I like to think I have a good grasp on what products are coming to the fore. Composites have been one of those, and I have written plenty about where they have come from, where they will go and their impact on the wider industry. Another product which I have been keeping a close eye on are garden rooms, more specifically, products which come ready made from companies who specialise in garden rooms.
The rise of outdoor living
The popularity of outdoors rooms has become quite popular over the past few years. We’re not talking sheds here or cobbled together DIY rooms made out of salvaged materials. There have been a crop of brand new companies spring up producing and installing some quite stunning timber and glazed rooms dedicated to garden living.
Image credit: Future Rooms
And when I mean outdoor living, I don’t mean a room for the boring house husband to potter about with his tools in. These garden rooms are being used as gyms, cosy study, a studio for music, and yes, a few man caves too.
And they’re good quality. The good ones are well insulated, come with decent PVCu windows and doors, quality timber and roofing, good flooring. As a package item, they’re surprisingly well built. And even better, under a certain size, they fall under permitted development rather than planning permission. So no need for fees and long waiting times just to have one erected. The only thing I’d say they’re not ideal for is sleeping in. Your house and proper bedroom is best for that!
A good way to diversfy
We’re always being told we need to diversify our product range. And looking at these nifty little things, I think this could be a good way to go.
Our industry has tried to dabble in this sort of stuff before. In fact a lot of conservatories have at least one time or another been touted as a garden room option. In reality, they have never been that good. Just like conventional conservatories, they were too hot, too cold, too bright. In fact a lot of first generation conservatories have become rooms to grow tomatoes and other small vegetables and fruits. The Loggia from Ultraframe could make a decent garden room, but it’s still not a dedicated garden room product.
If window and door companies out there are looking for new products to add to their portfolio and create a new revenue stream, they could do worse than to take a look at installing quality garden rooms. They have quickly become popular and judging by the pace of the pick up, they will be popular for some time to come as well.
