It is a 4.8m x 4.8m wooden box, divided into two rooms.
The smaller room is used as a shed, with wall-to-wall shelving, an integrated workbench and Raspberry Pi-powered PC . The other, larger room, is used as a second lounge (or study/dining room/children's play area, whatever is required).
It features electricity points, a 30mb internet connection (and wifi), a 42" wall mounted LED smart TV, sofa and dining table.
Originally a hard-standing area for a car, my wife and I decided it would be useful to create an additional living space on it as a cheaper alternative to moving house.
Plans stalled several years ago when initial costs for a brick-built garage-type construction came in at over £13,000 (without factoring in possible underpinning of neighbouring structures).
Inspired after studying timber-framed houses in Scandinavia and North America, I re-priced the job and managed to get the cost down by 75%.
I saved further costs by designing and building the entire thing myself. Although I had no building or carpentry knowledge, I was able to learn quickly from a whole host of online resources.
I used AutoCAD to design the shed as a series of flat-pack panels which simply required bolting together. Once the floor panels went down, I bolted a series of wall panels together and installed a flat roof on top.
The outside is clad in a combination of timber & UPVC, while the internal walls are clad in plasterboard. Two UPVC doors provide access, and one window allow light into the main area. The whole building is insulated to the highest possible standard without impacting on internal space.
