell you what site clearance actually needs doing – there’s no point digging up that huge conifer if you don’t need to! Your consultant will also let you know how much levelling should be done before our installation team arrive.

The smallest room we offer is approximately 2.5m x 2.5m. Our largest rooms have a maximum floor area of 30m2.

Our competitive pricing structure means we don’t offer further discounts.

We normally use concrete piles. If these aren’t appropriate for your garden, our construction team will use an alternative. If you already have a base in place, we might be able to build on that if you’re confident it will be strong enough.

Typically we will need a pedestrian path (1m wide X 2m high) to access the location. Our consultant can assess the access when they visit you will advise if there is anything we might need changing. But don’t worry, we’re quite adaptable!

If you don’t have access to the side of your home we may be able to bring materials through it – we’ll let you know what we can and can’t do.

Yes! Our in St Neots is open six days a week and is home to two of our garden rooms alongside five fully furnished show homes. From time to time we also arrange for pop-up shows of complete rooms for customers.

We do not currently provide plumbing services for our Habins. You should consult a plumber to make sure you comply with Building Regulation requirements.

We don’t offer treating / staining. If you'd prefer to retain the original finish, treating / staining is required once the garden room is constructed and every couple of years. If you choose not to treat/stain your garden room every couple of years, it will probably weather to a silvery grey colour.

Usually within a week or two. This may be less for virtual consultations.

Take a moment to have a big cheer, because in most cases no, you don’t! Our garden rooms are normally covered by Permitted Development rules – even if your home happens to be in a conservation area. The situation is more complex if you live in a flat or your home is on ‘designated land’, but don’t let that get your spirits down. Our in-house planning experts will submit your application, subject to an additional charge.

Unfortunately, not. Our team will help you think carefully about the location of your Habin before you commit to anything so there are no mistakes.

Generally, we can deliver your garden room in 6 weeks from order placement, and we’ll keep you up to date with the progress and of any changes if they do happen.

As standard, our Habin garden rooms come with a pre-finished vinyl-faced plywood lining that does not require painting.

The Hugo and Hestia have the option of a natural poplar plywood lining. Alternatively, all ranges can come with a plasterboard and skimmed surface that can be finished by you if you prefer.

We’re afraid not, we currently only install them in mainland UK.

We can provide these, though we usually secure planning permission for you, subject to an additional cost.

Kingspan Timber Solutions t/a Habin is an introducer appointed representative of Phoenix Financial Consultants Limited ("Phoenix"). Phoenix is a credit broker that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register No. 539195) which offers finance for home improvement projects from its panel of lenders. All finance subject to status and credit checks.

If your home is a listed building, it has been rated of national importance in terms historic or architectural interest. Listed buildings feature on a register called the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or . The rules around listed buildings, mean that any garden building or outbuilding that is to be placed within the curtilage of a listed building will require planning permission.

There are additional matters to consider if your home is located on designated land, eg. national parks, the Broads, World Heritage Sites, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and conservation areas. If your home is within a national park, World Heritage Site, the Broads or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty then you need to obtain planning permission unless the garden building is less than 10m2 and more than 20m away from any wall of your home. If your home is within a national park, World Heritage Site, the Broads, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or a conservation area, then you may not construct a garden room to the side of your home without obtaining planning permission.

Yes, and we’re sure you’ll agree that decision makers should be present! We’ll take a detailed examination of your space and go through everything you need to know, including size of garden room and access. At the end of your consultation with one of our lovely bunch, you’ll know the exact price your garden room will be – any specific alterations may need a quotation.

We don’t fit solar panels to our rooms at the moment. It’s possible to do so, but you need to take advice from specialist providers as the structure of our roofs aren’t built to support solar panels. Also, they may take your building height above the Permitted Development guidelines.

Our garden rooms are freestanding, but we can build as close as 500mm to any existing structure (including your fence or house!).

Our garden rooms can be as big as 30m² internally. Habins come in many different dimensions depending on what will fit best in your space and what you’ll use the room for.

We offer several external timber cladding options for our Habins; Thermowood, Siberian larch or western red cedar. Each can be left to weather naturally or you can choose to finish them with the colour of your choice. Our Hugo also has a fourth option of black pre-finished open-jointed Thermowood.

With our Hestia you also have the option of corrugated steel sheeting with a factory applied black polyester paint.

Our windows and doors feature double-glazing which is both safe and thermally efficient. The doors are fitted with security grade locks to help secure your room.

Of course you can! These are free of charge, but our consultant will need to visit the site at some point before they can give you a final quotation.

No, we’ve designed most of our Habins so they can be built without the need for planning permission.

for further information, and if you visit our in St Neots you can see two of our garden rooms on display. This will give you a sense of the quality of the garden rooms we offer, and how much you can fit in the space. Our free onsite or virtual consultations will show you all your design options and answer any queries you might have.