A guide to garden office insulation 

Garden office insulation may seem overwhelming at first and new territory for most people, yet it needn’t be. 

Firstly, the purpose of garden office insulation is to keep the building a comfortable temperature year-round. It is essential for seeing the user through the cold winters, but insulation also prevents overheating in the summer months. 

Whether you’re building a glamping site, an extra garden room for your office or family or are a school needing some extra space, it is paramount to get insulation right.

When buying your structure, you must check the specification to ensure the design will allow for insulation in the walls, floor and ceiling. Most garden offices will come with this feature, however log cabin style structures don’t always necessarily allow for this.

Is it like building a house?

Your extra garden home will be the same as your house. The modern market of garden offices in the UK today has insulation techniques like houses. This means that similar materials and goals are used to ensure the structure is thoroughly insulated.

Does this mean my office needs to comply to building regulations?

Unless the office provides sleeping accommodation or is larger than 30sqm, then it does not need to comply with Building Regulations. However, the specifications set out in building regulations are often used and exceeded by garden office companies to ensure outstanding insulation quality.

How is insulation rated?

The performance of insulation is rated using a u-value. A u-value is the rate at which heat can pass through a material; thus, the higher the value the quicker the heat loss. U-values range from 0.1 to 1.0, so when considering which garden office to purchase, aim to have the lowest u-value you can afford. You will be able to find these details in a supplier’s specification sheet. 

What needs to be insulated?

As stated above, cabins are built in line with the principles of house building. Therefore, all walls and the roof and the floor must be insulated. 

This is important when selecting a log style cabin as they tend to not possess a cavity to insulate the walls. This is due to the fact they are built using a crisscrossed timber pattern, leaving gaps in insulation and the creation of cold spots. 

Some may argue that wood is a good enough insulator in itself; however, if you want to be working in your office year round, this is typically not recommended. 

Instead, structural insulated panels, also known as SIPs, are much more effective at insulating a garden office. These panels ensure that the insulation is continuously wrapped around the structure, preventing heat escaping.

What are the types of insulation?

Many alternative materials may be used when it comes to garden office design, so it is important for you and your supplier to consider factors, such as u-value, cost, how quick it can be installed and the environmental impact of the material. 

This is because while the act of preventing heat escaping or absorbing into a building is environmentally friendly, as it reduces the energy needed to heat or cool it, some materials may be more costly to the earth in their production process. 

Most used are rigid insulation boards that possess a high u-value, yet are thin. Materials such as XPS, EPS or the better performing PUR or PIR, which use a reflective foil, can be used.

What are the other types of rigid insulation?

SIPs may be filled with XSP, ESP, PUR or PIR. However, there are also other types of insulation these panels may come with. 

Mineral wool 

More of this material is typically needed to achieve the same u-value, so thicker walls are needed. 

Reflective foil

Foil facing creates an unventilated cavity, creating a thin wall.

Sheep’s wool 

This material is eco-friendly as it’s mostly manufactured in the UK, and has the advantage of being a natural product. 

Recycled plastic bottles 

The fibres of used plastic bottles can be spun into mats.

Hemp insulation 

This is eco-friendly, as it absorbs CO2 in the growing process before being made into mats.

In conclusion, there are many ways to insulate your garden office. While the cheaper alternatives may seem appealing, it may end up costing you later. 

The amount of energy required to heat or cool your office is dramatically reduced by the type of insulation you select. At Logspan, we have the largest show site in the UK for timber buildings. We stock garden offices as well as BBQ huts, log cabins, huts, gazebos, school cabins and hot tub garden rooms. We are here to answer all your queries on your brand-new garden office and its insulation.