Royal vs Platinum Garden Rooms Guide – Which Should You Choose?
| Feature | Platinum Garden Rooms | Royal Garden Rooms |
| Best for | Home offices, hobbies, studios and garden retreats | Premium offices, studios and larger multi-purpose rooms |
| Price position | Lower initial investment | Premium specification and price |
| Popular models | Fleet Apex and Odiham Pent | Bletchley, Buckingham, Denham and Marlow |
| Typical sizes | Fleet and Odiham available up to approximately 16×12 ft | Royal models available up to approximately 20×12 ft |
| Insulation | Fully insulated Fleet and Odiham models with insulated walls and roof | Premium fully insulated construction |
| Double glazing | 14mm double glazing on Fleet and Odiham | Higher-specification double-glazed garden room range |
| Design choice | Apex Fleet or contemporary pent-roof Odiham | Wider choice of distinctive Royal designs and configurations |
| Why choose it? | You want an insulated garden office or room with an excellent balance of comfort, quality and price. | You want a more substantial garden room with premium specification and additional floor-space options. |
Small Gallery of Customer Garden Rooms We’ve Built
Explore our photo gallery featuring garden rooms supplied and installed for our customers. From stylish home offices and creative studios to relaxing retreats and versatile living spaces, discover how our bespoke garden rooms can transform your outdoor space.
Customers Garden Rooms Supplied
Another one of our lovely buildings brought to life! Our Royal buildings are the perfect choice for a fully insulted and double glazed year round garden room. Our customers came in to design the building with our sales advisor. This Royal is 10 foot x 16 foot with an apex roof with black felt tiles. The building also includes PVCu windows and door frames in the colour of your choice and Strongcore cladding painted in a Royal Exterior paint. The customer chose to include laminate floor and blinds for the windows also. Our base contractor constructed the heavy duty timber subframe base for the building and will be back to add decking to the base area together and our electrician will visit shortly to add the electrics to the building.
Lovely feedback to receive from our customer who recently had installed our Platinum Odiham 12ft x 10ft pent insulated garden room. Thank you for your comments 😀 ***** 5 out of 5 stars Mr C - December 21st, 2024 Happy with the range of summerhouses seen on site. Quality and pricing is good. It was easy to view and did not feel pressured into buying. Our queries were answered and we went ahead with our purchase, The summerhouse was installed on the date given. No issues. A good shopping experience.
We really did love receiving some photos of our customer's completed building which she's using as a hairdressing salon . The building is our Royal Pent Garden Room 20 foot x 8 foot which comes fully insulated, painted Strongcore, PVCu double glazed windows and doors and designed to our customer's specifications.
One of our customer's recently bought one of our Platinum Winchester Apex Garden Studios 12ft x 8ft. They had the studio painted, ply lined and with laminate flooring in advance at the manufacturer but they also wanted their very own bar to enjoy in there! Which of course we could do for them and what a nice addition to the building.
We always love seeing the finished result! From initial discussions to placing the order and sketching out the customer's desired building and then to actually seeing the building in our customer's garden is so satisfying and why we love what we do! This building is from our Royal range of fully insulated and double glazed garden rooms and is 12 foot x 10 foot with a pent roof which has EPDM rubber roofing as standard. PVCu windows and door frames, laminate floor and painted Strongcore cladding all in colours choices chosen by the customer.
Some lovely photos from one of our satisfied customers! This is one of our Royal Buckingham insulated and double glazed garden rooms measuring 10ft x 8ft. These buildings make great year round buildings and perfect for a home office. Our base contractor also laid our customer's timber subframe base for the building and our electrician has fitted the electrics including an air con unit.
10x8 Royal Garden Room supplied to a local customer, providing a smart and practical garden space for year-round use.
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Choosing the Right Garden Room in Croydon
When choosing a garden room in Croydon, I always suggest starting with what you want the building to do. A room used mainly for relaxing or hobbies may have different requirements from a garden office used throughout the working week. Think about the size you need, how much garden space you want to retain, natural light, privacy and where furniture will go before deciding on a particular model.
If you plan to use your garden room throughout the year, look carefully at the complete specification. Insulation is important, but so are the walls, floor, roof, doors and glazing. Our insulated garden rooms are a good place to start if year-round comfort is an important part of your decision.
