All our studios are proudly made in Australia. Probably the easiest DIY option on the market, assembly is quick and enjoyable, we can provide assembly support at any step.

COMING SOON: How to DIY the following – kitchenette, wall/floor coverings, insulation and an affordable solar system.

We have a wide range of backyard cabins and studios. Suitable for a granny flat, teenage retreat or home office. The range is built to a higher standard than our timber sheds with taller roof/wall heights and upgraded windows and doors. They are designed to be of a very high quality but are probably the most affordable timber studio in Australia. Call us today to discuss the options.

We supply these as a lockup “shell” which can be simply painted on the inside and used as is or you can fully line, wire and plumb your studio to your needs. We advise building these as a “shed” to make compliance with council regulations much easier. These are designed to be just under the height requirement of a “habitable” building, making it much easier to get a shed/studio permit if you decide to go through council.

(Beware of imported cabin “kitsets” without proper foundations and thin walls that don’t allow room for plumbing or electrical work.)

Our current lead time to dispatch is 2-3 weeks.

Create your own exciting new space with one of our studios.


Studio Range


Our cedar range comes with all the basics needs to create the lockup shell as shown in the images - doors, windows, hinges etc and all the hardware required to assemble it is included. You can however add several extra options and upgrades, ranging from a floor kit to assembly tools, details provided below on all of these.

Floor Kit: Highly recommended.  The HD Floor Kit provides a very strong, long lasting base and also makes the install process very easy as the walls simply locate along the flat edges of the floor. Has several H4 treated stumps at 75cm long to allow for a slope. Uses water resistant yellow tongue sheeting system as the top surface, you can use as is or add a floating floor on top.

Annex + Deck: Highly recommended (Studios only) The Annex and deck option adds a lot of functionality to your studio. Gives shelter in the rain and a handy place to put a doormat to prevent dust and dirt entering your studio. A place to sit in the sun, place some planted pots and add one of our decorative rainwater tanks.

Extra Opening Windows: The standard opening windows are framed in cedar and use a lightly tinted acrylic, better than glass in many ways and indistinguishable from glass when viewing from inside or out. Comes with internal latches, its a good idea to add some sort of cabin hook so when open they do not move in the wind, we do sell those if needed.

Extra Fixed Windows: A tall, fixed studio window allowing for full outdoor views and letting in plenty of light. Framed in cedar and using high quality acrylic for the pane, better than glass in many ways including strength, meaning these will not be broken in transit or during use. Let us know in the order comments where you want your extra windows, they typically just replace a standard wall panel, these windows come fully assembled, inside a wall panel.

Extra Doors: You can upgrade to double doors or add extra doors elsewhere in the shed/studio. Please note in your order comments where the extra door should go.

Skylight: Adds a translucent roof sheet to the roof, replacing a standard colorbond sheet, using the same profile. Great for artist studios or anyone requiring plenty of natural light. Can make the space hotter in summer, an AC solution can easily overcome that though.

Roof Colour: Choose a roof colour from our range, a swatch of colours is shown in the image thumbnails. If you need a colour that is not shown we can order in any colorbond colour that you need also.

Roof Insulation: Recommended Reflective foam cell foil adds an effective heat barrier to your roof, makes a huge difference in radiated temps from the steel roof. Installation takes mere minutes as its simply placed under the roof sheets during assembly.

Assembly Tool Bits: Recommended You will need to drill several 13mm holes in all the floor stumps, our auger bit drills a hole in a 90mm square treated post in about 2-3 seconds, a comparable, standard 13mm twist bit takes 5-10 times as long. Set also includes exact sized driver bits for all the supplied fasteners, an under or over sized driver bit risks rounding off the screw. (We recommend you use a cordless "Driver" instead of a cordless drill for our cedar range, a drill will still do the job but a driver has much more driving force and less "kickback" to your wrist as it uses a hammer action. Talk to us for advice on an affordable driver option if you don't own one.)

Door Handle Upgrade: Highly recommended (Studios only) Our house style, entrance lever is a great addition to your cedar studio. Spring loaded door lever with internal lock snib and 2 provided keys. Looks better than the shed style of standard handle and is of very high quality. Assembly is straight forward, same as any door handle, just requires 2 hole saw holes and its simple screws in. For a tidier appearance the side of the door can be chiseled out to recess the face of the lock. Comes with full instructions on how to do the simply install process.

