Garden Rooms Cork glossary of terms & specifications
15 technical terms, material grades and Irish standards explained in plain English so you know exactly what is on a written quote.
Sorted A to Z for quick reference when comparing specifications.
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Key garden rooms cork terms explained
25 m² Private Open Space Rule
Under Class 3 exemption rules, at least 25 m² of clear private garden space must remain behind the house after the new garden room and any existing sheds or outbuildings are counted.
4 m / 3 m Height Cap
To stay exempt from planning permission in Cork, a garden room roof must not exceed 4 metres in height for a pitched tiled or slated roof, or 3 metres for a flat or mono-pitch EPDM roof.
Breather Membrane
A vapour-permeable, water-resistant sheet wrapped around the outside of the structural sheathing behind the rainscreen batten cavity, letting moisture vapour escape outward while blocking wind and rain.
C24 Kiln-Dried Studwork
Strength-graded structural softwood (typically 100 mm x 50 mm or 150 mm x 50 mm) kiln-dried below 20% moisture content so insulated wall frames stay straight and resist twisting in damp Munster winters.
Class 3 Exempted Development
Schedule 2, Part 1, Class 3 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 allows up to 25 m² of total detached garden outbuildings behind the front wall of a Cork house without planning permission, provided height limits and private open space rules are met.
EPDM Rubber Roof Membrane
A single-ply synthetic rubber sheet (1.2 mm to 1.5 mm thick) cold-bonded in one seamless piece across flat or mono-pitch garden room roofs, rated for a 40-to-50-year service life with no torch-on joints.
Ground Screw Foundation
Galvanised steel screws driven 1.2 m to 2.0 m into load-bearing Cork subsoil using a handheld hydraulic rig, eliminating concrete lorries, barrow runs through narrow side passages, and curing delays.
Macerator / Pumped Foul Connection
A small-bore pumped waste pipe or gravity 100 mm uPVC foul drain connecting an en-suite WC and hand basin in a garden room back to the existing domestic foul inspection chamber on the property.
Reinforced Concrete Raft
A 100 mm to 150 mm steel-mesh-reinforced concrete slab poured over a compacted Clause 804 hardcore sub-base and 1200-gauge Radon/damp-proof membrane, typically specified for gym equipment or masonry-clad rooms.
Safe Electric (RECI) Completion Certificate
The statutory electrical completion certificate issued by a Registered Electrical Contractor after testing the SWA sub-main, RCD protection, earth rod, sockets, lighting, and electric panel heater.
Structural Insulated Panel (SIP)
An engineered wall and roof sandwich panel consisting of a rigid PIR or EPS insulation core bonded between two structural OSB3 facings, giving high racking strength and low U-values in a compact wall thickness.
SWA Sub-Main Cable
Steel Wire Armoured electrical cable (typically 6 mm² or 10 mm² 3-core) buried at least 500 mm deep in a ducted trench with yellow warning tape from the house distribution board to the garden room consumer unit.
Thermally Broken Aluminium Glazing
Double-glazed sliding or French door frames with a polyamide insulating barrier separating the inner and outer aluminium profiles, stopping cold bridging and frame condensation in winter.
Vapour Control Layer (VCL)
A polythene or foil-backed membrane fitted on the warm indoor side of the insulation behind the plasterboard to stop warm indoor humidity condensing inside the cold outer wall assembly.
Ventilated Rainscreen Cavity
A 25 mm to 38 mm treated counter-batten air gap behind external cedar, larch, or composite cladding with insect mesh top and bottom, allowing wind-driven rain along the Cork coast to drain and dry.
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Questions people ask
How much does a garden room cost in Cork?
A small timber cabin is €6,700 to €9,000 room only. A fitted, insulated 12 to 16 m² room is €25,250, 20 m² €32,000 and 25 m² €41,000, VAT included. See the price guide.
How long does it take?
Most of the time is the wait for a slot and the making. On site, a cabin on a ready base goes up in a few days; a fitted room takes longer, with the base, the electrics and the finish. Ask for the lead time and the days on site in writing. See how long it takes.
Is there a grant for a garden room?
No. SEAI grants are for energy upgrades to the home itself, and there's no council grant for garden rooms. What you can control is the spec and the size.
Garden Rooms Cork coverage across every town in Co. Cork
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Local garden rooms cork coverage across Co. Cork includes Cork City Centre, Ballincollig & Ovens, Douglas, Rochestown & Blackrock, Carrigaline, Crosshaven & Ringaskiddy, Bishopstown, Wilton & Togher, Glanmire, Little Island & Carrigtwohill, Cobh & Great Island, Midleton, Castlemartyr & Cloyne, as well as Mallow, Buttevant & Charleville, Kinsale & Belgooly, Bandon & Innishannon, Fermoy, Mitchelstown & Rathcormac, Youghal, Clonakilty, Rosscarbery & Dunmanway, Macroom & Blarney, Bantry, Skibbereen & Schull, Kanturk & Millstreet, Passage West & Monkstown and surrounding rural townlands.
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