Second-hand and ex-display garden rooms: when they are worth buying
An ex-display or second-hand garden room can cost far less than a new one. The saving holds only if the building was made to be moved, and once dismantling, transport, a new base, electrics and approval for your own garden are counted.
A second-hand or ex-display garden room is worth buying when the building was designed to be taken down and rebuilt, and the price still undercuts a new room once moving, a base and the electrics are paid for. Ex-display rooms are usually the safer buy: they are new or nearly new, sold by the maker, and often installed by them. One company’s ex-display garden office, 3.2m × 3m, was listed in October 2026 at £8,500 against a full price of £12,100, about 30% less, delivered and installed.
A privately sold second-hand room is cheaper still, but the risk moves to the buyer. Many garden rooms are built on site and can’t be taken apart without damage, the guarantee may not transfer, and the building doesn’t bring planning approval with it. A typical new 3m × 3m room costs about £19,700 installed, so that is the figure to measure any saving against.
In short
- Ex-display rooms are show buildings sold off by the companies that built them. Second-hand rooms have been owned and used, and are resold privately or through the original maker.
- One ex-display 3.2m × 3m garden office was £8,500 in October 2026, about 30% below its £12,100 full price, including delivery and installation.
- Only rooms designed to be dismantled can be taken apart and moved well. A room built with SIPs panels and plastered walls usually can’t. Some rooms can be craned out whole, depending on their size, construction, floor frame and access.
- Add the cost of dismantling and transport, a new base (about £1,000–£2,500) and a power connection (£1,500–£3,500) before comparing with a new room.
- Ask whether the guarantee transfers, and check that the room meets Permitted Development at your house.
Ex-display and second-hand: what each means
- Ex-display
- A building made for a show site, an exhibition or a company’s own display, then sold when the display changes. It is new or nearly new and has stood open to visitors rather than been lived in. Because the maker is selling it, the price often includes taking it down, delivering it and putting it up again, and the guarantee usually comes from them.
- Second-hand
- A room someone has bought, used and now wants to sell, usually because they are moving house or need a different building. A few makers buy back or resell their own buildings and reinstall them. Others are sold privately, and the buyer arranges the move.
- Nearly new
- Occasionally a room only weeks old is taken down because the owner’s plans have changed. These sit between the two: barely used, but sold without a show-site history.
How much can you save?
Ex-display discounts are the most visible, because the makers publish them. Second-hand prices vary with the building’s age, condition and who moves it.
An ex-display room is priced against its full list price, so the saving is easy to see. One company’s 3.2m × 3m ex-display garden office, viewable at its show centre, was £8,500 in October 2026 against a full price of £12,100 including VAT, a saving of £3,600 or about 30%. That price included delivery and installation within 75 miles of the show centre. Makers sell display buildings when they change their ranges or refresh a show site, so stock comes up irregularly and is often a smaller, simpler model.
Second-hand rooms have no list price to measure against. The useful comparison is with what the same room would cost new, installed, at your house. For annexes, where the sums are larger, the Guide has seen a maker’s second-hand annexe resold and reinstalled at about a third below its new price. Ex-display and second-hand annexes explains that example.
Ex-display examples, October 2026
Warwick Buildings
A compact garden office from the show centre, with delivery and installation.
- Garden office, 3.2m × 3m£8,500
Full price £12,100, about 30% off
Crane Garden Buildings
Insulated studios, with delivery and installation.
- Garden studio, 3m × 4.8m£31,650
Full price £39,528, about 20% off - Large studio, 4.6m × 9m£67,500
Full price £84,405, about 20% off
Heritage Living
A show-site garden room sold as a shell: clad, roofed and glazed, with the interior unfinished.
- Garden room, 3.3m × 5m£12,000
Full price £30,000, 60% off
Prices as listed by the makers in October 2026. Each link goes to the maker’s ex-display or offers page. “Shell only” means clad, roofed and glazed with the interior unfinished; the buyer arranges and pays for the crane lift. Ex-display buildings often sell within weeks, so these are examples rather than current stock.
The last example shows why the total matters more than the percentage. A 60% saving on a shell still leaves the interior, the lift, a base and the electrics to pay for, while a 20% saving on a finished, installed studio may leave very little.
What a new garden room costs, to compare (October 2026)
| Size | Typical new price | Per sqm |
|---|---|---|
| 3m × 3m | £19,700 | £2,190 |
| 4m × 3m | £22,200 | £1,850 |
| 5m × 3m | £25,500 | £1,700 |
Median installed prices, including VAT and installation, from The Garden Room & Annexe Guide’s October 2026 survey of 42 UK companies that publish prices. See prices for every size.
Which garden rooms can be moved
Only a room designed to be taken apart can be moved to a new garden in good condition. Some makers build in panels or modules that bolt together and stand on ground screws or adjustable feet, so the building can be unbolted, lifted off and rebuilt elsewhere. Some owners take these rooms with them when they move house.
A room built with SIPs panels and plastered walls is a different matter. Taking it down usually means cutting through panels and finishes that can’t be reused, so buying one of these second-hand to dismantle often means buying the materials rather than the room.
Some rooms can be moved without taking them apart. A room can sometimes be craned out whole and set down on a new base, but that depends on its size and weight, how it is built, whether its floor frame is strong enough to be lifted from, and whether a crane and lorry can reach both gardens. The original maker is the best judge of whether a lift is possible.