Ornate Hardware: (Sheds only) Upgrade to our cast iron, forged look, hinges and doorbolt. Double powder coated in black with a lifetime guarantee, these really look great against the cedar and add come with all screws etc needed. Includes a combination padlock so there is no key to lose and the entire set is very easy to install. Comes with 3 hinges per door for added strength.

Cabin Hooks: Powder coated, cast iron latches to keep your doors and windows from moving in the wind. High quality and robust.

The 2.02 m wall height on the studio range is not high enough to require a habitable building permit, thus you only need to get a permit for these as a "shed", typical use for a shed can be: storage room, workshop, office or retreat.

Our studio range is still built to house quality in regards to strength and durability but the lower wall height means you only need to install these as a shed. Check with your council in regards to what paperwork etc they will need, we do have plans available if you need them. Usually all a shed building permit will require is a sketched site plan with dimensions showing boundaries, septic tanks and nearby buildings etc and the filling in of a simple form.

All states except NSW have a 10 square metre limit, under that you can install with no permit required, in NSW you can install a shed up to 20 square metres without requiring a permit.

The above is just intended as a quick summary, please ensure you check with your council if you have any concerns over your own requirements.

Landera tested 6 different coatings on our cedar cladding.

Cedar coatings - click to enlarge

Cedar can be left bare, to naturally weather to a grey colour or coated in a range of oils or stains. Using a coating will give the UV protection needed to prevent fading or greying of the timber. We have applied 6 commonly used products to a test panel, shown on the right. We have a second photo, below, showing how the different treatments weather over time. We did one row with a single coat for all the products, this will give an idea of how things will look after they fade a little and some may even choose to do one coating.

Initial coating is best done with the panels on the ground, prior to assembly. This makes the job much quicker and easier. The best tool is a heavy nap roller with a long handle attachment. All products will require recoating after a time, typically 3-5 years.

After 9 months of weather

 

We don't endorse any of the products tested but we do have some opinions: The clear coat from Dulux Intergrain, does look very nice initially but we have had feedback that is doesn't protect the underlying colour as time goes on and it can flake. One of our favourite colours is the Ultradeck Light Oak option, again from Dulux Intergrain, some of our shed/studio photos have been done with this stain.

Stains will change the colour of the natural cedar but they do preserve well, the underlying grain/pattern of the timber, the grain is one of the features of cedar, its patterns are much more pronounced than pine or other styles of cladding.

Painting is an option many customers have chosen also, you will lose the natural look of timber but colour choice and long term protection are the benefits with paint. Because of cedar's large pores, it is necessary to prime the wood before painting it also. Any acrylic paint will work, talk to your paint supplier about what they recommend.

Weathered cedar - click to enlarge

 

A two tone paintjob looks best with the doors/windows a different colour to the walls.

Unprotected cedar will fade to a grey colour fairly quickly, within a year or so. It will still last a long time, but will eventually decay one day. The weathering penetrates to about 2mm fairly quickly but then slows dramatically. Cedar deteriorates slowly due to the natural oils it contains: cedrine, cedrol, and thujopsene. These have many natural benefits from termite and bug repelling to medicinal properties to treat things like fungus.

We recently coated a cedar studio in a dark stain called Black Ash, by Cutek. There are several photos of this on the Pioneer 20x10 studio page. This is a high quality product that is available at many paint suppliers Australia wide. It provides a great contrast on cedar timber due to the rich grain. Image on the right shows the Black Ash on our cedar studio Pioneer.

Do I need to stain/paint my cedar studio?

We would recommend staining or painting your cedar studio to maintain its fresh looks. Not doing so however, will not comprise the studio’s durability but you will start to see the cedar weathering over time to a silvery grey colour, if left uncoated. We have a full write-up on each studio page that expands to show a lot more info on cedar coatings.

What do I coat my cedar studio with?

If you are painting your cedar studio to match the colour of your house we would recommend undercoating it with an oil based primer. If you are staining your studio we recommend Intergrain Ultra deck Timber Stain in Light Oak colour which is available from most major hardware stores or paints stores.

