JML Garden Rooms was approached to design, supply and install four custom-designed staff accommodation lodges for a luxury country house hotel in the Perthshire countryside.
The brief was to replace the existing mix of static caravans and poorly insulated buildings that housed staff, with modern, comfortable and thermally efficient accommodation, capable of meeting employees' needs year-round and giving them much-needed comfort and privacy.
Planning conditions were relatively strict for this project, meaning that the size of the lodges had to be carefully considered. To give a feeling of space despite the restricted footprint of each lodge, the buildings were designed to include higher ceilings and modular, prefabricated bathroom pods.
With the units fully manufactured off-site, there were a number of logistical challenges to ensure safe transport and installation on a site where access was quite restricted. This was undertaken by JML Garden Rooms, supported by its trusted network of hauliers and suppliers.
Another significant challenge was the tight timeframe for manufacture and installation. The first four units were required to be delivered to site in advance of Scotland’s COVID-19 lockdown restrictions loosening to allow staff members to return to site. JML Garden Rooms combatted this by timing the manufacture of the lodges to coincide with the hotel’s management removing the existing caravans. This meant that the time on site for installation of the units was reduced to just a day and a half, minimising disruption to the busy hotel environment.
JML Garden Rooms worked closely with the hotel’s property managers to ensure the layouts were tailored to meet their exact needs. Fully built off site, each unit contained two private bedrooms with en-suite prefabricated shower pods and a shared kitchen, affording staff their own cooking facilities. All internal electric and plumbing works were completed at JML’s off-site facility, ready for simple external connections once on site.
The SIPs structure of the lodges delivers a highly thermally efficient solution for the hotel staff’s accommodation. It is a far cry from the original static caravans, providing warm, comfortable and sustainable environments to live and relax.
One of the core planning requirements was that the lodges should be aesthetically sympathetic to their environment. This was achieved by cladding each of the buildings with high-quality Siberian larch, allowing the lodges to blend seamlessly into their picturesque surroundings in the Perthshire Highlands.
In addition, JML Garden Rooms ensured the units were engineered to be liftable and fully transportable, allowing the hotel flexibility if they need to be relocated in years to come.
The client was delighted with the service provided by JML Garden Rooms, which thanks to its years of experience in the sector has all the relevant insurance, trade memberships and Health & Safety accreditations required to work in any commercial environment. A repeat order for a further four units to meet staffing needs for the hotel’s 2021 season has now been placed.