Questions, answered straight

For a day-use garden building, such as a gym, office, room, bar or studio, you usually fall under permitted development and need no application, provided it sits behind the house, is single storey, is kept low within 2m of a boundary (max 2.5m high there), covers no more than half your garden and has no veranda or raised platform. Conservation areas, AONBs and listed properties have tighter rules. Anything used for sleeping or letting always needs full planning permission. Always verify with your local planning authority. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ from this England guidance, and a Lawful Development Certificate is worth considering for peace of mind.

Any space used for sleeping or letting, such as a guest annexe, a holiday let or an Airbnb, always needs full planning permission and must meet Building Regulations, without exception. That covers insulation, ventilation, fire safety and how services are installed. We build glamping and holiday-let units to that sleeping specification from the start and will guide you through the planning route, but the permission itself is granted by your local authority.

For a detached garden building under 15m² of internal floor area with no sleeping use, Building Regulations generally do not apply. Between 15m² and 30m² there are conditions, mainly around proximity to boundaries and fire. Any sleeping accommodation brings full Building Regs into play. One thing always applies regardless of size: Part P, covering electrical work, and we wire every build to it. Always confirm your specific case with your local authority building control.

For most gardens, none in the traditional sense. A container is structural in its own right, so we typically site it on levelled concrete pad stones or a simple prepared base, with no digging foundations and no waiting for concrete to cure. On softer or sloping ground we will advise on the right base. The unit is craned into final position, levelled and left ready.

The finished unit is delivered on a HIAB lorry, a lorry with a crane that lifts the container over fences, walls and hedges into position, so the lorry itself does not need to reach the exact spot. We do need clear access for the lorry to get close enough and overhead room for the crane. Tight or unusual access is usually workable, but we assess it with you before delivery day so there are no surprises. We deliver nationwide from our Radcliffe base.

Yes. That is one of the real advantages over a brick extension. A container conversion is not a permanent fixture: it can be lifted back onto a HIAB lorry and relocated to a new property or a new spot in your garden. The space you have fitted out to your taste moves with you.

Yes. Proper insulation is the difference between a usable room and a cold steel box, and it is where cheaper conversions cut corners. We insulate walls, floor and ceiling to a real standard and seal against draughts, so the space holds heat through a Manchester winter and stays comfortable in summer. Add heating or air conditioning and it is a genuine every-day-of-the-year room.

Because we hold our own stock of quality containers, your build starts when it is agreed rather than waiting on a supplier, which keeps lead times shorter than most. The exact timescale depends on the size and specification of your build; we will give you a clear lead time with your quote. [TBC: typical turnaround in weeks, to confirm with Jack.]

[TBC: deposit percentage, stage payments and accepted payment methods to be confirmed with Jack before launch.] We will set this out clearly in your written quote so you know exactly what is due and when before any work begins.

We back the structure of every conversion with a 5-year structural guarantee, covering the integrity of the steel shell and the structural work we carry out on it. The full terms are set out in writing with your build. [TBC: exact wording and what is covered/excluded to be confirmed.]

Jack Cunningham. He has spent more than fifteen years on the tools as a qualified kitchen fitter (precision joinery, compact-space design and flawless interior finishing), which is exactly the craft a good container conversion needs. You are dealing with the person doing the work, not a sales office.

We publish "from" prices on each conversion type to give you a realistic starting point: a home gym from £7,495, a bar and man cave from £9,995, a garden office or room from £11,995, and a glamping pod from £24,995, with a Supply & Convert option from £4,995. Studios, workshops and commercial units are priced to the brief. Your final price depends on size, specification and finish, and every quote is itemised so you can see what you are paying for. [Pricing is being finalised. See your written quote for confirmed figures.]