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INSTALATION AVAILABLE Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office
First Added - February 27 2022
Last Updated - August 4 2022 - 9 Data Points Updated - 3 Data Points Added
Reviewed & curated by a panel of garden building experts. Using methodology 1.1
Product ID: SKU: 157090
Size: 12' x 12'
Merchants Checked: 12
Available From: 1
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Our verdict on the Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office
The Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office comes with an apex style roof and makes use of fsc® certified materials. The 2 windows used on this particular 12′ x 12′ use a toughened glass glazing material (Thickness was not specified).
Base material: european softwood
Certifications this product meets:
FSC certified timber[1]
Our experts say this has 4 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 toughened glass window installation is known to be a great choice, and our data shows us that 78% of the top 10% of garden rooms make use of this kind of glazing.
2. The tongue & groove cladding used on this garden room is one the best available for garden rooms rated by our experts.
3. A 20mm thick cladding like the one used on walls of this garden room is one of the best rated by our experts.
4. The mineral felt roof covering found on this garden room is rated to be one of the best by our experts.
Below is a brief overview of how some of the key points of this garden room fairs across the market.
Cladding
Fantastic, our experts say most of the cladding options used are among the best.
The tongue & groove cladding(walls) used here is the best form of construction for garden room walls out of the 3 types [2] 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 [3], as well as being used on 22% (2 of 9) of the top 10% of garden rooms [4]. You’ll also find the tongue & groove cladding showing up on 40% of 12′ x 12′ garden rooms (4 in total) [5], and if we compare this item against those 4 we find it’s Expert Score is 7% higher than the average score for a 12′ x 12′ tongue & groove garden room.
The walls are 20mm thick and we rate this the best thickness out of the 7 found on same-size garden rooms [6]. It is used on 3% of all garden rooms [7] and after analysing the top 9 products that make up the top 10% of garden rooms [8], we don’t find this thickness present on any of them. Further analysis shows us that out of all 12′ x 12′ garden rooms this is the only one to use 20mm thick walls [9].
Read full analysis for cladding.
Roofing
Mineral felt is used as the roof covering, and out of 2 types identified on same-size garden rooms [10], is said to be one of the best roof covering materials. It comes fitted on 32% of garden rooms and used on 56% of the top 10% of 12′ x 12′ garden rooms. 20% of 12′ x 12′ garden rooms (2 in total) make use of a mineral felt material as a roof covering, and when taking the average Expert Score of those 12′ x 12′ garden rooms (82), the Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office is the same with an Expert Score of 82.
Read full analysis for roofing.
Window
Toughened glass windows come installed on this garden room. As a glazing option, we rate it the best out of the 2 glazing types found on 12′ x 12′ garden rooms [11]. This particular type of glazing is used on 22% of all windowed garden rooms and 88% of the top 10% of garden rooms with windows we analysed. 38% of 12′ x 12′ garden rooms with windows (3 in total) use toughened glass windows, and when taking the average Expert Score of those toughened glass 12′ x 12′ garden rooms (82), the Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office is the same with an Expert Score of 82.
Read full analysis for window.
Height
The height of this garden room is 2807.0mm (9′) which is 16% more than the average 12′ x 12′ garden room, giving you 385.0mm (1′) extra headroom.
Read full analysis for height.
You Might Also Consider
We found 10 12′ x 12′ garden rooms with comparable specifications. The Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office has an Expert Score that is 1% higher than average and is £7 less expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring garden rooms out of the 10 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 £5,586 with this Optional extra – Add top coat Shire 12′ x 12′ Double Door with Two Opening Windows Dip Treated Garden Studio Summerhouse Top Coat. It is priced at £279, this is 2000% less than this and has an Expert Score of 87, 5 points higher than the Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office.
Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 87 vs 82 for this product, the Optional extra – Add Assembly Service Shire 12′ x 12′ Double Door with Two Opening Windows Dip Treated Garden Studio Summerhouse Assembly is the best 12′ x 12′ garden room with comparable specifications, and is priced at £995, that’s £4,870 less than the Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden 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.
18’x8′ Tiger Barn Retreat Summerhouse
Redlands 20′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office
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 1 garden rooms that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Redlands 20′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
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 3 garden rooms that have options that you might find a better fit if this is a concern you have.
18’x8′ Tiger Barn Retreat Summerhouse
Forest Xtend 4.0+ Insulated Garden Office 4.05m x 3.42m
Forest Xtend 4.0 Insulated Garden Office 4.05m x 3.42m
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.
18’x8′ Tiger Barn Retreat Summerhouse
Redlands 20′ x 8′ Studio Summer House
Shire 12 x 12ft Double Glazed Timber Apex Garden Office
Product Details
Comparisons of Similar Sheds
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.
Wickes – 19576 products checked, found 1 match.
Waltons – 231 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.
sheds.co.uk – 1999 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. FSC Certified Timber: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation that is “dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.” When you see the FSC certification it means the forest where this wood was sourced from is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. FSC certified timber is comparable to Certified Timber. ↩
3. Cladding types identified: shiplap tongue & groove, timber, tongue & groove, wood ↩
4. Global cladding data sourced from: All tongue & groove garden rooms ↩
5. Top cladding data sourced from: Top 9 tongue & groove garden rooms ↩
6. 12′ x 12′ cladding data sourced from: 10 12′ x 12′ tongue & groove garden rooms ↩
8. Global cladding thickness data sourced from: All 20mm garden rooms ↩
9. Top cladding thickness data sourced from: Top 9 20mm garden rooms ↩
10. 12′ x 12′ cladding thickness data sourced from: 1 12′ x 12′ 20mm garden rooms ↩
11. Roof covering types identified: epdm synthetic rubber, mineral felt ↩
12. Glazing material types identified: double glazed, single glazed, toughened glass ↩