Garden Rooms & Offices at a Glance
Prices: Garden rooms from £3,249 · Fully insulated and double-glazed Platinum models from £4,931 · Royal garden rooms from £7,269. Construction: Quality timber garden rooms and offices · Sizes: Standard and bespoke sizes available · Insulation: Fully insulated and optional insulation ranges · Glazing: Toughened and double-glazed options depending on range · Styles: Apex, pent, corner and contemporary designs.
Uses: Garden office, home gym, studio, hobby room, games room or retreat · Installation: Free professional assembly is included across all ranges within applicable delivery areas · Finishes: Factory-applied colour paint options available · Bases: Base options available for selected buildings · Customisation: Bespoke layouts and options on selected models · See before you buy: Full-size garden rooms and offices on display at our Surrey show site near Guildford and Woking.
Need advice? Robin Antill and our experienced team can help with garden room size, insulation, glazing, layout, base requirements and garden room or garden office installation before you order.
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Royal vs Platinum Garden Rooms – Which Should You Choose?
Our Royal and Platinum garden rooms both provide well-specified, insulated space for home working, hobbies and leisure use, but there are some important differences. Platinum Fleet and Odiham offer excellent value if you want an insulated, double-glazed garden room without moving to our premium specification. Royal goes further, with insulation to the walls, floor and roof, 28mm residential-style PVCu double glazing, larger size options and a higher overall specification.
| Feature |
Royal Garden Rooms |
Platinum Fleet / Odiham |
| Best suited to |
Premium home offices, studios and garden rooms for frequent year-round use |
Home offices, hobby rooms and leisure spaces where comfort and value are both important |
| Insulation |
Walls, floor and roof fully insulated as standard |
Walls and roof insulated as standard |
| Double glazing |
28mm residential-quality sealed units |
14mm double glazing |
| Doors and windows |
Residential-style PVCu double-glazed doors and windows as standard |
Double-glazed timber doors and windows as standard, with PVCu upgrades available on selected specifications |
| External cladding |
Painted LP® StrongCore™ engineered cladding or pressure-treated timber options |
Pressure-treated T&G shiplap or loglap timber options |
| Wall framing |
Approx. 85mm × 34mm finished joinery-grade framework |
Approx. 70mm × 34mm finished pressure-treated framework |
| Internal finish |
Choice of T&G lining or white MDF lining depending on specification |
Ply lining as standard, with T&G matchboard upgrade available |
| Floor |
Heavy-duty timber floor with insulated construction; laminate flooring option available |
Pressure-treated T&G timber floor |
| Roof covering |
EPDM rubber roofing on pent models; alternative finishes depending on roof style |
Heavy-duty roofing felt as standard, with alternative coverings available on selected models |
| Apex and pent options |
Yes |
Yes – Fleet is apex and Odiham is pent |
| Bespoke options |
Extensive choice of sizes, doors, windows and layouts |
Flexible door and window positions with bespoke options available |
| Standard sizes |
Approx. 8×6 to 20×12 ft, with other sizes possible |
Approx. 8×6 to 16×12 ft |
| Assembly |
Free assembly included within applicable delivery areas |
Free assembly included within applicable delivery areas |
| Starting price |
From approx. £7,269–£7,869 depending on model |
From approx. £4,931 |
| Overall |
Our premium garden room specification |
Excellent value insulated garden room |
Specifications, prices and available options vary between models and sizes. Always check the individual garden room specification before ordering.
Choose a Platinum Garden Room If...
Choose a Platinum Fleet or Odiham if you want a properly insulated, double-glazed garden room while keeping the initial cost lower. Both have insulated walls and roofs, internal lining and 14mm double glazing as standard, making them a good choice for a home office, hobby room or leisure space. Fleet gives you the traditional apex roof, while Odiham provides the more contemporary pent-roof alternative.
Choose a Royal Garden Room If...
Choose a Royal garden room if you expect to use the building regularly throughout the year and want our higher specification. The main advantages are insulation to the walls, floor and roof, residential-style 28mm PVCu double glazing, heavier construction and a wider choice of sizes and bespoke options. This makes Royal particularly well suited to permanent home offices, studios and larger multi-purpose garden rooms.
