Garden rooms were popular even before the arrival of Covid-19 but the pandemic and the lockdowns caused an absolute explosion in their popularity. People were required to work from home if they could and many found this to be almost impossible, particularly those with no spare room in which to escape the distractions of everyday family life. Garden rooms began popping up in gardens all over the UK, some were new builds whilst others were conversions of sheds, garages and other kinds of out buildings, the garden room could, in a small way, be credited for helping to keep the economy going.
Garden rooms come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, from humble square bolt holes that are small but perfectly formed, to futuristic round “pod” shaped creations and grand rectangular versions that simply ooze luxury. Of course, most garden rooms in the UK are of a modest size and are built to fit a UK garden, which is generally small to medium sized, depending upon the location. This article will take a look at some of the more popular sizes of garden room and what they are used for.
8ft x 6ft Garden Room
The 8ft x 6ft garden room is the smallest sized garden room in our line-up of garden room sizes, due to its size it is also likely to be the least expensive, of course that would depend upon the building materials used. This garden room is only really suitable for one person to use, whether this is for an office, studio or other purpose, although a fitted desk down one length could allow two people to sit side by side. The 8ft x 6ft garden room will be suitable for smaller gardens, for example, it would sit very nicely at the end of a long and narrow garden. Decorating a garden room of this size should be a quick process, we recommend that you keep it simple and not too busy, using plain colours at the lighter end of the colour scale will help to create a feeling of spaciousness. Always try to keep this small garden room as uncluttered as possible, less is definitely best when dealing with rooms that are limited in size. A skylight would bring in extra daylight and would help with ventilation during the warmer months of the year. An extra consideration is the door, having a door that swings outward (instead of inward as is usual) will make the room seem much larger and furniture can be placed close to the doorway as it will not block the door.
10ft x 8ft Garden Room
The 10ft x 8ft garden room is actually quite a good size room and it would certainly be suitable for use as an office for one person, leaving plenty of space for office storage furniture. It could even accommodate two people if the desks were arranged back to back or side by side, of course this would leave less room for office furniture. It would also be a lovely size for an artist’s studio, craft room, or even a yoga or Pilates studio for one person. Once again plain and light colours would make this size of room feel larger, this will be enhanced if office furniture is kept to a minimum. As with the previous sized garden room, adding a skylight will make the room bright and airy.
10ft x 10ft Garden Room
The 10ft x 10ft garden room is an unusual size as most garden rooms are rectangular shaped, some may even consider this size as rather boxy. It should still fit nicely into an average sized UK garden and could accommodate one or two people when used as an office, studio or any number of purposes. A large, square skylight would be a stylish addition to this size of garden room, it would flood the room with light and give it a bright and airy atmosphere, it will also help to ventilate the room, which is very important if it is to be used by more than one person. Plain colours would be recommended but using one wall as a feature wall and painting it in a contrasting colour would make the room appear longer and more spacious, instead of somewhat square and squat. Although this is quite a generously sized room, keeping office furnishings as minimalistic as possible would help to create a calm and productive atmosphere.
12ft x 8ft Garden Room
The 12ft x 8ft garden room is a generously sized rectangular room that would be suitable for placing at the end of a long and narrow garden, it would look extremely stylish with bi-folding doors fitted along its 12ft length and this would open up the room during the warmer months, giving it a light and airy feel. A pair of matching sized skylights would help to brighten the room during the colder, more dreary months and would aid ventilation during the hot months. This size of garden room is suitable for partitioning into two smaller sized rooms, making it much more versatile regarding usage. The added light from the bi-folding doors and skylights will allow for a greater choice of colour palette where decorating is concerned.
3m x 3m Garden Room
The 3m x 3m garden room is the smallest size we will cover as far as metric sizes are concerned, it is a good size for a single desk office and would leave enough room for a bookcase and a filing cabinet. A fitted desk along one wall would allow for two people working side by side, or even two desks arranged back to back, but it would not leave much room for any other storage furniture, perhaps some wall shelving, although this should be positioned carefully to avoid head knocks. Other great uses for the 3m x 3m garden room would be an art studio or craft room, the small size would not be a drawback for many artists or crafters and it would be a plus point during the winter as it would be much cheaper to heat than a larger garden room. A large skylight would make this room bright and airy, even on the most overcast of days. If the garden room has a flat roof then a lantern roof light would be a very stylish addition. As with the previous small garden rooms, we recommend keeping the colour palette plain and light and the furnishings as minimalistic as possible.
