Vitola's Smoking Den - or MLW Summerhouse.....

[Vitola]

As some of you guys are aware, finding a place of sanctuary where you can unwind, relax and generally be at peace in that moment, when you want to enjoy your cigar - is becoming rarer and rarer these days. Never having smoked indoors at home, my usual cigar enjoyment spot was standing half outside/inside the back door on the deck - great during those balmy summer days and nights, but hellish in the winter with the cold and rain.

After being inspired by @PeeJay and others on the forum, I finally got the go ahead last year from MLW, to build my own smoking den in the garden; on the proviso it is termed and used as a summerhouse....

So as requested, I thought maybe a blog of my adventure building it would be the order of the day, so here goes....

The intended site partly cleared last year



We decided on maximising corner space, and also decided we will use an eco-friendly method for ensuring we have a solid base to build on. We got a ground team in to do the screw footings, and build the base frame.

The smoking cabin/summerhouse itself, I will be building myself over the coming weeks/months....here are today's activities putting in the ground screws and erecting the base.


The load pull test on the ground screws





Ground Screws nearly in.....



The base frame taking shape


It was rather dark when we finished tonight - the guys did a fantastic job, and I even pitched in myself......keeping a beady eye on the job.
I will post some pictures of the finished base tomorrow.......Stay Tuned!

[Shaun]

Looks great and a good size. Will you be running electrics and installing an extractor fan?

[Vitola]

Vitola's Smoking Den - or MLW Summerhouse.....

Yes [MENTION=13452540]Shaun[/MENTION] the building will be 4x4 metres, the existing electrics in the garden terminate just by the edge of the frame. I will be doing the electrics - to be honest I hadn?t thought of an extractor fan, but it will be something I will definitely look to install


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[PeeJay]

I looked at the ground screw method too but my garden needed minimal levelling so that's why I went for the grid base. You will need an extractor fan as well as at least one small fan to push the smoke towards the extractor. I use two small USB fans.

[Horsebox]

Exciting stuff. Have you got a image/plan of what it will look like? Also, what's the estimated cost? We would to build a new shed/summerhouse/smoking cabin in our new garden. We've moved to a much bigger place but have traded a garage in the process.

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[Vitola]

Exciting stuff. Have you got a image/plan of what it will look like? Also, what's the estimated cost? We would to build a new shed/summerhouse/smoking cabin in our new garden. We've moved to a much bigger place but have traded a garage in the process.

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Estimate a cost around ?4 - 5K - depends how much work you're willing to do yourself. This is the plan of the one we are building

[moteyi]

Good stuff. I've been looking at off the shelf summer houses recently and I'm sorely tempted to buy a cheap one for the garden.

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[ha_banos]

Looking forward to the build! That's a great size.

You'll need network and heating of course.

[PeeJay]

Looking forward to the build! That's a great size.

You'll need network and heating of course.

If you're taking power from the house then networking is simplest with a pair of Powerline adaptors and a wireless access point in the cabin.

[Simon Bolivar]

If you're taking power from the house then networking is simplest with a pair of Powerline adaptors and a wireless access point in the cabin.

Great work Vitola, I was just looking as various houses in the Bournemouth area & especially those that come with a summerhouse/ large garage, that could be used for smoking as there's no where indoors to legally smoke down there (the only draw back from moving over from Belgium). Some of the sheds & other type structures are dirty smelly & old & I can see the advantage for starting from scratch. You seem to have the perfect plot of otherwise unused land to put it upon, sure the trickiest part was persuading the wife. However, she's right enough, you won't want to smoke they in the summer (unless a little summer rain is falling!) & in the winter she won't want to be in there anyway. Is there not room for a little more overhang for the roof, that you might sit under in more clement weather? Otherwise excellent job.
PJ, 'Wireless Access Point' = Re-Router?

[ha_banos]

Great work Vitola, I was just looking as various houses in the Bournemouth area & especially those that come with a summerhouse/ large garage, that could be used for smoking as there's no where indoors to legally smoke down there (the only draw back from moving over from Belgium). Some of the sheds & other type structures are dirty smelly & old & I can see the advantage for starting from scratch. You seem to have the perfect plot of otherwise unused land to put it upon, sure the trickiest part was persuading the wife. However, she's right enough, you won't want to smoke they in the summer (unless a little summer rain is falling!) & in the winter she won't want to be in there anyway. Is there not room for a little more overhang for the roof, that you might sit under in more clement weather? Otherwise excellent job.
PJ, 'Wireless Access Point' = Re-Router?

You don't actually need a router. This pair of devices will do. The one in the summer house creates a Wifi network there. Between them they transmit the network over the mains power wiring. The one in the house needs to plug into your router.


Devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi Powerline Starter Kit with Mesh Wi-Fi

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H5YPC7D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_P2zoCbTJG63YH

Or

TP-Link TL-WPA4220KIT 2-Port Powerline Adapter WiFi Starter Kit, Range Extender, Broadband/WiFi Extender, WiFi Booster/Hotspot, No Configuration Required, UK Plug

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LXOZ4EN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_C5zoCbA5JCGFM

[K444HEP]

A very inspiring post!

[Shaun]

Yes @Shaun the building will be 4x4 metres, the existing electrics in the garden terminate just by the edge of the frame. I will be doing the electrics - to be honest I hadn?t thought of an extractor fan, but it will be something I will definitely look to install

Without the fan the room quickly becomes very smokey, extracting the smoke also gets rid of (most) the smell as stale smoke is horrible. The typical 4" fans like you get in bathrooms arent very powerful, a 6" or 8" fan is much more suited and can accomodate 2-3 smokers without needing other directional fans in the room.

I built mine with a double skin and insulation and ran the electrics inside the cavity, with ceiling lights and plugs for TV in the walls so no cables are visible.

[PeeJay]

Without the fan the room quickly becomes very smokey, extracting the smoke also gets rid of (most) the smell as stale smoke is horrible. The typical 4" fans like you get in bathrooms arent very powerful, a 6" or 8" fan is much more suited and can accomodate 2-3 smokers without needing other directional fans in the room.

I built mine with a double skin and insulation and ran the electrics inside the cavity, with ceiling lights and plugs for TV in the walls so no cables are visible.

I put the cable under the floor

[Vitola]

The Finished Base.....

As promised.....shots of the finished base. It was too dark when we finished last night.





The cabin takes around 4 weeks to be manufactured - so next jobs will be insulation between joists and I have an electrician coming over to link up the existing garden electricity supply to the cabin base.



I will build a step similar to the one pictured below (borrowed from the hot tub) for estimating height/tread depth etc... The visible edges we will cover with deck boards to hide the ground screws