Which Is Better for a Home Office?
Both make very capable garden offices. For regular home working where price and year-round comfort are both important, a Platinum Fleet or Odiham may provide everything you need. If you'll be working in the office for long periods throughout the year, particularly during colder weather, we'd favour Royal for its insulated floor, 28mm glazing and higher overall specification.
Remember that insulation reduces heat loss but doesn't generate heat. Whichever building you choose, you'll normally need a suitable heater during colder weather, while ventilation and shading are worth considering for the summer.
Which Offers the Best Value?
Platinum offers the best value if your priority is getting a well-insulated, double-glazed garden room at the lowest initial price. Royal costs more, but you're paying for a higher specification rather than simply a different name: floor insulation, thicker residential-style glazing, heavier construction, larger size choices and more extensive bespoke options.
Royal or Platinum – Our Simple Guide
Choose Platinum if you want excellent value, insulated walls and roof, double glazing and a comfortable garden room without paying for specification you don't need. Choose Royal if you want our premium option, with walls, floor and roof insulation, 28mm PVCu double glazing, larger sizes and greater scope for a bespoke building.
Still unsure? Visit our Surrey garden building display site and compare the buildings and construction details in person, or browse our garden rooms and garden offices to compare the available models, sizes and prices.
Choosing the Right Garden Room or Garden Office
After more than four decades in the garden building industry, one thing I have learned is that there is no single garden room which is right for everybody. A building being used as an occasional summer retreat has very different requirements from a garden room office occupied for eight hours a day in January, and somebody who wants a games room will have different priorities again.
I would therefore start with how you intend to use the building. Once you know that, decisions about size, insulation, glazing, floor construction, doors, windows, installation and budget become much easier. It also helps you avoid paying for features you don’t need or, more importantly, buying too cheaply and discovering later that the building isn’t comfortable enough for its intended purpose.
Garden Offices for Working From Home
A garden office can create a dedicated place to work without sacrificing a bedroom or other space inside your home. It can also provide valuable separation between working time and home life, but only if the building itself is comfortable and practical enough to use as an office.
If you expect to work from your garden office regularly throughout the year, I recommend looking carefully at insulation, glazing, internal lining, floor construction, ventilation and heating rather than choosing purely by appearance. An attractive garden office is important, but its construction matters far more when you spend several hours inside it at a time.
Think about your working layout before choosing the building as well. Consider the desk position, office chair, monitors, shelving, cupboards, printer and any other equipment you normally use. Then consider where the doors and windows are positioned, and whether glare from a window could affect your screens. Planning these details before buying can make a considerable difference to how well the finished garden room office works.
For regular working throughout the seasons, I would begin by comparing our insulated garden rooms and garden offices. Look at the complete specification rather than simply accepting the word “insulated” as proof that two buildings are equivalent.
Garden Rooms & Garden Offices With Installation
Many customers come to us specifically because they want a garden office with installation or a garden room with installation. It is understandable. A substantial garden building isn’t something everyone wants to assemble themselves, and professional installation can remove much of the uncertainty of buying one.
Many of the garden rooms and garden offices we offer include professional assembly within their applicable delivery areas. The exact service varies by building, manufacturer, and location, so always check the individual product page and quotation rather than assuming every model includes the same service.
When comparing prices elsewhere, I also recommend checking whether installation is included. A garden room that initially appears cheaper may not remain cheaper once delivery, assembly and other necessary work are added. Comparing the complete supplied and installed package gives you a much more useful idea of the true cost.
What Is Involved in Garden Room Installation?
Good garden room installation actually begins before the installation team arrives. The building needs a suitable location, adequate access, and, in most cases, a firm, flat, level base built to the correct dimensions and specification.
Do not build a base using an approximate advertised size without checking the requirements for the exact garden room you are ordering. The nominal size of a building is not always identical to its base dimensions, and getting this wrong can create unnecessary problems on installation day.
