A businessman is master-minding his multi-million international company from his garden – thanks a bespoke home office, created using aviation technology.
Nick Wright and his wife Paula run Resdev Ltd, which makes and installs high-spec industrial resin flooring for pharmaceutical and food companies through to car park decks from its base on Ainleys Industrial Estate, Elland in West Yorkshire.
The company’s global contracts means Nick often needs to speak to suppliers and customers, such as Kellogg and Coca Cola, on the other side of the world during the evening.
His luxury five-bedroomed home in Barkisland now sports a fully-equipped home office, built by Rubicon Garden Rooms, which means Nick can now broker international deals while spending time with his family.
The bespoke office doubles up as a family den, with a pool table for his teenage son Harry and daughter Fiona, 12, plus a comfy sofa for Paula to catch-up on reading, and a wine cooler for parties to enjoy the wonderful views across the countryside.
The new building was made by North Wales firm Rubicon Garden Rooms – founder John Lyon was inspired by his 20 years as an engineer at plane manufacturer Airbus to develop a zero-maintenance wood fibre composite material.
Rubicon’s bespoke top-of-the-range units are now used for everything from home offices to art or music rooms, yoga studios, teenage dens and annexes for dependent relatives.
Nick said: “Here in the garden room I can switch the laptop on and keep up with conference calls at any time, which is important as we have manufacturers in America and the Far East.
“I have to be available at all sorts of times, as I’m dealing with different time zones and working days, all the time.
“Having this Rubicon room just gives us a bit extra space and lets me get away from the house when I need to.
“For example, when I have to deal with America it is often early evening here and that’s never a quiet time for any family,” added Nick, whose previous study has now been made into a recording study for 19-year-old Harry.
“As we have extensive grounds around the house, we decided to use some of the outside space and this spot has picturesque views across the valley, so it was ideal.
“We did quite a bit of research into companies that make them and chose Rubicon as we thought a synthetic material would last better and we liked their range.”
Once the design and fittings for the building were agreed, the sections were manufactured at Rubicon’s factory in Deeside, North Wales. Then Rubicon’s team of experts took just eight days to install it
“They were great,” said Nick. “They cleared up after themselves every day and I couldn’t fault them at all.
“We’re very happy with what we’ve got, it’s a perfect, self-contained space with everything we need. and it makes a huge difference to my work-life balance.”
The 295 sq ft building has double doors and two windows, fully integrated broadband and phone networks wired in to the framework, a security system, heating, sound proofing, insulation and top of the range lighting systems – all controlled at the touch of a button.
It is one of the company’s most popular formats for a home office, said Rubicon managing director John Lyon.
He added: “There is an increasing rise in the number of business people who want to work from home part of the time – whether they run their own company, such as Nick, or work for somebody else.
“It saves them time on their commute and allows them to spend time with their family and friends, or work the hours that suits them best.
“Our bespoke service means they can create exactly what they need, without any worries over maintenance, and it just takes a few weeks from start of the design to completion, so there’s very little disruption to their family life.”
Nick was born in Leeds and briefly trained as a chef before taking over Resdev Ltd, founded by his father John in 1978, which manufactures specialist seamless, hygienic, epoxy and polyurethane resin floor, wall and car park decking systems for application throughout UK and worldwide.
It exports to more than 25 countries, supplying food factories, warehouses, printing facilities, dairies, car plants, car parks, offices and conference and retail complexes.
The business has thrived, with Nick securing contracts with big names such as Kellogg and Coca Cola worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. It was named in the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain report, which celebrated the fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK.
Rubicon Garden Rooms has more than 10 years of experience in the building industry, and specialises in the manufacture and installation of garden buildings to create home offices, annexes for older relatives and teenagers, music studios, and leisure buildings.
Fully insulated, its hi-tech wood fibre composites simulate wood, whilst other products simulate stone and slate in order to enhance comfort, zero-maintenance and aesthetic appeal.
More details at rubicongardenrooms.co.uk or call 01244 552813