Garden Offices in Croydon for Working From Home
A dedicated garden office in Croydon can provide a proper place to work without taking over a bedroom, dining room or other part of the house. There is also a real benefit in being able to leave the house to start work and close the office door when the working day is finished, even if the journey between the two is only across the garden.
For regular home working, consider where your desk and storage will sit, the position of windows in relation to computer screens, electrical requirements and how the building will be heated and ventilated. Getting these details right before ordering can make the finished office considerably more practical.
Garden Building Experience Since 1979
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. I left school at 15 and started my first garden building business in 1979, trading as Marina Sheds. Working directly with garden buildings gave me practical experience of what goes into them and, importantly, what customers should look for when comparing different products.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990, although unfortunately I did not receive all the money I was due from the sale. By 1992 we had expanded our direction to include summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins, and this broader range led to a change of name to Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998 and, in 2000, decided that instead of being tied to our own manufactured range, we would retail selected quality products from other manufacturers. That decision led to the formation of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
Today Craig runs the day-to-day business, and I support him and the team as required. Our background means the advice we give is based on decades of experience with garden buildings rather than simply reading manufacturers’ brochures. You can read more about 1st Choice Leisure Buildings and our history.
Why Garden Room Quality and Specification Matter
After being involved with garden buildings for more than four decades, one thing I have learnt is not to judge a building from photographs alone. Two garden rooms can look very similar online but differ considerably in their construction, framing, floors, roofs, doors, windows, glazing and insulation.
Price is naturally important, but I don’t believe the cheapest garden room is automatically the best value or that the most expensive is automatically the best choice. The right building has a specification that suits how you intend to use it and the budget you have available. You can compare more options in our main garden rooms and garden offices range.
Preparing for Your New Croydon Garden Room
A good garden room needs a suitable foundation. The base should be firm, flat and level and capable of supporting the particular building you have chosen. I recommend checking the manufacturer’s base requirements before ordering rather than assuming an existing patio or paved area will automatically be suitable.
Our garden room base guide explains the main options and why preparing the foundation correctly is so important.
Do Garden Rooms in Croydon Need Planning Permission?
Many garden rooms at houses in England can be installed under permitted development rights, provided the relevant conditions are met. However, requirements can vary depending on factors such as the building’s size, height, and position; the property itself; and how the room will be used. Planning permission and Building Regulations are also separate matters, so if you are uncertain, check the requirements that apply to your property before ordering.
See Garden Rooms Before You Buy
Even after all these years, I still recommend seeing garden buildings in person whenever practical. Photographs are useful for narrowing down your choices, but standing inside a building gives you a much better understanding of its size, construction, doors, windows and overall feel.
Croydon customers are welcome to visit our display site at Sutton Green Garden Centre, Whitmoor Lane, Sutton Green, Guildford, GU4 7QA. We cannot display every model in every available size, so please get in touch with us before making a special journey if there is a particular garden room you would like to see.
Garden Rooms Croydon – Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a garden room as a home office in Croydon?
Yes. A garden room can provide a dedicated workspace away from the main house. If you intend to use it regularly throughout the year, I recommend paying particular attention to insulation, glazing, ventilation, electrics and the overall construction specification.
Are insulated garden offices suitable for year-round use?
A suitably specified insulated garden office can provide a comfortable working environment throughout the seasons. Look at exactly what is insulated and compare the complete construction rather than relying on the word “insulated” alone. You can compare our insulated garden rooms and offices for more options.
What size garden office should I choose?
This depends on how you intend to use the room. Allow enough space for your desk, chair, storage and any additional equipment while leaving comfortable room to move around. Marking the proposed dimensions on the ground before ordering is a simple way to understand how the building will fit both your garden and your requirements.
Can I see a garden room before ordering?
Yes. You can visit our display site at Sutton Green near Guildford to compare representative garden buildings in person. If you want to see a particular model, contact us before travelling so we can confirm what is currently available to view.
Why choose 1st Choice for a garden room in Croydon?
1st Choice Leisure Buildings is a family business backed by my experience with garden buildings since 1979 and Craig’s carpentry training and industry experience since 1992. We use that knowledge to help customers compare construction, specifications and value so they can choose a garden room appropriate for their intended use and budget.
We also supply garden rooms across nearby areas, including London, Epsom, Kingston upon Thames, Crawley and Surrey, Streatham, Warlingham, Wallington, Beckenham Bromley in London.
From £4931