You should also consider how materials will reach the proposed site. Side gates, narrow passages, garages, extensions, walls, neighbouring properties and changes in ground level can all affect access. If anything about the route looks difficult, please tell us before ordering so we can consider it properly rather than discovering it when the building arrives.
If you are preparing for a new building, our garden building base guide explains the main considerations and different approaches to creating a suitable base.
What Is Involved in Garden Office Installation?
Garden office installation has many of the same physical requirements as any substantial garden room. Still, there are additional practical points worth considering because you intend to work inside the building.
Think about electricity, lighting, heating and internet connectivity before installation. You may want sockets near a particular desk position, additional power for monitors or equipment, external lighting, or a reliable wired or wireless internet connection. Plan and carry out electrical work with an appropriately qualified person, where required.
It is much easier to think through these requirements while planning the garden office than after furniture has been moved in. Even something as simple as deciding which wall your desk will face can influence the best position for windows, sockets and lighting.
Insulated Garden Rooms for Year-Round Use
Insulation becomes increasingly important the more time you intend to spend in your garden room. For occasional summer use, a simpler building is perfectly adequate. If you want a garden office, hobby room, or leisure room that will be used regularly throughout autumn and winter, I would give insulation much more weight.
However, the phrase “insulated garden room” on its own does not tell you enough. Ask which elements of the building are insulated. Look at the walls, roof, and floor, along with the windows, doors, and internal lining. Heat will find the weakest part of the structure, so comparing the overall construction makes more sense than concentrating on a single insulation figure.
Glazing also matters. A large area of glass can make a garden office light and pleasant to work in, but glazing specifications also affect thermal performance. This is one reason I prefer comparing whole buildings rather than making a decision based on a single headline specification.
You can see our dedicated selection of insulated garden rooms if year-round comfort is one of your priorities.
How Large Should a Garden Room Office Be?
The right size depends on the people using the building and what needs to go inside it. I recommend thinking in terms of usable working space rather than simply choosing the largest building your budget allows.
For one person with a conventional desk and office chair, a relatively compact garden office can work very well. Add several monitors, storage units, filing cabinets, a printer, or occasional visitor seating, and the required room increases surprisingly quickly. Two people working permanently in the same garden room office need enough space to move around without constantly disturbing one another.
Our 10×8 garden rooms and offices are a useful size to consider for many home-office requirements. If you need additional room, compare our 12×8 garden rooms and 12×10 garden rooms and offices.
One simple method I recommend is marking out the proposed dimensions at home or in the garden. Place chairs, boxes or other objects where your furniture would sit and physically walk around the space. It can be far more useful than trying to visualise dimensions from numbers on a screen.
Remember too that quoted garden building sizes are generally nominal sizes. Wall thicknesses, insulation and internal finishes mean the usable internal dimensions will be smaller than the external footprint. Check the dimensions of the particular product before ordering if your furniture layout is tight.
Garden Room or Garden Office: What Is the Difference?
The terms are often used interchangeably because a well-designed garden room can serve many different purposes. In practical terms, the intended use is more important than the label attached to the building.
A garden room may be used as a sitting room, hobby space, music room, exercise area, games room or somewhere to escape from the main house. A garden office is a garden room whose specification and layout make it suitable for working. A garden room office combines the two ideas and may need to work as an office during the week and a leisure space at other times.
If you want that flexibility, choose the specification for the most demanding use. A building comfortable enough for full working days during winter should generally cope very well as an occasional leisure room. In contrast, a building chosen primarily for summer relaxation may not make such a satisfactory year-round office.
Painted and Contemporary Garden Rooms
Performance matters, but your garden room is also a prominent feature in your garden, so appearance should not be ignored. The style of cladding, roof, windows, doors and external finish can determine whether a building feels like an extension of your home or something entirely separate.
If you want a finished appearance without having to choose and apply the external colour yourself, have a look at our painted garden rooms. Always check the individual product specification for the finish supplied and any future maintenance requirements.
Corner Garden Rooms
A conventional rectangular building is not always the best answer for a particular garden. Where the available space or outlook makes a corner design more appropriate, our corner garden rooms are worth considering.
