Paying for a garden room safely

How much deposit?

There's no fixed rule. Many garden room companies ask for a deposit when you order, because they buy materials or book factory time for your room. Some ask for half up front. The more you pay before anything arrives in your garden, the more you have at risk.

Stage payments

Agree payments tied to visible progress, not dates. An example schedule, not an industry standard:

The final payment is your leverage for snags. Agree in the contract that it's due once the room is complete and you have the paperwork.

Protecting your deposit

A garden room deposit usually pays for a factory slot and materials ordered for your room, which is why companies ask for it weeks before anyone arrives on site. That's also where the risk is: if a small company stops trading between deposit and delivery, the deposit is the money most often lost.

• Pay the deposit by card, not bank transfer. The CCPC advises card payments for tradespeople, and your card provider may reverse a payment if the room isn't delivered.
• Ask what the deposit buys and when: materials ordered, a build slot, drawings. A deposit far above that, or full payment up front, is a red flag.
• Don't pay for the base separately to a different trader unless you've agreed who's responsible if the room doesn't fit it.

What to get in writing

• The company's full name, address and company number. Check them on the Companies Registration Office.
• Drawings and a specification: size, insulation, glazing, cladding, electrics, heating and finishes.
• The total price, whether it includes VAT, and what's excluded.
• Start and completion dates, and what happens if they slip.
• The payment schedule, whether the deposit is refundable and any cancellation charge.
• Who arranges and certifies the electrics.
• The guarantee: what it covers, for how long, and whether it transfers if you sell.

If a trader isn't registered for VAT, they shouldn't charge VAT. If VAT is on the invoice, check their VAT number.

Guarantees

Ask what the guarantee covers: the structure, the roof membrane, glazing, cladding and workmanship often have different terms. A long structural guarantee is only as good as the company behind it, so a firm's track record matters as much as the number of years.

The Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) is becoming mandatory in stages from 2026, starting with larger housing builders. It doesn't yet cover garden room companies, but if a builder is registered, you can check them on it.

If something goes wrong

The usual garden room problems are a leak at the roof or around doors, condensation mistaken for a leak, gaps in cladding, doors that stick as the timber settles, and an electrical certificate that never arrives.

1. Do a snag list at handover, with photos, before the final payment. Check the roof edges, door seals and the certificate.
2. Raise problems in writing under the guarantee, and give the company a chance to fix them. Damp patches in the first winter are often condensation, not a leak; know which before you complain.
3. If you paid by card and the room wasn't delivered, contact your card provider straight away.
4. For claims up to €2,000, such as an unreturned deposit, the Small Claims procedure costs €25 and needs no solicitor. For larger claims, get legal advice.