4m x 3m Garden Room
The 4m x 3m garden room, also known as 4 x 3 and often confused for 4ft x 3ft, is one of the most popular sizes for a garden room in the UK. It is a much more versatile size than the previous example with that extra metre making a huge difference where usage is concerned, it also does not take up too much garden space so it is a no brainer as far as outdoor family space is concerned. A pair of matching skylights or one lantern roof light would look great on a garden room of this size, they would allow the room to benefit from extra daylight and ventilation. Two desks could easily be placed in a variety of positions in the 4m x 3m garden room and there would also be ample space for storage furniture. As with the 3m x 3m room, artists and crafters would be very happy with the space available in the 4×3 garden room, this size would also be suitable for a yoga or Pilates studio, small personal gym or games room. It is also a great size to position next to a swimming pool for use as a room for changing or showering. Once again, light and plain colours for decorating the walls would be best for this size of garden room.
5m x 3m Garden Room
The 5m x 3m garden room is a rectangular room that could be described as long and narrow. However, it is still an extremely versatile sized garden room that could sit at the end of a long, narrow garden without taking up too much garden space. Five metres is a good size for a garden room office, it could incorporate a number of desks, along with storage furniture. The fact that it is only three metres wide could be seen as a drawback but with careful positioning of furniture this could easily be overcome. This size garden room would be suitable as a studio, gym, games room and, due to its long and narrow dimensions, it would make an excellent home cinema room. Due to the long and narrow size of this garden room, you may find that a feature wall at each end of the room in a contrasting colour could help to make the room feel wider, a pair of skylights or a lantern roof light would also help with ventilation and make the room feel bright and airy.
5m x 4m Garden Room
The 5m x 4m garden room is another highly popular size, although it must be said that this is mostly among owners of larger sized gardens. 5m x 4m is a really great size for all types of uses, one suggestion would be to add bi-folding doors along the 5m length, fit decking to the frontage and it would open up into a fabulous entertainment area. Skylights or a lantern roof light would also help with ventilation and allow more daylight in. As an office space, 5m x 4m is ideal, not too small and no wasted space, a number of desks and storage furniture will fit easily into the comfortable dimensions of this garden room. This size garden room could also be used as a yoga or Pilates studio for more than one person, or an arts or crafts studio for more than one artist or crafter. It would make a wonderful family room, a garden escape on those lazy hazy days of summer, a warm and snug haven for the all too often wet and windy days of the warmer months or those cold and icy days during the autumn and winter.
6m x 3m Garden Room
The 6m x 3m garden room is another long and narrow size of garden room, despite this it is still a really good size and is suitable for a great variety of uses. Due to its six metre length, this is another garden room that is ideally suited to a larger garden, although, as it is only three metres wide (or deep if you prefer), it could suit a long and narrow garden, perhaps positioned along a boundary fence. This size of garden room would accommodate a number of desks and storage furniture and it would also be suitable for use as a studio, gym, games room and so on. As with the previous (5m x 4m) garden room, installing bi-folding doors along the six metre length and skylights in the roof, or a lantern roof light, would result in an airy and spacious feeling room and the narrow three metre dimension would hardly be noticeable. As with the previous long and narrow garden room, we recommend a feature wall in a contrasting colour at each end of the room, this will make the room feel wider.
6m x 4m Garden Room
The 6m x 4m garden room is basically a wider version of the previous 6m x 3m garden room, although the 6m x 4m is not likely to fit into a long and narrow garden due to that extra metre of width (or depth if you prefer). If you are fortunate enough to have a six metre wide garden then this size garden room would be ideal to sit at the end of your garden. As with other long and narrow garden rooms, feature walls in contrasting colours would look wonderful at each end of the room and would make the room feel wider. Fitting skylights or a lantern roof light and adding bi-folding doors along the six metre length, along with laying a frontage of decking, would open out the whole room, making it suitable for entertaining or just an airy office space, studio, gym and so on.