The shape and glazing of a corner garden room can work especially well where you want to look back across the garden rather than directly towards the house. As with any building, though, I would choose based on usable internal space, construction, and appearance.
Garden Rooms With Storage
If garden space is limited, combining two requirements in one building can make a great deal of sense. A garden room with a separate storage section gives you usable office or leisure accommodation while still providing space for garden equipment, tools, or other items you don’t want inside the main room.
You can view our garden rooms with an integrated shed or storage area if this type of combination would make better use of your available space.
I would still think carefully about the proportions. There is little value in adding storage if doing so makes the office too cramped, just as an enormous office section is not useful if the remaining shed cannot hold the equipment you need to store.
Garden Games Rooms and Leisure Rooms
Garden rooms do not have to be offices. They can provide useful extra leisure space for a family without changing the main house layout. Depending on the building and its specification, customers use them for hobbies, exercise, entertainment, games and relaxation.
Our garden games rooms are worth exploring if your priority is recreation rather than working from home.
The Importance of Seeing a Garden Room Before You Buy
I have always believed that seeing a garden building in person is one of the best ways to decide what represents good value. Online photographs are useful, and detailed specifications help. Still, neither can completely reproduce the experience of opening the door, walking inside and looking closely at how the building has been constructed.
When you see a building full size, you can judge whether it feels large enough. You can look at the floor, framing, roof, doors and windows. You can see how much light enters the room and get a far better idea of whether the proportions will work for you.
This is why we encourage customers who can reasonably do so to visit our Surrey garden building display site. Representative buildings can be inspected at full size, and you can discuss the differences between specifications with us before making your decision.
After all these years in the industry, I would much rather somebody took a little more time before ordering and ended up with the right building than bought quickly based on photographs and regretted the decision later.
What I Look for When Comparing Garden Rooms
I do not believe garden rooms should be compared on price alone. Two buildings can look remarkably similar in photographs but differ significantly in construction and what is actually included.
I start with the basic structure. Look at the walls, framing, floor and roof. Then consider doors and windows, glazing, insulation where applicable, external finish and internal lining. Check what arrives as standard and what the photograph shows is actually an optional extra.
Next, compare delivery and installation. Find out whether the advertised price includes professional assembly in your area or whether you will need to arrange and pay for erection separately. If you are comparing a garden office with installation against a supply-only price, you are not comparing like with like.
Finally, consider who you are buying from and whether you can obtain useful advice before and after the order. Garden buildings are substantial purchases, and knowledgeable support is worth having when questions arise about bases, access, options or installation.
Common Garden Room Buying Mistakes
Choosing on Price Alone
A low price is attractive, but it should never be considered without the specification. Look at what the building is made from and what is included. A more complete specification, including delivery and installation, can sometimes offer better overall value than a cheaper headline price to which several extras must later be added.
Buying a Garden Office That Is Too Small
Customers naturally want to make efficient use of their garden, but reducing the dimensions too far can compromise the usefulness of the room. Allow space around your desk and furniture rather than calculating dimensions from the furniture footprint alone.
Ignoring the Base Until After Ordering
The base is literally what your garden room depends upon. A poor, uneven or incorrectly sized base can cause problems which no amount of adjustment to the building itself will properly solve. Check the manufacturer’s requirements before construction begins.
Assuming Every Insulated Garden Room Is the Same
They are not. Compare the whole specification, including where insulation is fitted, the wall and roof construction, floor, doors, windows, glazing and internal finish. Ask questions where descriptions are unclear.
Forgetting About Access
A garden room normally arrives as sizeable components which need to reach the installation site. Measure gates and narrow passages, and consider height restrictions and sharp turns. Raise any concerns before ordering.
Planning Electrics Too Late
If the garden room will be an office, think about sockets, lighting, heating, internet equipment and desk positions early in the process. Good planning produces a neater, more practical result.
Why My Advice Comes From More Than 45 Years in Garden Buildings
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. My involvement in garden buildings started in 1979, but the story goes back a little further because I left school at 15 and went into working life early. By 1979 I had started my own business trading as Marina Sheds.
