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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Optional extras may be shown. AI-enhanced image; original unchanged.
Optional extras may be shown. AI-enhanced image; original unchanged.
Optional extras may be shown. AI-enhanced image; original unchanged.
Optional extras may be shown. AI-enhanced image; original unchanged.
Choosing a 12×8 Garden Room: Size, Office Layout and Uses
A 12×8 garden room has a nominal footprint of 12ft x 8ft, approximately 3.66m x 2.44m, covering 96 square feet or 8.92 square metres. The twelve-foot length gives you space to set up a work area and storage at one end, or combine a desk with a small seating area. It can also suit a creative studio where a worktable and materials need their own space. Framing, insulation and lining reduce the usable internal dimensions, so plan from the selected model’s drawing.
Is a 12×8 garden office big enough for a desk?
A 12×8 office can suit a substantial desk with separate storage, provided the furniture fits the finished room. Sketch the desk, shelves and any seating on a measured floor plan before choosing door and window positions. Measure the desk and allow room to pull back your chair, open drawers and move through the entrance. Check the internal dimensions after any lining. Plan windows around your screen position and reserve suitable wall space for storage.
Does the frontage affect a 12×8 office layout?
Yes. A door on the longer wall creates a different furniture layout from an entrance at one end. Confirm which measurement describes the frontage, then check door swings, window positions and the route through the room on the drawing.
Can two people work inside?
A 12×8 garden office can suit two workstations arranged along one wall or at opposite ends, depending on the entrance and glazing layout. Check that both chairs can move without blocking the entrance and that you can access the cupboards. Larger desks or specialist equipment may make a shared layout less practical.
Compare All Available 12×8 Garden Rooms and Offices
Compare these eleven designs in a 12ft x 8ft configuration. Select or request the 12×8 configuration and confirm the layout, specification and quotation before ordering.
Royal garden rooms: double glazing and insulation to walls, roof and floor
Platinum Fleet and Odiham: double glazing and insulated walls and roof
Other Platinum designs: optional wall and roof insulation
Compare doors, windows, roof style, cladding, framing and flooring as well as insulation. Check the selected drawing rather than assuming that every 12×8 design has the same entrance or usable wall space.
Double Glazing, Insulation and Colour Paint Treatment
What insulation and glazing are included?
All Royal garden rooms include double-glazed doors and windows and insulation to the walls, roof and floor. Confirm the detailed specification for your selected cladding and 12×8 configuration.
Platinum Fleet and Odiham include double-glazed doors and windows and insulated walls and roof. Check the floor specification separately rather than assuming it matches the Royal package.
Optional wall and roof insulation is available on the other models listed above. Confirm their glazing and lining specifications individually; optional insulation does not establish that double glazing or floor insulation is included.
Explore our insulated garden rooms. For regular office use, review the full specification, including heating, ventilation, moisture management, and any electrical or internet installation you need. Confirm those services separately in your quotation.
Can I choose a colour paint finish?
Optional colour paint treatment is available. Browse our painted garden rooms and confirm what is included or optional for your chosen cladding. Royal StrongCore configurations include a paint finish; check the available colours and maintenance guidance. Ask about samples if a precise shade matters.
Assembly Service, Base Preparation and Garden Access Information
Free assembly is included on all our garden rooms and offices. Provide your postcode and access details before ordering so delivery arrangements and any restrictions can be confirmed.
What base does a 12×8 garden room need?
Obtain the exact foundation requirements for the chosen model before commissioning work. Prepare a firm, flat and level base with sufficient surrounding installation clearance. Do not use the nominal 12ft x 8ft description as a construction plan; external dimensions and base requirements can differ between designs.
See our base preparation and additional garden building services. Base preparation is separate from the included building assembly; confirm availability and costs for your address.
What access should I check?
Measure the narrowest gate and passage along the route from the delivery point to the base. Describe tight turns, steps, slopes, overhead restrictions and any enclosed section so the team can assess access for the panels before installation.
Robin Antill’s Advice and Seeing Garden Rooms Before You Buy
Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, began working with garden buildings in 1979. His manufacturing and retail experience informs our advice on comparing construction, layout and insulation.
For an office with more than one activity or workstation, start with a measured furniture plan and compare the whole building specification. Check the floor, framing, roof, glazing and insulation, and confirm which features apply to your selected 12×8 configuration.
Can I inspect representative garden rooms?
Visit our Surrey garden building show site at Sutton Green, near Guildford and Woking to compare representative buildings and finishes. Contact us before travelling if you want to see a particular model or feature, as we may not display every size and configuration.
Your 12×8 garden room ordering checklist
- Check external dimensions, roof overhang and base requirements.
- Test furniture and chair movement against the usable internal space.
- Confirm door and window positions and the glazing specification.
- Check which parts of the building are insulated and choose any paint options.
- Confirm access, delivery arrangements and any separate services required.
Contact our team for advice or a 12×8 garden room quotation. Include your intended use, available space, postcode and access measurements so we can help you compare suitable configurations.
Advice from Robin Antill, Founder, 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
From £7859