We originally sold the cabins to forest schools or schools who had a forest school facility as they were ideal for this purpose.

But it quickly became obvious that the attraction for these unique buildings was not to be confined to this one single application. They have been used over the years as outdoor libraries, sensory rooms, break out rooms, outdoor classrooms, art rooms, parent meeting facility and meeting rooms.

We now offer two sizes – the standard 5m octagonal and the smaller 3.5m.

Schools – or should we say school children – really go for them because they look different and are quite “quirky” shall we say. Schools always seem to refer to them as the Hobbit House.

There are now quite a few options you can choose from – an insulation package if you wanted to heat the building and to conserve energy, internal shelving (if being used as an outdoor library), solar pipe in the roof to allow in more natural light, an extended decking and X gate balustrading handrail system, extra lower level windows and the educational renewable energy equipment including solar panel, wind turbine and energy board. There are a choice of colours too for the felt shingle tiles on the steep pitched roof.

Typically they sit on a timber sub-frame base which we are able to supply and install.

For more information on these popular buildings, please click on https://www.hideouthouse.com/portfolio-item/hideout-house-cabins/

Optional front veranda

This is a nice story with a happy ending.

Last year we were approached by John Ratcliffe from Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School who was looking for some kind of shelter to enhance their outdoor area

His brief to us was as follows:

The Hazels

This area was created two years ago as a wildlife and outdoor learning area. It only has 2 mature trees, an oak and a birch, so our initial task has been planting saplings. We have beech, birch, cherry, apple, plum, pear, hornbeam, rowan, willow, walnut, sweet chestnut, oak and hazel. This is obviously planting for the long term- we call it our “future forest”, but we are seeking to enhance the area in other ways too.

We have created pollinator patches for the bees, tyre ponds, a willow dome, built a woodstore out of pallets, created a den building area, and have plans for constructing a woodworking area and setting up a live stream wildlife camera.

Due to the lack of tree cover, we are desperately in need of a shelter in the area. The ideal place would be where our current fire circle is, as it is already our gathering place and a hub for our activities. It would be great give us an idea of the coasting- we have some funding from the council and the school, but also want to make our own mark on the gazebo with installing our own seating, etc.  We are really seeking to establish as a model to inspire other schools.

I really hope you will join us on this exciting journey, and I look forward to hearing from you soon

Well a year on, they have just won the prestigious RHS Primary School Gardening Team of the Year UK Champions. Their project and entry details for this competition can be seen by clicking on the link below but of course we like to think that our shelter we supplied to them played a small part too!! Well done to everyone at the school including the children of course on such a fine effort

RHS Garden Team Winner

If you would like to feature something similar in your school garden, then please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

One of the most frequent questions we get asked the whole time is “can I use the outdoor classroom all year round?”

The answer of course is yes but there are a few considerations to take into account here. The basic specification of outdoor classroom we offer is a gazebo style with a solid timber felt shingle tile roof  and this is available in different sizes and shapes. But all of them have solid timber lower level panels, a roof with felt shingle tiles and a decking floor with internal benches running internally around the perimeter. The upper section however is open sided – so something typically like below

with vertical balustrading lower panels

However, if you wanted to add another level of protection from the elements (and let’s face it the British weather is pretty unpredictable!), then we can include marine grade PU coated canvas panels to the window and door/entrance. These can be rolled up when the weather is playing nicely but they can easily be let down and secured when it is not so good.

In forest school setting

But we can offer another level or specification and this is why we always ask our customers first – what are you wanting to use the building for? Outdoor classroom of course is a generic term for an outdoor shelter or building but they are used for a whole variety of applications. So if your school was wanting to have an outdoor library, a break out nurture room or a sensory room for example then the application alone would dictate that the building needs to be fully enclosed and therefore capable of being used all year round. And what we mean by enclosed is that instead for having the canvas panels, we would supply laminated glass windows (can be double glazed too), solid timber panels and French doors which can either be made out redwood pine or a more durable hardwood Sapele. Another option up from this is for us to fully insulate the building to the floor, walls and roof. We would only recommend this option if the school was going to be running out electrics to the building and heating it. With an insulated building, it is always worth remembering that it keeps the heat out and the heat in so in the summer, the building should naturally be cooler to be in. Timber too is also a natural insulator.

with Sapele hardwood doors

Once we have established the above, we can then recommend various options and packages and draw upon our most comprehensive range of building options.

For further information on our enclosed outdoor classroom range, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email info@hideouthouse.com

We do get a lot of enquiries from schools who are looking to start a sensory garden within their school grounds and of course need to have an idea on prices or how much these type of projects cost.

The sensory gardens we tend to get involved with fall into two distinct camps – those projects which involve a certain amount of landscaping work combining many features which foster the sensory garden elements of sound, smell, touch, sound and taste. We offer an initial design service for these projects so that the school can see exactly what we are proposing after we have had a lengthy consultation and/or site visit. These projects tend to be in the budget area of £15K + and can go right up to £100K ex VAT. We have put together a case studies file which gives details on previous sensory gardens we have designed with an attendant budget cost for each one included.

Or we can offer a range of products which are suitable for sensory gardens but which typically involve little or no installation and some of these sensory products can be free standing. These range of products are delivered by a transport company – examples of these type of products are given below

Light and sound arch with brightly coloured panels and outdoor musical chimes (includes 2 beaters)
Free-standing woodland style benches (set of five)
Mirror reflection panels
Growing box
Living wall tipi den with planters and climbing plants
Melody pole
Multi panel sensory unit
Sofa seating covered in artificial grass
Armchair covered in artificial grass
Sensory light cube with play feature
Chimes musical panel

Drum musical panel
Sensory cube covered in artificial grass
Tactile panel set of 3 (wall fix)
Self-creation den with removable tubes
Sunlight archway
Rainbow posts (free-standing)
Rainbow canopy attached to planter beds
Sensory tactile totem posts

If your school is considering a sensory garden project and would like to discuss the options available, please contact us on 01832 275902 or email info@hideouthouse.com