Those early years gave me practical experience of garden buildings and of dealing directly with customers. Customers had no internet to compare hundreds of buildings, so reputation, product quality, and straightforward advice mattered enormously. I still believe they do.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990. Unfortunately, I did not receive all of the money I was due from that sale. It was a painful business lesson, but it did not change my enthusiasm for the garden building industry.
In 1992 we expanded the range beyond sheds by adding summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. With the business moving into a much wider selection of garden buildings, the Marina Sheds name no longer described what we were doing, and we traded as Titan Garden Buildings.
That same year my son Craig joined me. Craig had been studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990, so he brought formal carpentry training to a business already built around practical garden-building experience. Construction and specification have therefore always been important to how we assess products.
We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998. In 2000 we then made a different decision about how we wanted to operate. Instead of manufacturing and being restricted to promoting our own products, we wanted to retail selected quality buildings from established manufacturers and give customers a genuine choice. That led to the formation of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
Craig now runs the day-to-day business, and I am there to support him and the team as required. I believe that continuity matters. The products and technology have changed enormously since I started in 1979, but the basic questions customers need answered have not changed very much: Is it well made? Is it suitable for what I want to do? What am I really getting for my money? And can I trust the people selling it to give me sensible advice?
You can read more about me, Craig and the development of the business on our About 1st Choice Leisure Buildings page.
Why 1st Choice Sells Buildings From Different Manufacturers
One of the decisions behind the formation of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings was that we did not want to tell every customer that one manufacturer’s building was always the best solution simply because it happened to be ours.
Different manufacturers have different strengths, specifications, styles and price points. Offering selected ranges allows us to help a customer choose based on their priorities, rather than trying to force every requirement into a single product range.
That does not mean every garden room in the marketplace is equivalent, or that price is irrelevant. It means we can look at what you need and explain the differences between appropriate options. I think that is a more useful way to sell garden buildings.
Before Ordering Your Garden Room
Before placing an order, check the external and internal dimensions, base requirements, access, product specification, included options, delivery area and installation arrangements for the exact building you have selected.
If you intend to use it as a garden office, also think through the furniture layout, electrical requirements, internet connection, heating and lighting. If you intend to use the room throughout the year, pay particular attention to insulation and glazing.
If something is unclear, ask us. It is much easier for us to help answer a question before the building is ordered than for anybody to solve an avoidable problem after it arrives.
Garden Rooms & Garden Offices FAQs
Can I Buy a Garden Office With Installation Included?
Yes. Many of our garden offices are available with professional installation included within the applicable delivery area. What’s included depends on the model and manufacturer, so check the product page or ask us to confirm the installation arrangements before ordering.
Can I Buy a Garden Room With Installation?
Yes. Many of the garden rooms available from 1st Choice Leisure Buildings include professional assembly within the relevant delivery area. If having a garden room with installation is important to you, we can help you identify models that include the appropriate assembly service.
Is Garden Room Installation Included in the Advertised Price?
It is included with many of our buildings within their specified delivery areas, but not every product or location is necessarily covered in the same way. Check the individual garden room specification and quotation to confirm what is included.
What Does Garden Office Installation Include?
The precise garden office installation service depends on the product. Typically, where professional assembly is included, the building itself is delivered and erected on a suitable prepared base. Do not assume that base construction, electrical work, internet connections or landscaping are included unless they are expressly shown in the product information or quotation.
Do I Need a Base for a Garden Room?
Yes. A garden room requires a suitable base appropriate to the particular building. It will normally need to be firm, flat, level and constructed to the correct dimensions. Always check the requirements of your chosen building before making the base.
Does a Garden Office Need to Be Insulated?
It depends on how and when you intend to use it. For regular year-round working, I would normally recommend comparing insulated garden offices. For occasional use in milder weather, your requirements may be different. Whatever you choose, compare the whole specification rather than relying solely on the word “insulated”.
What Is the Best Size Garden Office for One Person?