Can I change the colour of the roof?

Yes, however there is an additional cost. If the standard monument roof colour does not suit you, you can choose a colour that does from our list of options.

Do I need a concrete slab?

We recommend purchasing the heavy duty floor kit if you do not have an existing slab. If you don’t have an existing slab the heavy duty floor will save you employing any expensive contractors to do earth works or lay concrete slabs. The heavy duty floor kit comes with a 140x35mm h3 pine base suspended on 750mm h4 posts that sit in the ground. The heavy duty floor kit is ideal if your ground is uneven. If your ground is very out of level, you may need longer posts, if this is the case give us a call to discuss your needs or let us know in the comments when you order.

How do I fix my shed to a concrete slab?

Use 1 concrete anchor per panel join, fix through the panel base plate into the slab.

Are the studios easy to assemble?

Our cedar studio kits are a very enjoyable DIY experience for those with a little hands-on experience. The kit comes as a flat-pack of pre-made panels and timber parts that can be screwed together and installed easily with the guidance of our  instruction manuals and install videos available online. However, if needed any local handy-person can assemble these. Places like www.airtasker.com.au are a good way to find someone. We do also know of some installers in the capital cities.

Does it matter if my site is not level?

No, the heavy duty floor is going to be the most efficient and affordable base for your shed and comes with posts to level it up. If your ground is very out of level, please give us a call (see number at bottom of page) to discuss your needs or let us know what you need in the comments on your order.

Are termites a problem and if so will the warranty cover this?

We are 99.9% certain your studio will never be attacked by termites. All framing used is treated pine and the cedar is naturally termite resistant. If you ever have issues with termites attacking your studio this is all covered by our 10 year warranty.

If I order today, when can I expect my studio to arrive?

Please check the freight tab on the product page for current lead times and further details on delivery.

What happens if my studio arrives damaged in transit or missing parts?

In the rare and unfortunate circumstance that this happens, send us a quick email with your order number, a photo of the damaged parts or a list of the missing parts and we will have replacement parts dispatched in most cased within one business day or if there is further clarification needed it could take 2. These issues take priority over any other enquiry and are acted on promptly.

Cedar trees, our timber sheds are made from cedar.

Cedar plantation

 

Western Red Cedar is highly durable and dimensionally stable, making it ideal for a wooden garden shed or studio. It has an excellent insulation value – the highest of commonly used softwoods. It is classified as ‘very resistant to decay’ and is rated alongside Australian timbers such as Jarrah and Red Gum in terms of durability. Inground stake tests in northern Queensland have indicated that it has a very high resistance to termite attack. Its dimensional stability reflects in the minimal movement and distortion caused by changing moisture content of the air – in fact, it has the best stability rating of any commercially used timber in Australia.

Western Red Cedar is an excellent choice for cladding of timber buildings. Classified as a softwood, Western Red Cedar is the lightest timber commonly used commercially. Its low density rating gives it an excellent insulation value. Its colouring ranges from a light straw colour through to warm reddish or dark brown. Importantly, Western Red Cedar exhibits good long term performance in demanding environmental conditions.

Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) grows on the west coast of Canada in British Columbia, and in the coastal area of Washington State in USA, where it reaches heights of 45 - 60 metres. Although it is not botanically related to the Californian Redwood, it does have many similar properties. The Redwood however is much more expensive and would not normally be used for external cladding in Australia.

The harvesting of Western Red Cedar in British Columbia is closely controlled and monitored. Much of the Cedar growing along the coastal region is actually in parks and protected areas, and consequently is not commercially accessible. There are areas designated as "working forests" from which the timber is taken, and this, along with "second growth" timber which is coming on stream contributes to the approximately 6 million cubic metres harvested annually. This amount has been determined to be sustainable in the long term.

From large to small we have a range of sizes to suit all needs.

Create a space

Turn your studio into a potting shed, office or art room!

The video below shows a quick overview of some of the assembly steps and a walkthrough of a Barakula studio setup as a potting shed.

Gallery

Browse a selection of our studio images below. These images are of various studio sizes and may include options not supplied with the studio you are purchasing such as additional windows, floor coverings, paint etc.