Steven and his wife live in Kent, on the outskirts of a quaint village. The area around their home is semi-rural and features bountiful fields and patches of woods.
Their new-to-them bungalow came with an old brick garage from the 1960s. It was too small to accommodate their two cars and Steve’s workstation. So, the couple decided to demolish it and build a new one.
While Steven had experience overseeing the construction of a brick garage, the couple settled on a timber garage. Its appearance works well with the exterior cladding on their bungalow.
Below, we follow the project from Steven’s initial research through to the garage installation and his final feedback.
Steven started researching garage options in the autumn of 2024. Initially, he considered building in brick, concrete, oak, and timber. He liked the aesthetics of an oak garage best; however, he felt this type of construction was too expensive. That’s when he decided, together with his wife, that a timber garage might be the best option.
In November 2024, the couple visited our headquarters to look at our garage options and inspect their construction. They were impressed with the quality of our buildings and thought we provided excellent value. They were ultimately persuaded to choose us because we build custom-size buildings, so we could tailor the construction to their needs.
They also appreciated that, as they live in Kent, our sister company, Chart Arenas & Groundworks, could lay the garage foundations for them. “It’s a one-stop shop, which is very handy,” says Steven.
The couple did not need to apply for planning permission, as the garage did not exceed 50% of the total land area around their house. This saved them considerable time and money, so they were able to place an order right away.
Steven and his wife demolished the existing brick garage in one week. Chart Arenas & Groundworks were on site to lay the foundations as soon as they were finished. It took a week and a half to lay them.
In December 2024, less than a month after Steven placed his order, our team arrived at the property to complete the installation. They erected the garage in one day.
Steven says he is “very happy with the completion time.” The Chart team “worked very hard; they turned up early and worked until dark. Sometimes, they had to work in pretty bad weather, but they were always cheerful. They were excellent guys.”
The Chart range garage is located next to the bungalow. Only 2 metres separate the two buildings, so Steven and his wife can access it quickly via a personal door without stepping into the rain and cold for long. “It’s very convenient to be able to pop in and out of the garage quickly,” says Steven.
The building is 7.2m by 7.3m and features two sets of double doors, a personal door, and two double-glazed windows. Inside, there is enough room to park and work on two cars, while the windows bring in natural light.
The exterior walls are finished with weatherboard cladding to match the bungalow’s walls. Steven chose shaded brown Onduvilla lightweight tiles for the roof, which resemble the tiles of the house’s roof. Together, these details help the garage blend in with the property.
Steven thinks the whole process - from the quote to the installation - was “very easy and smooth.” “We visited the showroom and [your team] talked us through the various options. We received a quote right away, and [you] booked the installation date in the space of a week.”
If he could go back, Steven wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, he and his wife were so pleased with our service that they asked our sister company’s team to do some extra work. “Because they did such a good job with the garage foundations, we asked them to replace our fence and put down a new gravel drive,” he explains.
Steven says he is “very happy with the final building” because it provides the space he needs and works well with its surroundings.
With plenty of room to move around and use the workstation, Steven can work on the two cars comfortably.
