The working space
The room is labelled 4,680 mm × 3,680 mm internally on the drawing. The open layout leaves the furniture arrangement flexible, with no internal storage compartment or partition shown.
FINCHLEY, NORTH LONDON · GARDEN OFFICE CASE STUDY
Garden office with bifold doors and rooflight in Finchley
A dedicated place to work. Daylight from above. Doors that open onto the garden.
Costi and the TRJ team built this 5 m × 4 m SIP garden office with a Thermowood frontage, aluminium bifold doors and a generous rooflight. The photographs follow the building from its SIP shell to the completed interior.
- Location
- Finchley, North London
- External dimensions
- 5 m × 4 m
- Purpose
- Garden office
- Construction
- SIP floor, walls & roof
01 / THE BRIEF
A workspace
at the end of the garden.
The brief was for a separate garden office with a simple, open interior. A 5 m × 4 m footprint creates a dedicated room away from the house, while the wide glazed entrance connects it to the garden.
The design combines timber across the front with anthracite grey finishes on the sides and rear. A 600 mm canopy shelters the bifold entrance, and a large rooflight brings daylight into the middle of the room.
The finished photographs show white walls, recessed lighting and a herringbone-pattern floor, with the room still unfurnished so the completed space and details can be seen clearly.
02 / ORIGINAL FLOOR PLAN
One open room.
A clear plan for work.
The original project plan shows a single main space, with an overall footprint of 5,000 mm × 4,000 mm and a 2,700 mm bifold opening onto the garden. The drawing has been extracted from the supplied project paperwork.
Garden-facing access
The bifold doors form a broad opening along the front elevation. Their folding action opens up the entrance without introducing an internal corridor or separate lobby.
The dimensions above are the labels on the original design drawing. The finished photographs show the completed arrangement.
03 / SPECIFICATION & DETAILS
Timber at the front.
Daylight from above.
Thermowood cladding gives the office its timber frontage. The aluminium bifold doors are finished in anthracite grey, with a canopy projecting 600 mm above the entrance.
Cement particle boards were specified for the side and rear elevations, painted anthracite grey RAL 7016, with the nearby boundaries considered in the material selection.
Foundations and SIP shell
The documented specification uses screw-pile foundations and structural insulated panels for the floor, walls and roof. The construction photographs show the panel structure before the internal and external finishes were added.
Glazing and rooflight
The specification lists a 2,700 mm wide × 2,030 mm high aluminium bifold door set and a 1,000 mm × 1,500 mm VELUX fixed flat-roof window with dome and kerb.
Roof and drainage
An EPDM membrane covers the flat roof. The design includes the 600 mm front canopy, with black guttering running along the rear of the building.
Interior finish
Plasterboard and skimmed walls and ceiling, white Dulux vinyl matt paint, MDF skirting and laminate flooring were specified. The completed photographs show the herringbone-pattern finish to the floor.
Lighting and sockets
The electrical specification records eight internal LED downlights, four white double sockets, three exterior canopy lights and a consumer unit. The mains cable and final connection were to be arranged by the customer.
The original elevation
The front-elevation drawing shows the relationship between the timber frontage, bifold opening and rooflight. Door positioning was marked for final customer confirmation in the original paperwork; use the finished photographs for the completed appearance.
04 / THE BUILD & FINISHED RESULT
From the panel shell
to a finished garden office.
The project photographs record the structural shell, interior fit-out and completed frontage.
01 · THE STRUCTURE
Forming the SIP room
The early photographs show the SIP walls and roof, including the opening for the rooflight, before the room was lined and decorated.
02 · THE FIT-OUT
Glazing and finishes
The bifold entrance was fitted into the front opening, followed by the exterior cladding and interior finishing work.
03 · THE COMPLETED OFFICE
Light, open and ready to furnish
The finished room combines white walls, recessed lighting, herringbone-pattern flooring and daylight from the rooflight and garden-facing doors.
05 / PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHS
Explore the office.
Follow the build.
Select a photograph to see the complete image, browse with the arrows and return to this page.
View the remaining project photographs
06 / PROJECT QUESTIONS
A few useful answers.
How large is this garden office?
The original plan shows external dimensions of 5 m by 4 m, giving a 20 m² footprint. The internal room is labelled 4,680 mm by 3,680 mm.
What brings daylight into the office?
A wide aluminium bifold entrance and a fixed flat-roof window bring daylight in from the garden and above. The specification lists a 1,000 mm by 1,500 mm VELUX roof window.
What foundations and structure were specified?
The project specification records screw-pile foundations and SIP panels for the floor, walls and roof.
Was the room built as an office?
Yes. This project was built as a garden office. The photographs show the completed room before it was furnished.
YOUR NEXT PROJECT
Make room
for your working day.
Planning a garden office or a business or therapy room in North London? Share how you want to use the space, your preferred size and photographs of the garden and access.
Explore our build process and planning guidance as you develop the brief.
