Menu Close
  • vector-icon1EXPERT REVIEWED
  • shipping-iconFREE DELIVERY
  • dolley-iconINSTALATION AVAILABLE

Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office

First Added - August 4 2022
Last Updated - August 4 2022 - 0 Data Points Updated - 38 Data Points Added
Reviewed & curated by a panel of garden building experts. Using methodology 1.1

Product ID: SKU: BUNDLE-XTEND2.5IN

Size: 8' x 9'

Merchants Checked: 12

Available From: 1

Sheds.co.uk
£9,589.00
See Deal

Support WhatShed: by making a purchase after clicking a link above, a portion of the sale supports this site.

75
Good Ranked in the Top 79% of Garden Rooms.
Position 425 of 540 Garden Rooms - Up 425 places from previous update.
Quality of materials
Construction quality
Ease of construction
Value for money

See how our panel of industry experts helped create the impartial judging criteria used to calculate the Expert Score.

Our verdict on the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office

The Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office comes with a pent style roof, holds a 15 Years guarantee, and fit with single doors. The 2 windows used on this particular 8′ x 9′ use a 4mm single glazed material.

Base material: timber

Our experts say this has 5 stand out features. A stand out feature is something found on over 70% of the top 10% of products in a particular category or is an exceptionally good feature as rated by our panel of experts.

1. The tongue & groove cladding used on this garden room is one the best available for garden rooms rated by our experts.

2. The structural insulated panels construction like the one used on the roof of this garden room is rated one of the best by our panel of experts.

3. A 122mm thick roof construction as thick as this is something our expert rate to be one of the best available on garden rooms.

4. The epdm synthetic rubber roof covering found on this garden room is rated to be one of the best by our experts.

5. A floor that is 108mm thick is something our experts say is one of the best available for this kind of garden room.

Below is a brief overview of how some of the key points of this garden room fairs across the market.

Cladding

The tongue & groove cladding(walls) used here is the best form of construction for garden room walls out of the 3 types [1] we’ve identified on same-size garden rooms, that you’ll also see getting used on 36% (34 of 95) of all garden rooms analysed [2], as well as being used on 22% (2 of 9) of the top 10% of garden rooms [3]. While you’ll find that the Expert Score of this garden room is 10 points lower than the average for tongue & groove clad 8′ x 9’s (75 vs the average of 85) [4], you can be sure it’s not due to the cladding as this one of the highest scoring materials found on 8′ x 9′ garden rooms. You’ll also find the tongue & groove cladding showing up on 44% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (4 in total).

Read full analysis for cladding.

Roofing

Structural insulated panels is the cladding used for the roofing, our experts rate this the best form of roof material out of the 2 types we’ve found on same-size garden rooms [5]. This roofing material is used on 9% of all garden rooms analysed, and after looking top 10% of garden rooms (9 in total), none of them make use of this roof material. 22% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (2 in total) use structural insulated panels construction for the roof, and when taking the average Expert Score of those 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (75), the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office is the same with an Expert Score of 75.

A 122mm thick roof boarding was used on this garden room which is the best thickness used for a roofing material out of 5 thicknesses identified on same-size garden rooms [6]. It’s used on 4% of all garden rooms with a further analysis of the top 10% of garden rooms (9 in total) showing us that none of them use a roof of this thickness. 22% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (2 in total) use a 122mm thick roof boarding, and when taking the average Expert Score of those 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (75), the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office is the same with an Expert Score of 75.

Epdm synthetic rubber is used as the roof covering, and out of 2 types identified on same-size garden rooms [7], is said to be the best roof covering material. It comes fitted on 16% of garden rooms and used on 33% of the top 10% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms. Even though the Expert Score of this particular garden room is below the average 8′ x 9’s cover their roofs with epdm synthetic rubber (75 vs the average of 80), with it being on 33% of the top 10%, this should give you confidence in its quality. 33% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (3 in total) make use of an epdm synthetic rubber material as a roof covering.

Read full analysis for roofing.

Flooring

The manufactures of this garden room chose osb for the floor construction, we rate this an about average form of floor construction out of 2 types found on same-size garden rooms [8]. This type of floor construction is used on 8% of all garden rooms we analysed, with none of the top 9 garden rooms making use of this kind of floor material. 44% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (4 in total) use osb construction for the floor.

A 108mm thick floor boarding is used here, this is the best floor board thickness according to our experts out of 5 found on same-size garden rooms [9]. It’s found on 9% of all garden rooms with none of the 9 garden rooms that make up the top 10% using a floor of this thickness. 22% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (2 in total) use 108mm thick floor boarding, and when taking the average Expert Score of those 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (75), the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office is the same with an Expert Score of 75.

Read full analysis for flooring.

