The Orchard Office
- Use
- Home office
- Size
- 3 × 4 m
- Location
- Long suburban garden
A one-person office at the end of a long lawn, with a desk that faces the garden rather than a wall.
Read the The Orchard Office case study
Garden rooms · Designed, built and installed across the UK & Greece
More room.Without moving house.
Garden offices, studios, gyms, saunas and guest rooms, designed around your garden and built to be used every day of the year.
- Designed around your garden
- Insulated for year-round use
- One team, from drawing to handover
The idea
A room, not a shed.
A shed is where things go to be forgotten. A room is where life happens.
So we build ours the way a good room in a house is built: insulated on every side, glazed properly, wired, heated and finished. Then we set it carefully into the garden it belongs to.
The result is a room you'll use on a wet Tuesday in February, not only on a sunny Saturday in June.
Possibilities
What could your room become?
Seven ways people use theirs. Most rooms end up being two or three of them.
- Home office01An office at the bottom of the garden. A commute of thirty steps, and a door you can close behind you.Explore
- Gym02Train before breakfast. No membership, no drive, nobody waiting for the rack.Explore
- Studio03Space for the work that needs to be left out overnight, exactly where you put it down.Explore
- Guest room04Somewhere for family to stay. Close, comfortable, and not on the sofa bed.Explore
- Sauna05Twenty minutes of heat at the end of the day, a few steps from the back door.Explore
- Garden lounge06A quiet room among the planting. Doors open all summer, warm all winter.Explore
- Creative space07For clay, music, fabric or film. A table that never has to be cleared for dinner.Explore
Home office
01 / 07An office at the bottom of the garden. A commute of thirty steps, and a door you can close behind you.
Gym
02 / 07Train before breakfast. No membership, no drive, nobody waiting for the rack.
Studio
03 / 07Space for the work that needs to be left out overnight, exactly where you put it down.
Guest room
04 / 07Somewhere for family to stay. Close, comfortable, and not on the sofa bed.
Sauna
05 / 07Twenty minutes of heat at the end of the day, a few steps from the back door.
Garden lounge
06 / 07A quiet room among the planting. Doors open all summer, warm all winter.
Creative space
07 / 07For clay, music, fabric or film. A table that never has to be cleared for dinner.
Featured projects
Rooms, and the gardens they belong to.
Every one began with a garden and a sentence that started “we just need somewhere to…”
The Long Room
- Use
- Garden lounge
- Size
- 4 × 7 m
- Location
- Sloping family garden
A bespoke seven-metre room for long lunches and late evenings, opening onto a deck across its full width.
Read the The Long Room case study
Birch Studio
- Use
- Painting studio
- Size
- 3 × 5 m
- Location
- Wooded garden
A painter's studio in warm timber, placed so the light stays even and the canvases can stay out.
Read the Birch Studio case study
Blackwood Gym
- Use
- Home gym
- Size
- 4 × 5 m
- Location
- Level lawn
A low, dark building with a reinforced floor, a full rack and enough air to train hard in August.
Read the Blackwood Gym case study
Meadow Guest Room
- Use
- Guest room with shower room
- Size
- 4 × 5 m
- Location
- Large rural plot
A self-contained place for family to stay: a bed, a shower room and a sheltered timber porch.
Read the Meadow Guest Room case studyWhy Nature Inspired Rooms
Built properly. Designed for everyday life.
There are cheaper ways to put a building in a garden, and far more expensive ways to add a room to a house. We do the thing in between, and we do it well.
- 01
Made for every month
Insulated floor, walls and roof, with heating sized to the room. Comfortable in January. Cool in July.
- 02
Designed around your garden
We look at light, views, trees and neighbours before we draw a line. The room should look as if it was always meant to be there.
- 03
Proper doors and windows
Glazing that seals, locks and slides the way it should, placed for daylight and for the view.
- 04
One team, start to finish
The people who design your room also build and install it. One point of contact and nobody to chase.
- 05
A clear, itemised quote
You see what's included, what's optional and what each choice costs before you commit to anything.
- 06
We handle the awkward parts
Groundworks, electrics, a narrow side passage, a conversation about planning. We manage it and keep you informed.
