The Bothy by JML Garden Rooms: A Pitched-Roof Garden Room and Annexe
Published: 9 July 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutes 20 seconds
In a market of virtually flat-roofed garden rooms and annexes, we love it when we get to explore a pitched-roof design. That single change to the roofline creates a very different building, inside and out — more character on the elevation, more presence in the garden, and, where the height is used well, a whole extra dimension to the space within. The Bothy by JML Garden Rooms is an eye-catching, well-specified example of exactly that: a range that can work as a garden room retreat or as fully habitable accommodation.
The Concept
The Bothy takes its name and its feel from the traditional Scottish bothy — a simple, sturdy shelter — and gives it a clean, Scandinavian-inspired update. The signature look is a black corrugated exterior offset by contrasting larch detailing and a larch deck, under a pitched roof that gives the building its distinctive gable-end silhouette. It's a design that reads as modern and considered without trying too hard, and it sits as comfortably in a rugged rural setting as it does in a town garden.
Underneath that, it's built like the rest of the JML range. The Bothy is constructed from an insulated Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) kit — panels that JML manufacture in-house through JML SIPs. That matters more than it sounds: SIPs create a warm, airtight envelope that holds its heat, so the building stays comfortable and cheap to run through a British winter, not just the warmer months of the year.
Key Features
JML Garden Rooms offer the Bothy in two standard footprints — 14sqm and 20sqm — as well as fully bespoke sizes to suit the plot and the brief. Whichever route you take, the core specification stays consistent:
- SIPs construction — an insulated panel kit for genuine year-round comfort
- Black corrugated cladding - with contrasting larch overhang and detailing
- Pitched roof — the defining feature, and the thing that sets the interior apart
- Timber double glazing — quality doors and windows framing the view
- Larch decking — an outdoor space built into the design from the start
The other point worth making is flexibility. The Bothy can be specified as a straightforward garden retreat — an office, a studio, a gym — or taken all the way up to self-contained accommodation with a living and sleeping area, a kitchen, and a shower room. That upper end moves the building into garden annexe territory, with the planning permission and building warrant route that goes with it in Scotland — or Building Regulations approval elsewhere in the UK — and it's where the interior volume created by the pitched roof really earns its place.
This Project: A Bespoke Bothy on Loch Fyne
The best way to show what the range can do is a project that pushes it, and JML's bespoke Bothy annexe on the shore of Loch Fyne in Argyll does exactly that. Completed in 2024, this is a 31sqm building — well beyond the standard footprints — designed to complement the client's main house and give them a genuinely multifunctional space for visiting family and friends, work, and leisure.
Here's where the pitched roof stops being a styling choice and starts being the whole idea. Rather than a single open-plan floor, JML used the height to put an office on a mezzanine level, taking advantage of the natural light coming in through the gable glazing. The ground floor holds a games room, a kitchenette, and a shower room. That's an accommodation-grade layout on a compact plan — guest suite, home office, and recreational retreat in one building — and it simply wouldn't have the same feel and character in a flat-roof design.
Built for an Exposed Site
A lochside plot in Argyll is a beautiful place to build and a demanding one. The site is remote and exposed, with harsh coastal weather and strong winds, and the rocky ground meant the usual ground screws couldn't be used. JML worked with a local groundwork company to design a block pier foundation system instead, giving the building the stability it needs for the long term.
The material choices answer the same question. The durable black corrugated cladding and high-performance Aluclad windows are there to shrug off the weather while keeping that sleek, contemporary look — a finish that suits the rugged setting rather than fighting it. Inside, the interior is kept clean and natural, so the warmth and light do the work.
As with all of their projects, JML Garden Rooms handled the whole thing: their in-house architectural team developed the design around the client's brief and the panoramic loch views, took care of the full process from planning permission through to building warrants, and their joinery team erected the bespoke SIPs kit and carried out the complete external and internal fit-out, including the service connections back to the main house.
Learn More
To explore more examples of JML Garden Rooms' work or discuss your own project — whether that's a standard Bothy or a fully bespoke annexe like the one on Loch Fyne — visit jmlgardenrooms.co.uk, call 01764 663 668, or email info@jmlgardenrooms.co.uk. Their Perthshire showroom can be visited by appointment. We've featured several other JML Garden Rooms projects on The Guide.