Window

Single glazed windows come installed on this garden room. As a glazing option, we rate it an about average out of the 3 glazing types found on 8′ x 9′ garden rooms [10]. This particular type of glazing is used on 9% of all windowed garden rooms with a look at the top 10% of garden rooms showing us that none of them choose to install windows with this kind of glazing. 29% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms with windows (2 in total) use single glazed windows, and when taking the average Expert Score of those single glazed 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (75), the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office is the same with an Expert Score of 75.

The windows on this garden room use a 4mm thick glazing, we rate this one of the best thicknesses for window glazing out of 4 different thicknesses found on same-size garden rooms [11]. Glazing this thick is found on 10% of all the windowed garden rooms we analysed and used on 38% of the top 10% of windowed garden rooms. Even though the Expert Score of this particular garden room is 5 points below the average of 80 for windowed 8′ x 9’s using 4mm windows, with it being on 38% of the top 10%, you can be assured that this glazing this thick is a quality option for this size of garden room. 43% of 8′ x 9′ garden rooms (3 in total) use 4mm thick glazing.

Read full analysis for window.

Height

The height of this garden room is 2500mm (8′) which is 3% more than the average 8′ x 9′ garden room, giving you 78.0mm (0.3′) extra headroom.

Read full analysis for height.

Doors

The door height is 1,950.00mm (6′) tall, which after analysing all 8′ x 9′ garden rooms, matches the average exactly.
The door width is 750.00mm (2′) wide, which when compared to all other 8′ x 9′ garden rooms is exactly average.

Read full analysis for doors.

You Might Also Consider

We found 9 8′ x 9′ garden rooms with comparable specifications. The Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office has an Expert Score that is 16% lower than average and is £77 more expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring garden rooms out of the 9 with comparable specifications the following might be of interest.

Best value – If you are looking for something comparable that costs less, then you could save £9,349 with this Optional extra – Add top coat Shire 10′ x 7′ Double Door with Two Opening Windows Dip Treated Garden Studio Summerhouse Top Coat. It is priced at £220, this is 4250% less than this and has an Expert Score of 87, 12 points higher than the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office.

Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 90 vs 75 for this product, the Redlands 12′ x 8′ Studio Summer House is the best 8′ x 9′ garden room with comparable specifications, and is priced at £4,734, that’s £4,835 less than the Hartwood 2.5m Insulated Home Office.

High Wind Area – If you live in a particularly exposed or high wind area then having a garden room with a thicker cladding and higher than average frame thickness can be preferable. We found at least 3 garden rooms that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Redlands 12′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
12’x6′ TigerFlex® Shiplap Pent Full Pane Summerhouse
Shire 10x7ft Double Door Garden Office Including Installation

Coastal Consideration – If you live in a particularly wet or harsher environment such as by the coast then you might want to consider something with a more robust pressure treatment or something made from metal or plastic, both materials that are particularly suited to such harsh environments. We’ve found at least 3 garden rooms that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Redlands 12′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
8 x 8 Premier Corner Summerhouse Core
INSTALLED 8 x 8 Premier Corner Summerhouse INSTALLATION INCLUDED Core

Public-Facing – Extra security measures might be more of a concern if you’re placing your building in an area that is more public-facing than a garden. Features such as security windows or even having no windows at all, and the ability to lock all opening doors are usually much more important when you have something that is more public-facing. We found at least 1 garden rooms that have options that you might find a better fit if this is a concern you have.
12’x6′ TigerFlex® Shiplap Pent Full Pane Summerhouse

More Child Friendly – If you have children and you are looking for something that has that little extra in terms of durability then tougher glazing options might be a better option. Here we have at least 3 other options that will fill those needs.
Redlands 12′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
12’x6′ TigerFlex® Shiplap Pent Full Pane Summerhouse
8 x 8 Premier Corner Summerhouse Core

Product Details

Building Type
Garden Offices, Garden Rooms, Insulated Garden Office, Insulated Garden Rooms, Modern Garden Rooms
Metric Size (Meters)
8' x 9'
Material
Wooden
Roof Style
Pent
Number of Windows
2
Door Type
Single Door
Cladding Type
Tongue & Groove
Treatment Type
Untreated
Guarantee
15 Years
Floor Material
OSB
Glazing Material
Single Glazed
Roof Covering
EPDM Synthetic Rubber
Glazing Thickness (Imperial)
4mm
Glazing Thickness (Metric)
4mm
Floor Thickness (Imperial)
108mm
Floor Thickness (Metric)
108mm
Eaves Height (Imperial)
2400mm
Eaves Height (Metric)
2400mm
Door Height (Imperial)
1950mm
Door Height (Metric)
1950mm
Door Width (Imperial)
750mm
Door Width (Metric)
750mm
Roof Material
Structural Insulated Panels
Roof Thickness (Imperial)
122mm
Roof Thickness (Metric)
122mm
Opening Windows
1 Opening Window
Height (Imperial)
2500mm
Height (Metric)
2500mm
Glazing Type
Double Glazed
Window Size (Metric)
nan x nan
Door Size (Imperial)
6' x 2'
Door Size (Metric)
1950mm x 750mm

