The Base Room™ Story
In March 2007, Michael Cremer and Steve Wrieden sat down to discuss new steps their well-established loft conversion business could take towards further progress.
Aware of the pressure on families to find adequate living space, and having a wide array of trades within the company, they felt that there must be other ways in which the company could beneficially employ its expertise. They were also well aware of the limitations that exist in densely populated, well built up areas such as in South East England. Having spent many years converting lofts in North London, they were familiar with the need to make the most of existing space through creative building and design.
As part of these discussions, they struck upon the idea of building garden rooms and log cabins in back gardens, as well as the possibility of digging out or refurbishing basements.
The following challenges were clear:
Log Cabins / Garden Rooms
Gardens in London are relatively small and putting any decent sized cabin in such a space would be detrimental to the garden as a whole. It would take up a good 50 – 75% of the room, leaving only a very small useable area. Above all, the aesthetics of the garden environment would be impaired, with a distinct reduction to both light and space.
Basements
The average length of build for a basement is 6 months, causing massive disruption to both the property and its owners. Such construction costs a minimum of £100k and the prospect of excavating beneath the existing property would appeal to neither architect nor customer.
Cremer and Wrieden saw both the need and potential for space. The solution was obvious….
Base Rooms™
Why not combine the two ideas and create a room in the garden that is submerged and does not take up any additional space? The initial idea was to create a room that sat just 200 mm out of the ground and would, when finished, look as though it was part of the garden, a normal decking area - a wholly usable space. No loss of light, no loss of space and the garden aesthetics intact!
Plans were drawn up from their initial sketches and the concept was born.
Various building techniques were evaluated and eventually planning approval for a pilot project was granted in Summer 2008.
With the new planning regulations of October 2008, it was discovered that a building of this type would, in the majority of cases, be able to be built under permitted development and not require planning permission.
In July 2009 we embarked on the first Base Room™.
A Base Room™ is a subterranean structure ideally suited to be situated in the rear garden of a domestic dwelling.
The purpose of the Base Room™ is to expand and develop the habitable space of a property without compromising any of the existing space.
Ingenious in its design, the Base Room™ increases the usable space of a property without falling foul of planning rules and guidelines.
