What is a Garden Room? Everything You Need To Know!

To put it simply, a garden room is a stylish, versatile outdoor living space that enhances both your home and garden. More modern and insulated than traditional conservatories or sheds, garden rooms provide a comfortable, year-round space for various uses, whether as a home office, gym, art studio, or relaxing retreat.

Built with high-quality materials, they offer a seamless way to extend your living space without the hassle of a full home extension. In this guide, you’ll learn everything about garden rooms and how they can transform your lifestyle!

Garden Room Uses

What Is a Room For Your Garden?

By definition, a garden room is a stand-alone building separate from the home, but we think it’s much more than this.

It’s an office, a gym, a games room and more! Plus, with sizes available in measurements from 4m² to 30m², the possibilities are truly endless.

Garden buildings are a cost-effective, flexible outdoor building solution that offers much more versatility than conservatories or summerhouses.

What Is a Garden Room Used For?

Garden rooms can be an excellent alternative for various uses as well, offering flexible and versatile spaces that can serve a wide range of needs.

Here are 5 common uses and situations where garden buildings can be an excellent alternative:

1. Garden Office

Garden offices make for comfortable and quiet workspaces, ideal for hybrid and remote workers. Additionally, their customisation allows you to create the perfect home business set-up for entrepreneurs. They provide separation from the main house, reducing distractions and creating a dedicated work environment.

2. Garden Gym

Garden rooms can be transformed into exercise spaces, allowing you to work out without leaving your home! What makes having a garden room gym so beneficial is that it saves you money on yearly membership costs, reduced wait times for machines and no annoying gym music to distract you from achieving your fitness goals.

3. Garden Studios

A garden studio is a haven for letting creatives flourish. From artists to writers, musicians and more, garden studios allow you to escape and be enthralled in your passions right at home without distractions.

4. Garden Pod

Garden pods are a fantastic solution for maximising the potential of smaller outdoor spaces. They can be customised to fit your preferences, whether you envision a cosy reading nook or a snug movie room. With their versatile design, garden pods offer a creative way to bring your big ideas to life while making the most of even the tiniest outdoor areas. Whether you’re seeking a quiet retreat or an extra living space, a garden pod can transform your garden into a functional and stylish extension of your home.

5. Teen Den

A teen den provides your children with the independence they desire while enabling you to maintain a subtle, vigilant presence. Relax with the assurance that they are having a great time in their secluded corner at the far end of the garden. Additionally, they can be adapted for multiple purposes, including a designated study area for those moments when they need to focus on their work.

What’s The Difference Between a Garden Room And a Conservatory?

A garden room and a conservatory both provide extra space, but a garden room is a better choice for functionality, comfort, and long-term value. Unlike a conservatory, which is mostly glass and poorly insulated, a garden room has solid walls, a proper roof, and high-quality insulation, making it comfortable year-round without extreme temperature fluctuations.

A conservatory is more of a sunroom, ideal for light-filled relaxation but impractical in hot summers and cold winters. In contrast, a garden room is a fully functional extension of your home, perfect for an office, gym, or guest space. It also requires less maintenance and often avoids planning permission hurdles.

Top 4 Garden Room Benefits

1. Fully insulated to be comfortable and dry.

Garden rooms are watertight and fully insulated with complex multi-layer breathable insulation in the walls, roof and floor of the buildings. This breathable insulation keeps the rooms dry, healthy and comfortable to use all-year-round. The doors and windows are fitted with premium Pilkington K double glazing for optimal thermal efficiency. 

2. Designed for the purpose of human comfort.

Garden rooms are designed to be “lived in” comfortably being bright, airy, insulated and safe – unlike a garden shed which has been designed for storage. 

3. Crafted with premium-grade materials for maintenance-free quality.

Every element of our garden rooms has been carefully selected for quality. For example, the roof is steel and PVC coated making it completely maintenance-free compared to fiddly summerhouses, the doors and windows made with toughened glass and insurance grade locking and the cladding is slow grown pressure treated redwood which requires no treatment for structural integrity. 

4. Finished to perfection.

Garden rooms are a stylish addition to your garden, creating a stunning feature that is completely unique. Using a blend of natural and composite materials, our buildings have a contemporary finish that is both subtle and beautiful in the garden. The interior finishes and options have been selected to complement your home; with everything from internal lighting options to a choice of stylish oak laminate flooring. At Green Retreats we pay attention to the details that make our garden buildings a place you feel at home in.

Ready to kickstart your garden room project?

We would love to learn more about your project and help you create your perfect garden building.

Pop into one of our two showrooms where you can see all the options in person and chat to our sales team about progressing your garden room project!