Room4-You were one of the companies contacted in September 2010 to design a new garden office for use by the Manager and her assistant at Woodford House Nursing Home, a provider of specialist care services for people over the age of 55.  The previous office, within the main building, was cramped and there was no space to have a meeting of more than 2 people.

The main criteria was that there must be space for 2 desks with associated office equipment and a separate room for use as a meeting space for up to 8 people.  A space for a kettle and small kitchen would make life a little more comfortable and allow Julie and Sam the luxury of making a coffee just for themselves without having to go to the main building.  Julie and Sam did not want to feel like they were working in a shed, wanting a comfortable, well lit and highly insulated space that could be used all year round without the need for excessive use of heating.  Ventilation and light were important areas to get right and, after previous experience, avoiding the need for planning permission was also high on the wish list.  Security was a key area of concern as there would be expensive office equipment housed in the new garden office.  Paper files were going to be stored in the office so ensuring the garden office building would be water tight and not suffer from any dampness were key features highlighted at our initial meeting.

Room4-You designed a new garden office offering all the desired features at a price that was within budget and offering the additional benefits of a few unique features like the tilt and turn full length window.  After a couple of adjustments we agreed on a final design, layout and price.  Confirmation was received from the Local Authority that planning pernmission and building regulations were not required and an order was placed at the beginning of November.  Four weeks later we arrived on site during one of the coldest periods for many years.  This extreme weather did not prevent us from starting work on the foundations but did cause problems when it came to laying the concrete.  Thankfully the weather took a turn for the better on the second day and it was warm enough to allow us to pour concrete for the foundations.  The foundations took an extra day than anticipated but by the end of day 3 the walls, floor and roof structure were up.  Once again the weather delayed progress as the Firestone rubber roofing requires temperatures to be above freezing to successfully bond to the roof.  With a little patience the temperature crept up to allow the roof covering to be laid and we were once again on with the construction.  First fix electrics were completed and the walls were plaster boarded and skimmed, doors and windows were hung and the building was water tight.  Then came the next weather delay as the country was forced to a standstill by the worst snow in a generation.  The usual 7 day build time for this size and specification of building had been stretched to 10 but during this time our client was kept fully informed of the delays.

The new garden office was completed in time for moving in before Christmas and with everything in order Julie and Sam had a new office to conduct their business.  However, this is not the end of the story.... after another prolonged period of heavy snow and freezing conditions we eventually had a thaw during January.  This thaw provided evidence that the roof had not bonded correctly and we received a phone call to complain that there was a leak - a potential nightmare....!  We responded immediately and sent our fitters the following day to rectify this fault.  The moral here is that all businesses have their problems but it is how we repond that makes a great company.

The Manager, Julie McDonagh had this to say "I chose Room4-You as right from the start they were willing to listen to our wishes and responded quickly to our changes in design.  The construction was challenging for them but throughout this time lines of communication were always open.  Understandably we moved in a little later than we hoped but since being in, Sam and I have become considerably more efficient in the way we work together.  The fact that we now have a great view of the garden also helps during those stressfull moments.  We have been amazed at how little we need the heating on and the room feels like we are still part of the main building.  The way that Room4-You have responded to issues is a credit to them"