Build quality
What's inside the walls matters most.
You'll notice the cladding first. You'll live with what's behind it: the insulation, the membranes and the air gap that decide whether a garden room is warm, dry and still standing square in twenty years.
- 1
Cladding
Timber, fibre cement or metal. The face of the building and its first line of defence.
- 2
Ventilated cavity
An air gap on battens, so the back of the cladding can always dry out.
- 3
Breather membrane
Keeps wind-driven rain out while letting moisture vapour escape.
- 4
Frame and insulation
The structure, with insulation filling the full depth between its members.
- 5
Vapour control
Stops warm, moist indoor air reaching the cold side of the wall.
- 6
Internal lining
Painted or timber. The surface you actually live with.
A typical build-up. The outer layers vary a little with the cladding you choose.
How it works
Five steps. One team.
No subcontracted surprises and no chasing. You'll know what's happening, who's doing it and what comes next.
- 01
Tell us what you need
A short conversation, or five minutes with the configurator. A sentence is enough to start.
- 02
We design it
Around your garden, your use and your budget. You see drawings before you see an invoice.
- 03
Finalise the specification
Materials, glazing, electrics and finishes, agreed in writing with a clear, itemised price.
- 04
We build it
One team on site from foundations to final fix. Tidy, communicative and on programme.
- 05
You move in
A walk-through, a handover, and the keys. Bring a chair.
Pricing
What does a garden room cost?
It depends, but on less than you might think. Size sets the starting point; specification, site and options do the rest. This is where each size begins.
Small
Up to 9 m²From£17,950
2.4 × 3 m · 3 × 3 m
A one-person office, a reading room, a yoga or treatment room.
Medium
12 to 15 m²From£25,950
3 × 4 m · 3 × 5 m
An office for two, an art or music studio, a compact gym.
Large
16 to 20 m²From£32,950
4 × 4 m · 4 × 5 m
A full gym, a guest room, a lounge or cinema room.
Bespoke
Any size or shapeTypically from£42,000
L-shapes · corner plots · 20 m² and up
Awkward plots, combined uses, shower rooms, saunas, anything unusual.
Indicative starting prices. Your price depends on size, specification, site conditions and the options you choose, and is confirmed in a written, itemised quote.
In writing
What you can hold us to.
- Guarantee
- 10-year structural guarantee
- Quote
- Written and itemised, and held for 30 days
- Payment
- In three stages: 25% to confirm your order, 50% when we start on site and 25% at handover
- Programme
- A start date agreed before you pay a deposit
- Reply
- A reply from a real person within one working day
Questions
The things people ask first.
What is the difference between a garden room and a shed or summerhouse?
Construction. A garden room is built like a small, well-made building: an insulated floor, walls and roof, proper glazing, electrics and a finished interior. That is what makes it usable in January as well as June. A shed or summerhouse is a single skin of timber, which is why it ends up cold, damp and full of things you've forgotten about.
Can I use a garden room all year round?
Yes. That is the point of building it properly. Insulation on every side, good glazing and heating sized to the room keep it comfortable through winter. Shading, ventilation and optional air conditioning take care of summer, in the UK and in Greece.
Do I need planning permission for a garden room?
Planning requirements depend on the property and the proposed building: its size, height and position, how it will be used, and any restrictions that apply to your home. The rules also differ between the UK and Greece. We look at your situation at the start and advise you on the next steps.
How long does a garden room take to build?
Most rooms are ready 8 to 12 weeks after you approve the design, and we are usually on site for one to three weeks, depending on size and specification. You'll have dates for your own project before you commit to anything.
How much does a garden room cost?
Size sets the starting point; glazing, finishes, services and your site do the rest. Indicative starting prices are on our pricing page, and the configurator gives you a figure for your own combination in about five minutes.
Will it stay dry and sound over time?
A garden room stays dry because it is detailed properly: a roof that drains, a ventilated gap behind the cladding, membranes in the right places and a floor lifted clear of the ground. Our specification page shows the build-up layer by layer, and every room comes with a 10-year structural guarantee.
See what yours could look like.
Choose a size, pick your materials and see an indicative price in about five minutes. Or simply tell us what you're thinking.