Comparisons of Similar Sheds

xtend3.0-1_1hartwood-iho-fascia_2hartwood-iho-fascia_2_2barn-retreat-14x8w-lifestyle-main-500pxxtend2.5-1_1
Expert Score 8075708080
Price £8,199.00£10,639.00£13,559.00£3,095.99£7,599.00
Size 10' x 10'9' x 9'13' x 11'20'x8'8' x 10'
Brand Forest XtendHartwoodHartwoodTiger ShedsForest Xtend
Material WoodenWoodenWoodenWoodenWooden
Cladding Thickness 12mm
Guarantee 15 Years15 Years15 Years15 Years
GoGoGoGoGo
Joel Bird

Joel Bird

Profile

Our resident shed building expert Joel was the 2014 winner of Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year having beat over 10,000 applicants to win. He returned to the show the following year as a judge. He is also the author of The Book of Shed and has designed & built over 50 small bespoke garden builds. Joel has appeared on various TV or Radio shows include George Clarkes Amazing Spaces, Alan Titchmarsh Love your Garden, Chris Evans Breakfast Show and BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live.

Meet the experts

Sources

Merchants Checked

12 different sources were used to research information on this product, and 1 contained information that we were able to use to compile the data used on this page.

The following merchants were checked on the 06 August, 2022 to see if they stocked this product.

sheds.co.uk – 1999 products checked, found 1 match.
Waltons – 231 products checked, found no matches.
Wickes – 19576 products checked, found no matches.
B&Q – 78905 products checked, found no matches.
ManoMano UK – 922302 products checked, found no matches.
Wilko.com – 21232 products checked, found no matches.
Homebase – 35509 products checked, found no matches.
Buy Sheds Direct – 1635 products checked, found no matches.
BillyOh – 1244 products checked, found no matches.
Garden Buildings Direct – 1284 products checked, found no matches.
Shedstore – 1373 products checked, found no matches.
Tiger Sheds – 635 products checked, found no matches.


1. Untreated: Any wooden structure that is left untreated will have its lifespan dramatically shortened. This is especially the case with Douglas fir or European softwoods such as Whitewood (spruce) or Redwood (Pine), most garden buildings sold in the UK are made from such wood.

The Wood Protection Association says that “the risk of attack increases significantly if the moisture content of wood, for any reason, rises above 20%” they also talk about how more lower durability cuts of wood (known as sapwood) are getting used to build with than in years gone by. They also say that “sapwood on the other hand is a source of food for many species of fungi and insects and is always vulnerable to attack.” This risk is particularly prevalent with European softwoods.

The BS 8417 code of practice (this advises on the choice of timber species and the use and application of wood preservatives) and BS EN 350:2016 (this advises on methods for determining and classifying the durability of wood and wood-based materials against biological wood-destroying agents) says the natural durability class of such European softwoods is between 3 and 5. With class 3 listed as moderately durable, class 4 listed as slightly durable and class 5 listed as not durable. All three classes have a service life of less than 15 years in a frequently wet environment (such as a UK garden). Yet the application of a preservative treatment or modification of lower durability species is designed according to BS8605 part1 (this is the British standards specifications for external timber cladding) to extend service life to 15/30 years or more.

Having a wooden garden structure supplied as untreated is relatively rare. The vast majority of wooden buildings are supplied with some form of basic treatment, usually a short term water based dip treatment. If you buy an untreated wooden building/structure then we strongly advise that you treat it annually with a solvent-based wood treatment. For full penetration it requires 2-3 coats. It is also recommended that you treat the inside of the structure as well.

If you are wanting something that will require much less maintenance throughout the products life cycle then we would strongly suggest looking at something that is pressure treated also known as tanalised timber.

By correctly treating timber you can take a sub 15 year service life for a not very durable European softwood and extend its service life to 15/30 years or more according to the Timber Decking and Cladding Association

2. Cladding types identified: shiplap tongue & groove, timber, tongue & groove, wood 

3. Global cladding data sourced from: All tongue & groove garden rooms 

4. Top cladding data sourced from: Top 9 tongue & groove garden rooms 

5. 8′ x 9′ cladding data sourced from: 9 8′ x 9′ tongue & groove garden rooms 

6. Roof material types identified: structural insulated panels, tongue & groove 

7. Roof thickness types identified: 12mm, 16mm, 122mm 

8. Roof covering types identified: epdm synthetic rubber, mineral felt 

9. Floor material types identified: osb, tongue & groove 

10. Floor thickness types identified: 12mm, 16mm, 108mm 

11. Glazing material types identified: polycarbonate, single glazed, toughened glass 

12. Glazing thickness types identified: 3mm, 4mm 

Product ID: SKU: BUNDLE-XTEND2.5IN

Size: 8' x 9'

Merchants Checked: 12

Available From: 1

Sheds.co.uk
£9,589.00
See Deal

Support WhatShed: by making a purchase after clicking a link above, a portion of the sale supports this site.