How to Maintain Your Garden Room?

So, you’ve just invested in an epic garden room and it looks fantastic… how do you keep it looking that way? This is often a point that is overlooked and something that garden room owners don’t consider until it’s too late.

I am of course talking about garden room maintenance! Yes, this is often just as important as planning and decorating your garden room and is the key to its longevity.

If you look after your garden room properly, there is no reason why it can’t last for decades and add 5-15% value to your property too. In this article, I explain how to maintain garden room structures including interior and exterior upkeep so you can protect your investment for the long term.

Benefits of Regular Maintenance

So why bother maintaining your garden room? Simply put, if you don’t, it can lead to the following problems:

• Structural damage
• Dampness
• Timber rot
• Health issues
• A loss of value
• Reduced longevity

Basically, your garden room will be a shadow of what it was when it was installed and you will not want to use it! Also, a lack of maintenance can reduce the value and longevity which is essentially a waste of your initial investment.

Exterior Care

UK-made garden rooms from a premium company like 1st Choice Leisure Buildings are built to withstand the elements however that doesn’t mean that exterior maintenance isn’t required. Over time, the garden room is subject to wear and tear from wind, rain, and the sun, so you need to know how to protect it externally.

Weatherproofing and Protection

When looking at how to maintain garden room exteriors, weatherproofing is imperative. These are standalone structures that get battered by the elements.

As a bare minimum, you want the external structure to have a weatherproof coating or stain. If you have a timber garden room you can have the wood treated with a preservative which will repel water but also protect the timber from things like dampness and rot.

Many companies offer this either as part of your garden room package or as an optional extra – either way, it’s something I advise as this will greatly increase the longevity of your garden room.

Maintaining Your Roof

Garden room roofs are perhaps the part that takes the most battering from the weather – especially in the UK with our recent rainfall! Therefore, when you initially buy your garden room I advise having a premium roof that is made from more durable materials.

Periodically, it’s also advised to check the roof for damage and clear away any debris and build-up of things like moss or dirt. If you never clean your garden room roof, a layer of dirt and grime can eventually build up which can compromise the preservative qualities and even potentially cause sagging.

Cleaning the Base

Regardless of the type of base you have, I recommend cleaning it where possible periodically. Make sure there is no build up of grime or weeds around the base, and consider jet-washing it to remove any dirt.

This is more for appearances and to keep your garden room area looking fantastic, but it can help improve the longevity of the base too.

Windows and Door Maintenance

Clean your windows and doors! No one wants to spend time in your garden room if they are covered in dust and grime! Also, check the seals around the doors and windows periodically. If the seals show signs of wear and tear, this could lead to condensation and a reduction in the effectiveness of the insulation.

Interior Care

We all love interior maintenance, don’t we? I personally can’t wait for the prospect of cleaning my house each weekend… hmmm. Seriously – I know this is a chore, but it’s just as essential to maintain and maintain the inside of your garden room as it is the outside and this includes air circulation, facilities, and general cleaning.

Ventilation and Air Circulation

A key part of how to maintain garden room interiors is to keep them ventilated. Ideally, your garden room will have air vents and you should dust these to make sure they don’t get clogged.

Also, make sure the structure is ventilated properly by opening doors and windows and letting air circulate sufficiently. Poor ventilation can lead to dampness but also potential health issues.

Plumbing and Facilities Maintenance

If your garden room has plumbing or facilities like a kitchenette then you have to keep these in great working order. You should notice if any problems arise with the plumbing, but it could be an idea to use a drain cleaner and make sure your fixtures are cleaned regularly.

General Cleaning

Don’t be the person who never hoovers or dusts their garden room! Yes, I know it’s tedious, but compared to your house, it’s a smaller space so get it done! Regular cleaning is more for appearances but also means your garden room always looks nice and is habitable as opposed to grotty and run down.

Professional Inspections

While you can do most of the maintenance yourself, it can be beneficial to enlist the help of professionals occasionally. Periodically (maybe every 5 or 10 years), I advise having a professional inspection carried out of your garden room.

The tradespeople can check the structural integrity, base stability, and the quality of external pieces like the roof and windows. They can then recommend any upgrades or repairs that need undertaking to keep your garden room in good working order for the foreseeable future.