If your garden room is an escape into your own, personal, piece of nature, it makes sense if the structure is built from natural materials so that it blends into it’s unique garden setting.
A garden room should not be made out of plastic and PVC. This is an affront to the natural world and avoids the necessity for all of us to be more environmentally considerate. You can limit the carbon footprint of a new garden building by using locally sourced, natural materials that will automatically make the building blend into the domestic garden environment.
When the Pilgrims landed on the shores of the New World at the beginning of the 1600’s, they faced incredible hardships whilst building settlements and finding the means to survive. Materials that they had brought from Europe were unable to stand the new and harsh environments that the Pilgrims’ found themselves in. A source of help came from the local, indigenous peoples.
In the early days the Native Americans and the Pilgrims enjoyed a more friendly relationship than what came later. The early sharing that occurred between the groups is remembered in the American festival of Thanksgiving. One of the things shared by the Native Americans was the means to survive and build in the hostile American climate through the use of nature.
Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) is the ideal material for roof shingles. It is a durable and waterproof wood that survives the elements for decades. It is the material that Native Americans used to build their canoes, fashioned simply from the logs of Western Red Cedar trees. Able to remain in the water for long periods of time without succumbing to rot, it is a natural and renewable roofing material source that for a sustainable garden room. The Thuja Plicata is also known for the smell of its cedar oil, which it keeps long after it has been cut into shingles, a welcome and soothing aroma in a garden environment.
As a proven example of the Western Red Cedar’s amazing endurance, many Native American Totem Poles have survived to the present day. Another Native American use of the Western Red Cedar’s wood.
It’s a given that anything that can be used to build a boat is going to be a reliable material to survive the elements. Like the Western Red Cedar’s use in Native American canoes, the best material for external wood cladding is Larch. It is a tough and durable wood, famed for its waterproof properties. Traditionally it was used in Europe for building fishing boats and it is still a favourite for yacht building. It lasts for years when used in salt water, one of the most corrosive natural elements on the planet.
As a living tree, the Larch is renowned for fast growth and its resistance to disease. These are properties that remain in the wood when it is harvested. It is extremely resistant to rot, even when in contact with the ground, which will give any structure built with this material an extremely long life. Larch is a fast growing tree, frequently grown in sustainable forests the UK. The British larch is known to be stronger and more durable than its European counterpart. This makes in a more sustainable choice than slow growing oak. Because the tree is grown in Scotland, its transport carbon footprint is small. A natural cladding wood for your garden room.
Comfort is important in the twenty first century garden room. As a nation devoted to home improvements the British are no longer interested in shivering in the garden shed of sizzling in the summerhouse Controlling temperature plays a huge part in comfort in a garden building. A functional garden room must be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Insulation is the key ingredient in a comfortable and sustainable garden room. However, many insulation materials are made from PVC and are not good for the environment. So what can we use that is more environmentally friendly?
The answer to this question is another question – “what is it that keeps people warm?” Answer – “jumpers”. A pure wool jumper is always snugglier than one knitted with man-made materials. Sheep’s wool can work as the perfect eco-friendly insulation. It grows naturally on the back of the sheep and is both sustainable and renewable. There are two major suppliers of sheepswool insulation the UK, helping to reduce carbon foot print of homes or a garden room: Second Nature and Black Mountain Insulation.