6m x 5m Garden Room
The 6m x 5m garden room is another size more suited to those who are fortunate enough to own a large garden, also a garden that has enough space to spare in which to accommodate this size of garden room. A lantern roof light would look fabulous on a garden room of this size and it would flood the room with light, along with the added ventilation. A number of skylights would also work as an alternative and they would also help to make the room wonderfully airy and bright. 6m x 5m is a rather unusual size, with 6m x 4m or 6m x 6m being far more common, the more unusual sized garden rooms are generally ordered to fit into oddly shaped areas of the owners garden. That said, 6m x 5m is a great size for a garden room and one that could be used for a huge variety of purposes.
The following sizes of garden room are all very large and would only be suitable for owners of very large gardens with ample space to spare, in fact, the larger of these garden rooms may even be more suited to an adjoining plot of land, such as a field or paddock.
8m x 6m Garden Room
The 8m x 6m garden room, also known as 8 x 6 and often confused for 8ft x 6ft, is a very large sized garden room indeed. Cramming this garden room into an average sized UK garden would probably take up every inch of space and it would certainly be too large for many! This garden room would be highly suitable for partitioning into smaller rooms, perhaps for use as an office room with a staff/storage room, or even two office spaces. It would also be a great size for a one bedroom annexe with kitchen and bathroom facilities. A pair of large lantern roof lights or multiple skylights would not only look amazing, they would also aid ventilation and fill the entire garden room with light.
10m x 8m Garden Room
The 10m x 8m garden room is another very large structure, once garden rooms reach this kind of size they are usually purchased with a specific purpose in mind. A 10m x 8m garden room would make a great room in which to accommodate an indoor pool, housing a swimming pool in a garden room can substantially cut down on the costs of heating the pool, it also makes the pool more versatile as it can be used all year round. Fitting bi-folding doors along the entire length of the garden room would look incredibly stylish, it would also open up the whole room, allowing the outdoors in. This is another great size for partitioning into smaller rooms, such as multiple office spaces, it could also be a wonderful annexe for guests to stay, or even a self-contained, independent living area for family members. As with the previous size of garden room, this room would benefit from multiple skylights, a number of lantern roof lights, or even one large lantern roof light.
10m x 10m Garden Room
The 10m x 10m garden room is quite simply enormous! It is unusual for such a large sized garden room to be square, generally they are more popular in a rectangular size. This square shaped garden room could easily be divided into four separate rooms of equal size, these rooms would be perfect for offices or any number of purposes. As with all larger sized garden rooms, the 10m x 10m garden room would be ideal for use as a granny annexe. This is another room that would suit bi-folding doors, either along the length of two walls – to create an “L” shape of folding doors, or along the length of two opposing walls – this would allow summer breezes to gently flow through. The large size of this garden room would allow for many kinds of roof lights, either multiple skylights that could be positioned over individual rooms or corridors, or a number of lantern roof lights.
12m x 8m Garden Room
The 12m x 8m garden room is the largest size garden room that we will cover in this article, its immense size makes it only suitable for those lucky people who are owners of a vast garden or who have an adjoining plot of land. As with previous larger sized garden rooms, this size would be perfect to house an indoor swimming pool, multiple offices, professional studio space or a wonderfully large annexe. A mixture of floor to ceiling windows and bi-folding doors would add to the feeling of opulence and luxury, whilst multiple skylights or large lantern roof lights would help with light and ventilation.
It is important to remember that windows, skylights and lantern roof lights are not just a means of letting the daylight in, they are also very important for ventilation, the latter being crucial in these virus aware times, particularly if your garden room is to be used by multiple people at the same time, for example, two or more people sharing an office or an art, yoga or Pilates studio. Always check with your supplier regarding the usage, partitioning and positioning of your garden room, they may also be able to advise you on seeking planning permission if it is required. We highly recommend that you contact your local planning authority for advice before starting work as some areas of the UK differ where planning permission and building regulations are concerned.
We have come to the end of our journey through the various sizes of garden rooms available, of course there are other sizes on the market and you may even wish to design and build your own bespoke garden room, but we feel that this article should give you a general flavour of what is out there and what the variety of sizes can be used for.