If you are looking for a low-maintenance garden room that also has character and style, you’ll want to explore the options at Rockwood Garden Studios. Offering contemporary-style insulated garden rooms, Rockwood utilises a palette of durable materials including natural stone, glass, and metal finishes.
Composite Cladding
More and more of the garden room projects we feature are being finished with composite exterior cladding. It's a great choice, particularly if you are looking for a low-maintenance outdoor building.
Composite cladding materials have come a long way over the last few years. Today they are available in subtle colour palettes and realistic wood shades.
Some products have smooth finishes, others tactile wood grains - some options are formed in moulds of real wood, impressing the natural wood grain into the surface.
Some of the composite cladding materials used in garden room design mix real wood fibres with polymers. Other products mix synthetic fibres with cement. With both approaches, the boards are coloured during the manufacturing process, so they don't need painting to maintain their appearance.
Composite claddings such as Cedral have an A2-s1,d0 fire-resistance rating. This makes it a great choice for Building Regulation compliant garden rooms and annexes. It is a popular finish for garden rooms sited within 1m of a boundary.
Some garden room designers mix composite claddings with timber ones. This can be very effective, as some of the projects below show.
Having requested a lot of composite cladding samples over the years, we have found that the quality can differ between ranges, and some options are much more expensive than others. Bear this in mind when comparing your composite garden room options. We also suggest asking to see samples of the finish and colour rather than just picking from images.
These garden room projects all feature composite exterior cladding:
Cosy Garden Room with Bathroom
This 5m x 3.5m garden room by Cosy Garden Rooms has been designed as a multipurpose space. Complete with a bathroom it serves as a home office, family sitting room and occasional bedroom.
Insulated Garden Workshop
Garden workshops don’t have to be cold, dusty, cobweb-filled spaces; they can be high-spec, brightly lit, modern spaces that are comfortable for use every day of the year. We’re not just talking about an insulated shed; a bespoke garden workshop can be designed around the space you have available and your work plans. This Executive Garden Rooms project is an excellent example.
Mixing Exterior Materials Enhances This Contemporary Garden Room’s Style
Mixing exterior cladding finishes adds significant style and character to a garden room. In this project by Executive Garden Rooms, three premium finishes—crisp white render, warm Western Red Cedar, and sleek dark grey composite—are combined to striking effect. These materials enhance the contemporary aesthetic of the building while promising a long, low-maintenance lifespan.
3m tall garden photography studio
A 7m x 4m garden photography studio by Cosy Garden Rooms. Designed to accommodate the unique requirements of the business, a professional yet comfortable workspace has been created.
Inside-Outside Home Entertaining Space
This L-shaped building, crafted by Heritage Garden Studios, was designed to enable the owners to comfortably host family and friends in any weather, it seamlessly blends functionality with style.
Thoughtfully planned, the building not only frames picturesque views of the garden and the countryside beyond but also creates both indoor and outdoor dining areas.
Kennedy Garden Retreats
Kennedy Garden Retreats have caught our eye with their range of modular garden rooms that can be personalised around each customer. Their Windsor design particularly stands out amidst contemporary garden room options, thanks to its unique exterior finishes and meticulous detailing.
Garden art studio with kitchen
For creatives, having a dedicated space to work on projects without the need to clean up at day’s end is invaluable. The luxury of a space tailored to your unique needs, allowing for custom glazing arrangements that provide perfect lighting and frame garden views, and offering storage for materials is truly a dream. With Executive Garden Rooms, this dream is attainable.
Maintenance-free garden office & workshop
This 7m x 3m garden room by Garden2Oiice is split into a home office and a workshop. Built on a steep slope, the room uses two different types of exterior cladding that require little to no maintenance and look great. It’s a perfect blend of practicality and style.
Creative ways to clad your garden room
A garden room can be a great focal point for your outdoor space, but central to its success is the style of cladding you choose and how you want it to look now and in the future.