A Bristol city garden cabin studio and multi functional garden store

This cabin is truly bespoke and designed to maximise every centimetre of space.

Location, Bristol, UK

Size, 4.2m x 3.4m outside – with a 2.8m x 1.8m studio space and an L-shaped garden store to the side and rear

Materials, All locally sourced timber structure with FSC British larch waney and sawn cladding.

Cabin type, Pent roof. 2.5m high

Garden position, Rear garden in the position of an existing sunken terrace area

Planning permission & regulations, not required. Designed and built within permitted development and not requiring building regulations by design

Cabin intended use, A creative studio and general garden store room for those items city centre gardens have trouble finding a place for

Designed to create three distinct functional spaces

Our customer Hugh, a retired architect, came to us with a challenge for this cabin making project. How to fit a small garden studio, bicycle store, and general garden storeroom into one small 4.2m x 3.1m space – and with only mm to spare?

Hugh sketched out the plan and together we refined the design so everything fitted perfectly into the tight sunken garden space.

Hugh also had a beautiful oak back door and some double glazed windows he wanted us to reuse. These were cleaned up and slotted into the design – good for the environment and the budget.

"To say I’m pleased with the outcome is an understatement! Many thanks indeed for all you have done for [...] me. We never imagined quite such a high quality garden bolt-hole. Ideas for cabin use abound … the possibilities are endless … and very exciting to ponder." Hugh, Feb 2024

Like most Bristol city centre gardens access is always a priority in the design. In this instance the garden could be accessed via narrow back lane. We constructed the cabin in section that we could roll up the lane and through the garden gate. The cabin could then be built, clad and painted on-site in a week.

95% of the materials for the construction were sourced from local suppliers – a key part of building cabins more sustainably and supporting local business through the construction of our cabins. The larch cladding is British sourced from FSC certified sustainably managed forests.