Brownhills, Walsall
John decided that the first step in enjoying his well-earned retirement was to focus on improving his home in Brownhills. To make the most of his property, he wanted to maximise his usable space — which led him to explore the idea of a bespoke garden room.
His vision was to create a welcoming family space combined with a dedicated area for his favourite hobby: model painting. John’s collection is his pride and joy, so providing a calm, practical environment where he could both relax and enjoy his craft was an absolute pleasure for the Four Oaks Garden Rooms team.
We began construction in December, a wet month, to say the least. This project also presented our first encounter with an exceptionally high water table. Each hole that was dug quickly filled with water rising from below ground level. Fortunately, our pile foundation system is designed for exactly these kinds of conditions. Much like the principles used in places such as St. Petersburg — a city famously built on marshland using concrete piles to stabilise buildings, the system allowed us to secure the structure on firm ground beneath the surface.
Despite the weather, the build progressed smoothly. Even with plenty of mud underfoot, our team maintained a clean and organised working area, greatly helped by our landscaping partners, who laid a base layer of aggregate that later became part of the finished garden.
Once the structural shell was complete, John decided to enhance the interior to a premium specification, including a fitted kitchenette, a feature media wall, and high-quality LVT flooring. Externally, the combination of dove-grey and off-white fibre-cement cladding gave the building a unique, contemporary look that complemented the garden beautifully.
John was absolutely delighted with the result, so much so that he later asked us to install his new kitchen inside the main house, which we were more than happy to do. During that renovation, space in the home was limited, and the family were thrilled to have their garden room as a comfortable retreat. John remarked, “I don’t know how we would have lived without it!”
A few months later, we returned to upgrade the room with an air-conditioning unit. Although the room was already highly efficient thanks to its premium insulation, the addition of air conditioning ensured perfect comfort year-round — the final touch on an already outstanding project.
We’re incredibly proud of how this one turned out, and we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to John for trusting us with both his garden room and his home