What are garden rooms? Are you having a laugh? Everyone knows what a garden room is, surely? Don’t they?
You’d be surprised how complicated this question is to answer. So before I dive into explaining the difference between garden room specifications, or comparing the best garden room manufacturers, maybe I should start with the basics. Exactly what is a garden room?
What’s the definition of a garden room?
A garden room is a structure in your garden that consists of at least one room.
If this definition sounds rather vague, that’s because there is no single consensus on what a garden room actually is. Here’s what the Oxford English Dictionary has to say about it:
“Garden room: A room in a house, or a building (esp. an ornamental one) in a garden, with a door or window opening out on to or providing a view of the garden.”
Yup. A garden room can be a room inside your house that has a view of the garden. Or it can be a building in a garden with a door or window that provides a view of that garden. So is a humble garden shed a garden room? According to this definition, it could be…
And this extremely vague definition makes buying a garden room an absolute nightmare. Do we all even mean the same thing when we use the term “garden room”?
What type of building is a garden room?
Here at Gillies & Mackay, we build garden rooms that are self-contained structures in your garden. We don’t build garden rooms that attach to your house (although some companies do this), we don’t build conservatories or summerhouses, and we don’t build gazebos.
Wait…what?
The world of garden buildings is more complex than most people think. That’s assuming that people think about it at all!
A shed is not the same as a summerhouse. A summerhouse is not the same as a garden room. A log cabin is different again, although log cabin summerhouses do exist.
Is it difficult to buy a garden room?
The difficulty in deciding exactly what a garden room is makes me think of cars. It’s very unlikely that you don’t know what a car is.
But if I told you I wanted to buy a car, the conversation wouldn’t stop there. You’d have more questions. The first question would most likely be, “What kind of car?”
Because if you Googled “car”, you wouldn’t expect the exact thing that you needed to pop up at the top of the page, would you? There are too many varieties, brands, customisations and budgets. Google would have to make its best guess at what sort of car you wanted.
Here is a photo of the world’s best-selling car:
It wasn’t what you were expecting, was it?
You could be shopping for a Cozy Coupe, or you could be after a Ferrari. Maybe your priority is looking really cool, or maybe it’s about spending as little money as possible on a relatively reliable set of wheels. Maybe you want safety first, or something that’s big enough to accommodate the whole family. Everyone’s needs are different.
And this is exactly what happens with garden rooms. Everyone wants something that’s the best fit for them and their circumstances.
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How do I avoid buying the wrong garden room?
Because of this, and because there isn’t even a consensus on what a garden room is, the variety of options available to you is frankly crazy. This means that it’s really easy to make a poor choice, and really difficult to make a good one.
Just like buying a lemon of a car, investing in a garden room that disappoints you is a big deal. And unfortunately, just like when you buy a car, there are plenty of unscrupulous companies selling garden rooms. Car salespeople have a reputation for being dishonest and only focussed on their commission.
So how are you supposed to know who to trust? Aren’t we just another garden room firm trying to get your cash?
Why should you trust Gillies & Mackay to help you buy a garden room?
Gillies & Mackay is, obviously, a business, and we do indeed sell garden rooms.
But here’s the thing. We guarantee all our buildings for 30 years. As long as you follow our helpful aftercare guides, if there’s a problem with your building, we’ll sort it out.
Because of this commitment, we don’t want our customers to make the wrong decision when they buy from us. If they choose a building that isn’t right for them, they’re stuck with it, and so are we.
That’s why we start off with a no-obligation consultation.
During these consultations, we ask a much more important question: what do you want to use this building for?
Here’s a quick guide:
Casual storage of items that need to stay fairly dry – SHED
Watertight workspace/storage of items that need to stay absolutely dry – G&M GARAGE/3-TIER SHED
Shaded from the sun or dry when it’s raining, but otherwise exposed to the elements – GAZEBO
Seasonal space in your garden for enjoying the warm weather – SUMMERHOUSE
Year-round heated space in your garden for work, rest or play – GARDEN ROOM
If you want to use it all year round, you need a garden room. But here’s where things get tricky. Some buildings described as garden rooms are not suitable for year-round use.
The great challenge of buying a garden room is to find a building that is suitable for year-round use. This involves understanding how it’s constructed, what materials it’s made of and how it’s installed.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be breaking down all of these topics into easy-to-read blog posts to help you make the best decision for your garden room project.
Because at Gillies & Mackay, we help you choose your perfect garden building – even if you don’t buy it from us.
What are garden rooms used for?
You might be looking for a quick and easy way to save your sanity by building a music practice room for your drum-playing teenager. Since she’ll be off to university in a few years, you may not want to install a state-of-the-art, 30-year building for this. A cheaper, basic model could be exactly what you need.
Maybe you’d like a place for your out-of-town pals to crash in after some beers. It doesn’t need to be 5-star accommodation, but you don’t want them to freeze to death. You need an insulated building that’s comfortable all night long, even at Hogmanay.
Or you might need a fully-equipped office building with lights, heat, wifi and a bathroom to take your small business to the next level.
There are garden rooms on the market that fit these situations (and hundreds of others) perfectly, but navigating this market can be an absolute nightmare.
That’s why our consultations exist. There won’t be any hard sell. You won’t be pressured into making a decision. You will spend time with an expert who can tell you exactly what sort of building you need, even if it’s not one of our buildings. If we are the right choice for you – great! But if we’re not, we’ll make sure you’re equipped to make a good decision for you and your garden.
What is a garden room?
The beauty of a garden room is that it can be whatever you need it to be. The difficulty of buying a garden room is understanding how to get exactly what you need to suit your circumstances and your budget.
So let’s take away that difficulty. Book a no-obligation garden room consultation with us and we’ll help you find your perfect garden building.
