How to buy a garden room, step by step

The steps

1. Decide what you need

• Use: an office needs good broadband and a desk out of the glare; a gym needs height and a solid floor; a studio needs soundproofing. See the guides for offices, gyms and studios.
• Size: the garden size planner shows the largest room your garden allows without planning.
• Budget: include the base, electrics and heating, not just the room. Use the cost estimator.
• Planning: run the planning checker before you talk to anyone.

2. Shortlist companies

Pick three or four that serve your area. Our company listings show what each builds and where. Check:

• How long they've been trading, and their company number on the Companies Registration Office.
• Recent reviews on more than one site, and photos of finished rooms you can verify.
• Whether you can visit a showroom or a finished room.
• Whether they use their own fitters or subcontractors, and who does the electrics.

Decide too which kind of build you want: turnkey, prefab, shell or a DIY kit.

3. The site visit

A good company will want to see the garden before giving a firm price. They should check:

• Access: how materials get to the back garden, and whether anything must come through the house.
• Ground and levels: slopes, soft ground, trees and roots, which affect the base.
• The cable route from your fuse board to the room.
• Drains and services if you want water or a toilet.
• Position: distance from boundaries, the 25 m² of garden you must keep, and sun and shade.

4. Compare quotes

Quotes differ in what they include more than in price. Use our quote checklist to put them side by side: base, insulation, glazing, electrics, heating, finishes, VAT, guarantee and timing.

5. Contract and deposit

• Get a written contract with the drawings, specification, price, start and finish dates and payment schedule.
• Keep the deposit as small as you can and tie later payments to stages of the work.
• Pay by credit or debit card, not bank transfer, so you can ask for a chargeback if things go wrong.

See paying for a garden room safely.

6. Get ready for the build

• Clear the area and agree where materials and skips will go.
• Tell your neighbours, especially if access is shared or the room is near the boundary.
• Book the electrician if the company doesn't supply one. Ask for a spare duct for broadband.
• Tell your home insurer. See finance, tax and value.

7. Handover

Before the final payment, walk round with the installer and check:

• Doors and windows open, close and lock smoothly.
• No gaps, damp patches or damage to cladding, roof or interior.
• Every socket and light works.
• You have the electrical completion certificate, the written guarantee, and care instructions for the cladding and roof.

Keep these with your house documents. You'll need them if you sell. See selling a house with a garden room.