When it comes to selecting a material for your garden buildings, it’s hard to beat the versatility of timber. Here’s a look at some of the many advantages of choosing timber for your garden room construction project.
Timeless appeal
The aesthetic appeal of timber, especially in a natural setting such as a garden, is one of its great advantages. It looks warm and attractive in all weathers, blending beautifully with the surrounding environment and never an eyesore. With some simple maintenance, it will only look better with age as the tones and textures of the wood mature.
Timber buildings look charming whether they are treated with a simple preservative, stained with a natural shade of wood, or painted with a cheerful colour. You will notice your garden room every time you glance out of the window, and the natural beauty of timber is hard to beat.
A sustainable choice
Timber is a sustainable building material with low embodied carbon compared to many alternative materials. This is particularly true when the timber has been responsibly sourced from organisations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which ensures certain standards are met to promote conservation and biodiversity.
In an era when we can see the unwelcome and tragic consequences of climate change more clearly with each passing year, making conscious choices to use environmentally friendly materials is more important than ever before.
Warm and insulating
Timber has natural insulating properties, owing to its unique breathable structure. This makes it warm and energy efficient during the winter, and cool and comfortable during the summer months. Timber buildings are easy to heat and extra insulation can be added if necessary to enhance its thermal properties.
This inherent ability to regulate temperature means that timber buildings are ideal for garden rooms in the UK, where extremes of climate are becoming more frequent occurrences.
Strength and durability
Timber has been used as a construction material since the earliest ages, because it is so strong and hard wearing. It does not corrode, and if maintained well with waterproof coating, it can last for decades or even longer. Despite being exceptionally strong, it is also a lightweight material that is easy to work with and construction can be a matter of days.
It is a highly adaptable material, and this makes it easy to make additions or alterations to the exterior or interior of the building. Should any part of the building be affected by damage or wear and tear, it is straightforward to repair or replace.
With all these advantages, you might expect timber to be one of the most expensive building materials on the market. Yet this is not the case; it is affordable and also cost effective to maintain in the long run. When combined with its beauty and practicality, timber is an ideal choice for your garden building.
