Modular garden room guide
In this guide, we are going to look at the benefits of modular garden rooms. Over the last 15 years, there has been a lot of development in the way outdoor rooms are constructed. Manufacturers specialising in modular design have led the way.
By building their rooms in modules, garden room companies are able to do much of the construction work in their workshops and then transport the building in manageable-sized panels to the site. The modules then lock together quickly, meaning, for some ranges, installation can be completed within a day. Larger, more complex designs can be completed within a couple of weeks.
What is a modular garden room?
A modular garden room is a prefabricated, multi-layer, insulated building that adds an additional room to your home. A modular garden room is a quick and cost-effective alternative to other types of house extensions.
Modular garden room specialists construct the floor, walls and roof panels of their buildings in their factories. They utilise a mix of traditional carpentry methods and precision computer-guided machinery.
The modules are made in manageable-sized panels so they can be easily manoeuvred on-site, even when access is tight. The multi-layer panels are virtually complete when they leave the factory. This means that the installation team can get the building weathertight quickly and complete the whole project in days.
Most modular garden room ranges are designed to be Permitted Development friendly. Coming in under 2.5m in height, you have maximum flexibility in positioning them in your garden under the Permitted Development rules.
When ordering a modular garden room, you get to choose your ideal configuration of solid wall panels, modules that have a window in, fully glazed units and doors.
Many modular garden room companies have online design configurators that allow you to choose your ideal layout and see the price update with each choice. You can do this without handing over your contact details; they are a great first step in researching your options. We suggest exploring:
Examples of modular garden rooms
Some of the longest-established and biggest names in the garden room industry specialise in modular design. Each company offers several different building styles, which you can then customise. Let's look at some examples:
Smart Modular Buildings
Smart Modular Buildings offer seven different ranges. They are a mix of traditional and contemporary designs. Each range is available in 64 different sizes. Use their configurator to pick your ideal size and layout.
These photos of the SMART range link through to more details about the design:
Modern Garden Rooms
As their name suggests, Modern Garden Rooms offer a range of contemporary designs. You can choose from their five designs, each one incorporating popular design features. If you try their configurator, you will see there are a vast number of sizes available, from 2.5m x 2m up to 10m x 5m.
These photos of Modern Garden Rooms range link through to more details about the design:
Warwick Buildings
Warwick Buildings offers a mix of contemporary styles and traditional pitched roof options. Uniquely, Warwick Buildings also have a curved roof design, which is a lovely feature. Each range has a link to a configurator, where you can pick the building size that works for you and the features you want to include.
These photos of Warwick Buildings range link through to more details about the design:
Traditional-style modular garden rooms
Scrolling through the modular garden room examples, you will notice that flat roof contemporary designs dominate the market. Alongside their contemporary options, Smart Modular Buildings and Warwick Buildings offer pitched roof designs full of traditional charm.
With traditional-style garden rooms, you benefit from tiled roofs and lovely painted cladding.
Multiple size options
Modular garden rooms come in a wide range of size options. When exploring your size options, be aware that some firms quote internal measurements while others quote external ones.
The internal measurements give you a clear indication of the space you will have inside for furniture. The exterior measurements will depend on how thick the walls are, which varies between companies and the build-up they use.
2.1m x 2.2m is often the smallest modular garden room you will find. Sizes then go up in 500mm or 600mm increments based on the system they use. The largest modular option we have seen is 10m wide by 5m deep.
If you are looking for a more precise size, you may be better off working with a bespoke garden room designer, as they can manufacture their rooms to specific dimensions.
Combinations of finishes that look good and are easy to maintain
When designing their garden rooms, modular design specialists choose a palette of exterior finishes that not only look good together but will stand the test of time without requiring lots of maintenance.
You will find that with many modular ranges, the exterior cladding finish is pre-configured. You will find some designs have Western Red Cedar cladding as standard, but more commonly, a cheaper finish, such as Scandinavian Redwood, is specified with the option to upgrade to other finishes.
Doors and windows in modular garden rooms are commonly uPVC. The same doors and windows that are used in house building are used. So they will offer you a long, maintenance-free lifespan.
