How to use your winter garden room

Garden rooms aren’t just for use during the spring and summer. With the right insulation, you can enjoy your garden room in any season. Here are some of our favourite ways to utilise a winter garden room, even during harsh weather.

Are garden rooms warm in winter?

With the right insulation and double glazing, garden rooms function largely the same as the inside of your home. While you might need heating in the depths of winter, you likely only need one electric heater or radiator to help you feel warm and cosy.

Electrical supply connection: Connection of the garden room to the main property electrical supply is not included unless expressly stated within the quotation. This work can be quoted separately if required, subject to a site survey and the requirements of our electrical contractor.

Because a winter garden room is compact and well-insulated, it retains heat incredibly well. Sometimes, just the warmth from your lighting and computer equipment is enough to take the chill off.

This makes them surprisingly efficient to run. Heating a small, sealed garden room is far cheaper than cranking up the central heating for your entire main house just to warm one person. For extra warmth, consider swapping laminate for carpet, which helps hold the ambient temperature better during those colder months.

Winter garden room ideas to make the most of limited sunlight

We all feel a bit glum during the dark winter days, but some people suffer more than others. It’s not uncommon to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, a depression that comes and goes with a seasonal pattern.

Also known as ‘winter depression’, it’s often advised to get as much sunlight as possible to combat the symptoms, which include low mood, feelings of despair and sadness, and irritability. Spending time in a garden room is a great way to maximise your sunlight exposure even in the darkest depths of winter. To reap the benefits of sunlight exposure, you don’t need to be sitting in full, direct sunlight. Often, just getting out into the light of day can make a big difference to your mood.

Build a home gym

It’s harder to find the discipline to go to the gym when it’s dark and cold, but you can make it easier by bringing the gym to you. A garden room is the perfect space to create your own home gym, kitted out with all your favourite gym equipment.

Exercising is also a great way to beat those winter blues, especially when all you need to do is step out into the garden for a great mood-boosting workout.

Create a space to unwind

Home life can be hectic, particularly if you are juggling work and taking care of the kids, too. When it all gets a bit much, you can retreat to your garden room for a bit of rest and relaxation. Choose plush seats, soft fabrics and your favourite entertainment for an afternoon of cosy comfort.

You could turn your garden room into a reading nook, a craft room, or an entertainment room, too. Don’t forget, your garden room is designed to be enjoyed all year round. Follow our blog posts for more inspiration on the best ways to use and decorate your outdoor room.

Use smart lighting for short days

When the sun sets at 4 pm, your lighting scheme becomes all-important. You don’t want to work under harsh, clinical strip lights when it is pitch black outside. We recommend a layered approach to keep the space inviting on long winter evenings.

Dimmable LED spotlights are excellent for brightening up the space, but adding smart bulbs (compatible with Alexa or Google Home) allows you to change the lights without leaving your chair. For a softer vibe, try floor lamps or warm LED strips to create a cosy feel that counteracts the cold outdoors.

Winter hobbies

Winter is a great time to enjoy your hobbies. But painting or crafting can quickly clutter up your dining table. A dedicated garden room gives you a permanent messy zone where you can leave your easel out or your clutter piled up without needing to pack it away for dinner.

We have seen clients transform their spaces into everything from art studios to model workshops. By moving these activities out of the main house, you create a place to escape the noise of the family home and focus entirely on your passion, no matter the weather outside.

Which garden rooms are built for winter

If you are still choosing, think about how often you will be out there. A room you use every working day through winter is where PIR or SIPS pays its way; for occasional use, a Pod's multifoil system and a plug-in heater may be all you need. Our insulated garden rooms guide compares the levels.

Heating a garden room safely

Heating can be quoted on any of our ranges: tick it in the configurator's finishing touches and we size it to the room and the way you use it when we talk through your design. Air conditioning is quoted the same way; some systems heat as well as cool, so check what the model offered for your project can do. See heating and air conditioning.

With any portable heater, follow Electrical Safety First's advice:

• Plug it straight into a wall socket, never into an extension lead.
• Keep it at least one metre from furniture, curtains and paper.
• Never dry clothes on it or close to it.
• Switch it off when you leave the room; don't leave it running unattended.
• Buy it from a reputable retailer rather than an unknown seller online.

Keeping condensation down

Condensation is moisture in warm air meeting a cold surface. In a garden room the moisture comes from people breathing, wet coats and boots, kettles and anything drying indoors, and it shows first on the glass on a cold morning. Fresh air and steady warmth work together; heat on its own will not cure a damp room.

• Air the room for a few minutes each day you use it, even when it is cold outside.
• Keep wet coats, boots and umbrellas in the house.
• Never dry washing in the garden room.
• Wipe condensation off the glass in the morning, before it runs onto the frames and sills.
• While you are using the room, keep a steady, low heat rather than letting it go cold and heating it hard.
• Leave a small gap between large furniture and the outside walls so air can move.
• In a long wet spell, run a dehumidifier and empty it often.

Sources: NHS: seasonal affective disorder; Electrical Safety First: portable heaters.