If you’ve just purchased your first garden room or you’re about to do so, you might be wondering what maintenance it’ll require as we edge into autumn and winter.

The answer is, not very much. Hopefully, you would have already done enough research on garden rooms to realise that they are about as far away from a ‘shed’ as you could possibly get. Their very construction is not too dissimilar to house building. In fact, quality garden rooms are designed to last decades and are made from the finest timber and materials.

However, as with a house, there are a few little things that just need keeping on top of. So, with autumn already here and winter just around the corner, what do you need to do?

Preparing your Garden Room for Colder Seasons

Cladding

By far the most visible aspect of your garden room, timber cladding will require some maintenance to preserve its original state. Many garden rooms are made from cedar wood since it’s a durable softwood with fantastic resistance to rot and fungal attack. If left untreated, it has a lifespan of up to 25 years.

It will change in colour though – turning from its signature reddish-brown to a beautiful silvery hue. If you’re wanting to maintain its original colour, you will need to do some maintenance and seal the timber with UV protection oil.

If you have a garden room that has a painted exterior, your best option is to choose one that has been stained with a highly-durable colour. For example, all our painted garden rooms(Belle, Classic, Temple Folly or Suffolk Barn), are hand-painted in an Owatrol 15-year colour stain.

Decking

Decking is a popular optional extra for garden rooms. A suitably proportioned decking area can offer a lovely spot for breaking away from the office or sipping an espresso. However, they do need a little maintenance during the winter months as they can become slippery. A regular power wash will prevent any debris build-up.

Guttering

Rainwater guttering is a standard feature on garden rooms, and it will need maintenance. Guttering can easily become obstructed – especially if your garden room is near a tree. If you have a window cleaner, ask them if they would also check your gutter to see if it needs cleaning every few weeks.

Easy On-Going Checks

There are some quick, maintenance checks you can implement during the Winter months on garden rooms.

If heavy snowfall is forecast, just make sure you check the roof outlets are free of debris. If they are not clear and become frozen, they can cause problems as when the water thaws, it can pool and will look for a place to escape.

Although quality garden rooms are designed to withstand all weather, it’s also a good idea to keep the area around the base of garden rooms free of leaves and overgrown grass. It just keeps any damp overgrowth at bay and exposes the beautiful architectural lines.

Vast amounts of rain against the glazed aspects of your garden room can cause them to tighten – only by a fraction since wood, as a natural material, expands and contracts. Never try to force a door or window open as you could break the locking mechanism.

Most people use their garden rooms all year round since they are so well insulated and versatile. However, if you’re only planning on using it during the summer months, as part of your general maintenance, make sure you open the windows and doors every few weeks to freshen the space.

SMART’s Ultra Range

If you’ve not yet settled on a garden room and are looking for a design with minimal maintenance in mind, the SMART Ultra range is a great choice.

The Ultra range is a contemporary design with striking, powerful lines combined with soft curves to create a real design statement.

An intelligent garden room, the Ultra is constructed to the highest quality and is built to last. Our unique TuSC® construction means each panel and every component effortlessly and seamlessly locks together, offering incredible structural strength. Its walls are 135mm thick and are fully insulated with a solid substrate to maintain maximum rigidity, making it ideal for even the harshest of winters. Prices start at £10,212, with a hidden roof, floating walls and cedar inlays, hooded portico entrance, lighting, internal finishes, and flooring all included.

You also have a choice to add puddle lighting to the portico or contemporary column lighting to the floating cedar panels. This illuminates your garden room during those dark winter nights.

Order your Brochure

We never stop innovating at SMART Garden Offices. Only this year we introduced our Affinity Range of garden rooms. Again, designed to withstand the test of time and changeable UK weather, Affinity’s stunning larch cladding is both striking and sensual, any time of year.

In total, SMART Garden Offices has seven ranges of garden rooms in over 60 different sizes and 13 colours, starting from £7,944.

Our garden rooms, offices and studios are factory-built first and then assembled in your garden by our team.  They are carefully brought onto site, panel by panel and are installed in as little as 1-2 days for small rooms and up to five days for larger projects. There’s no fuss or mess – just an exciting, quick, and smart installation.

Download a copy of our brochure today and discover your design options.