The roof coverings are also chosen for their long maintenance-free lifespans. Some modular garden room ranges utilise an insulated steel roofing system, while other manufacturers finish their roofs with an EPDM membrane. This rubber membrane is fitted in one piece, so there are no joints that could leak.
With pitched roof modular designs, you will find Western Red Cedar shingles used. This finish adds a lot of character to a roof. Alternatively, you will find pitched roofs finished with Asphalt shingles which look like a traditional tiled roof.
Combinations of finishes that look good and are easy to maintain
When designing their garden rooms, modular design specialists choose a palette of exterior finishes that not only look good together but will stand the test of time without requiring lots of maintenance.
You will find that with many modular ranges, the exterior cladding finish is pre-configured. You will find some designs have Western Red Cedar cladding as standard, but more commonly, a cheaper finish, such as Scandinavian Redwood, is specified with the option to upgrade to other finishes.
Doors and windows in modular garden rooms are commonly uPVC. The same doors and windows that are used in house building are used. So they will offer you a long, maintenance-free lifespan.
The roof coverings are also chosen for their long maintenance-free lifespans. Some modular garden room ranges utilise an insulated steel roofing system, while other manufacturers finish their roofs with an EPDM membrane. This rubber membrane is fitted in one piece, so there are no joints that could leak.
With pitched roof modular designs, you will find Western Red Cedar shingles used. This finish adds a lot of character to a roof. Alternatively, you will find pitched roofs finished with Asphalt shingles which look like a traditional tiled roof.
So many layout configurations
The beauty of modular systems is that there are so many layout configurations. If you and your neighbour were to choose the same garden room, by the time you were to choose your preferred combination and layout of doors and windows, the buildings would look quite different.
Take Modern Garden Rooms Canopy Range as an example, these photos all show Canopy Range buildings, but the doors and window configurations make them look quite different.
It is the same with Smart Modular Buildings. These images show 3.2m wide buildings from their popular Ultra Range. The owner's choice of glazing configuration makes them all look quite different.
Both Smart Modular Buildings and Modern Garden Rooms have configurators that allow you to choose your own door and window configuration.
Spend time in a modular garden room
The leading names in modular garden room buildings have examples of their work on show at their workshops. They usually have different size garden rooms on display so you can get a feel for the space.
Visiting a garden room show site is a great way to see different designs up close and to decide on the features and materials that you want to include in your building. Take a look at this tour of the Modern Garden Rooms display site to get a feel of what you will see.
A quick way to build a garden room
Choosing a modular design is one of the quickest ways to buy a garden room. You will sit down with a member of the design & sales team who will work through all your different options. They will give you illustrations of what your room will look like and a price for the options you have chosen.
They will conduct a site visit to assess the intended site and the access route to it. After this site survey, they will finalise the quote for elements such as the electrical hookup, which is dependent on the measurement between the garden room and the house.
Once you confirm your order, your room will go into production, and you will be given an installation date. You will confirm your order by paying a deposit, which can be anything up to 50% of the total project cost.
Just prior to your installation date, you will usually be asked to make a further payment. Typically this will be 45% of the outstanding balance.
Because of the modular system, the on-site build stage for modular garden rooms is the quickest in the industry. The installation team will quickly get the room weathertight and then apply the interior and exterior finishes.
With the smallest buildings, modular garden rooms can be installed in just a day, with larger, more complex designs being fully completed within a couple of weeks. Installation teams typically work Monday to Friday.
Once you are happy and the installation team leave the site, the final payment to clear your outstanding balance will be due.
In-house installation teams
Modular garden room companies usually have their own in-house installation teams rather than subcontracting the on-site build phase to another company.
In-house installation teams know their construction systems inside out, as that is all they work on. This is partly why the modular garden room installation phase is so quick.
Some modular designers also offer a bespoke design service
Some modular garden room companies, though not all, offer a bespoke design service alongside their more standard designs. So, if you have a particular feature you'd like to include, do ask if they can incorporate it.