There is no universal best size because desks and working requirements vary. An 8×6 office may suit a compact single workstation, while a 10×8 provides more freedom for storage, equipment and movement. Marking the dimensions out before ordering is a simple way of deciding whether the space feels adequate.
What Size Garden Office Is Suitable for Two People?
For two regular workstations, I would normally start by looking at sizes around 10×8, 12×8 or 12×10 and then consider the actual desk sizes, storage and equipment you intend to use. Check internal rather than external dimensions when planning your layout.
Can a Garden Room Be Used as Both an Office and Leisure Room?
Yes. A garden room office can be designed around more than one use, provided there is enough space and the specification suits the most demanding use. If it will be occupied for full working days in winter, I would choose it primarily as a year-round office and then plan the furniture so it can also work as a leisure room.
Can I See a Garden Room Before I Buy?
Yes. We encourage customers to visit our Surrey garden building display site where representative full-size buildings can be inspected. In my experience, seeing and walking inside a garden building is one of the most useful ways to compare quality, proportions and construction.
Are All Garden Rooms Suitable for Year-Round Use?
No. Garden rooms vary greatly in specification. If year-round use is important, examine insulation, glazing, wall construction, roof, floor, doors, heating requirements and ventilation before making your decision.
Who Is Robin Antill?
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. I left school at 15 and started Marina Sheds in 1979. After selling Marina Sheds in 1990, I continued in the garden building industry and expanded into summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins under Titan Garden Buildings in 1992. My son Craig joined that year after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998 and formed 1st Choice Leisure Buildings in 2000 so we could retail selected quality products from a variety of manufacturers. Craig now runs the business day to day, and I continue to support him and the team as required.
My Final Advice Before Choosing a Garden Room
Do not rush the decision. A good garden room can provide useful additional space for many years, whether it becomes your office, hobby room, games room or simply somewhere to enjoy the garden. Take the time to compare construction, specifications, size, installation arrangements, and total price rather than judging on photographs alone.
If you are specifically looking for a garden office with installation or a garden room with installation, confirm exactly what the installation service includes and what preparation you need to complete beforehand. If year-round use matters, compare insulation and glazing carefully. If space is tight, mark the dimensions out before ordering.
Most importantly, ask questions. I have been involved with garden buildings since 1979, and Craig has worked alongside me since 1992. We would rather help you understand the differences before you buy, so you can choose the garden room or garden office which genuinely suits you.
More Information In Our Help Articles and Blogs
Our garden room and garden office articles are packed with practical advice to help you plan, build, improve and look after your outdoor space. Whether you are considering planning permission, choosing the right base, comparing costs, improving insulation and heating, dealing with condensation or making your garden office more secure, these guides provide useful information for homeowners. Explore the articles below for straightforward advice covering everything from planning and construction to maintenance, security and long-term use.
Garden Room Planning Permission Guide – Learn when planning permission may be required for a garden room and the important rules and restrictions to consider before installation.
Garden Room Base Ideas & Guide – Explore suitable base options for garden rooms and why a strong, level foundation is important for a secure and long-lasting building.
Garden Room Insulation & Heating Guide – Discover how insulation and heating can help make your garden room comfortable and practical throughout the year.
Garden Room Costs & Ways to Save – Understand the main costs involved in creating a garden room and explore practical ways to keep your project within budget.
How Much Does a Garden Office Cost? – Find out what affects the cost of a garden office in the UK, from size and specification to installation and additional features.
DIY vs Professional Garden Room Costs – Compare DIY and professionally installed garden rooms to understand the potential costs, savings and considerations of each approach.
Garden Office Security Guide – Explore practical ways to improve garden office security and help protect valuable equipment, documents and personal information.
Can a Garden Room Be Attached to a House? – Learn what to consider when positioning a garden room next to or attaching one to your home, including practical and planning considerations.
Preventing Garden Office Condensation – Discover ways to reduce condensation and moisture in a garden office and help protect the building, furnishings and equipment inside.
Can Garden Offices Be Moved? – Find out whether a garden office can be relocated and the key practical considerations involved in dismantling, moving and reinstalling the building.
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