The simplest test is to ask the original maker. They will know whether the building can be dismantled, whether they will do it, and what it costs.
What to check before you buy
A second-hand room needs the same questions as a new one, and a few more.
- Who dismantles and moves it
- Ask whether the seller or the original maker will take it down, transport it and rebuild it, and what that costs. If you arrange it yourself, damaged panels, glazing and seals are your problem. A room that one company dismantles and reinstalls removes most of that risk.
- Whether the guarantee transfers
- Ask the maker whether any guarantee passes to a new owner, and whether it still applies after the building has been moved. Many guarantees only cover a building installed at the original address by the maker.
- The base
- The room needs a new base at your house, ready before it arrives. Allow about £1,000–£2,500 for ground screws or a fitted base on a 3m × 3m to 4m × 3m room, or £3,000–£6,500 for concrete.
- The electrics
- The cable from your house to the room has to be installed new, by a qualified electrician who certifies it. Allow £1,500–£3,500 for a typical 10–20m run. Ask for the building’s own electrical certificate, and expect to have the internal wiring tested once it is rebuilt.
- Condition
- Look at the roof covering, the seals around doors and windows, the cladding and the floor, and for any sign of damp or rot. Ask how old the room is, where it has stood and how it has been treated. An ex-display room has been walked through by visitors, so check floors and door hardware for wear.
- Planning at the new site
- Permission doesn’t move with the building. The room has to meet Permitted Development at your house, including a height of no more than 2.5m within 2m of a boundary, which a room that stood in the middle of someone else’s garden may not. Listed buildings, flats and some conservation areas have tighter rules.
- Building Regulations
- These don’t usually apply to a garden room under 15sqm. Between 15sqm and 30sqm a room is exempt only if it stands at least 1m from every boundary or is built mainly of non-combustible materials, and no one sleeps in it. A larger second-hand room may need approval at your house even if it didn’t at the last one.
The real cost of a second-hand garden room
The price on the advert is only part of the cost. To compare it fairly with a new room, add dismantling and transport, the base, the electrics connection and any repairs or refinishing, then set the total against what the same size costs new and installed. On a typical 3m × 3m room, new at about £19,700, the base and power connection alone can add £2,500–£6,000 to a second-hand price.
An ex-display room from the maker usually comes out best on this sum, because delivery and installation are often in the price and the building is new. A private second-hand sale needs the most care: it can be the cheapest, but the costs and risks of moving it fall to you. Our quote checklist lists what to ask any seller.
Where to find them
- Show sites
- Ex-display rooms are most often sold where they stand. Garden room show sites lists the companies with buildings on display, and it is worth asking at any of them whether a display room is coming up for sale.
- The makers
- Companies that build demountable rooms sometimes resell their own buildings, or know of customers selling. Asking the maker is also the best way to check that a room can be moved.
- Offers pages
- Some companies list ex-display buildings alongside their seasonal offers. Garden room special offers gathers current ones.
- Private sales through the Guide
- Owners sometimes tell the Guide they are selling a garden room. When they do, the Guide lists it here, passes on interested buyers’ details and leaves the sale to buyer and seller, with no commission. Owners and companies with a room to sell can email the Guide.
- Annexes
- For a building someone will live in, see ex-display and second-hand annexes, which covers the standards and approvals that apply.
Second-hand and ex-display garden rooms: questions
- Is it worth buying a second-hand or ex-display garden room?
- It is when the room was designed to be dismantled and rebuilt, and its price still undercuts a new room after moving, a base and the electrics are paid for. An ex-display room sold and installed by its maker is the safer choice. One 3.2m × 3m ex-display garden office was £8,500 in October 2026, about 30% below its £12,100 full price.
- How much cheaper is an ex-display garden room?
- It depends on the maker and the building. One published October 2026 example was about 30% off: a 3.2m × 3m garden office at £8,500 against £12,100, delivered and installed. Always compare the total, including the base and electrics, with the cost of the same size new.
- Can a garden room be moved to another house?
- Often, if it was built to be taken apart or can be lifted out whole. Rooms made from panels or modules that bolt together, on ground screws or adjustable feet, can be dismantled and rebuilt. Some rooms can be craned out in one piece, depending on their size, construction, floor frame and access. A room built with SIPs panels and plastered walls usually can’t be taken apart without damage.
- Does the guarantee transfer when you buy a second-hand garden room?
- Not always. Many guarantees cover only the first owner, or only a building installed by the maker at its original address. Ask the maker in writing before you buy, and ask whether the guarantee still applies once the room has been moved.
- Do you need planning permission for a second-hand garden room?
- Usually not, but the room has to meet Permitted Development at your house. Any approval at its old site doesn’t transfer. Check its height against the 2.5m limit within 2m of a boundary, and whether your house is listed, a flat or in a conservation area. Permitted Development for garden rooms sets out the rules.
- What costs are there on top of the price of a second-hand garden room?
- Dismantling and transport, a new base (about £1,000–£2,500, or £3,000–£6,500 for concrete), a power connection from the house (£1,500–£3,500 for a 10–20m run), and any repairs. Building Regulations may also apply if the room is over 15sqm.
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Updated October 2026 · Part of our garden room price guide.
