Our services
Garden Rooms & Studiosin Newton Abbot& South Devon
Made-to-measure garden rooms designed around the way you want to use them, from a home office or studio to a peaceful retreat, built by one dedicated team.
30 years' experience · Building regs always adhered to · Fully insured
30 years
Hands-on experience in Devon
5.0 rating
Average score on Google reviews
Fixed prices
Agreed in writing before we start
Fully insured
Self-employed team covered
Tailor-made garden rooms, studios and home offices designed and built by the same team.
What we build
Bespoke garden rooms: home offices, studios, gyms, hobby rooms and quiet rooms, designed for the plot rather than ordered from a catalogue of fixed sizes.
A garden room from us is a building: prepared base, floor, walls and roof, a breathable, weather-tight envelope, proper doors and glazing, and an interior finished ready to use. Insulation is added where you need it for year-round comfort, and electrics and plumbing are subcontracted to qualified trades and coordinated around our build programme.
Who it is for and when
Garden rooms make sense when the house has run out of room and moving or extending isn't the answer: working from home full-time, a studio that needs separation from family noise, a gym, or a space for an older child or a visiting relative to use during the day.
It is also the answer where an extension isn't practical, a tight plot, a conservation constraint, or a family that needs the disruption kept out of the house.
Why build quality and comfort matter
The difference between a garden room and a basic summerhouse is how it feels to use. Where you want to work, exercise or relax through the colder months, insulation, a correct vapour and breather strategy and good ventilation make it a genuinely comfortable room rather than a shed with a nice door.
A well-sealed, well-detailed envelope is what keeps the room dry and pleasant to be in, and it's much easier to get right at build stage than to add later.
What's included
- Weather-tight studios, home offices and garden retreats
- Typically designed within permitted development
- Building regulations always adhered to
- Electrics and plumbing arranged with qualified trades
Doing it right from the start
Managing moisture properly in the build
A correctly detailed moisture strategy keeps warm interior air from condensing inside the structure, so walls stay dry and the frame stays sound for the long term.
Warmth and comfort where you need it
Adding insulation where it matters keeps heating costs sensible and means the room gets used all year, not just in summer.
Getting planning and regulations right from the start
Permitted development limits depend on the specific site, and building regulations apply in certain circumstances. We check this before anything is agreed, so there are no surprises later.
What really separates two garden rooms of the same size
Two garden rooms with the same footprint can be entirely different products. Insulation, glazing, base construction and envelope detailing are where the real difference lies, and where it's worth looking closely.
How your project comes together
- Step 1
Site visit and feasibility
The team looks at position, access, ground conditions, light and outlook, and checks what permitted development allows on your specific plot before anything is agreed.
- Step 2
Design and fixed price
Size, layout, glazing, doors, cladding, insulation and interior finish are worked out with you, along with what the electrics and plumbing need to include. You get one fixed price and a programme.
- Step 3
Base and structure
The base is prepared and built for the ground you have, then the structure goes up: floor, walls and roof with the correct breather and vapour layers, insulated where you need it, made weather-tight.
- Step 4
Fit-out and services
Cladding, doors, glazing, internal linings and finishes are completed. Qualified electricians and plumbers are brought in and scheduled around the build so you're not chasing trades yourself.
- Step 5
Handover
We clear the site, walk the finished work with you and explain any aftercare. We want you to enjoy your new space from day one.
What you'll enjoy
Comfortable when you need it
Insulation added where it matters, with a properly detailed envelope, so the room works for the way you actually use it.
Usually no planning application
Designed within permitted development wherever the site allows, with building regulations always adhered to.
Built for your plot
Size, glazing and orientation set by your garden, light and access rather than a standard catalogue footprint.
One point of contact
The team manages the build and the subcontracted electrics and plumbing, so there's one person to call.
Space without moving house
A dedicated work or hobby room at a fraction of the disruption of extending.
Construction and materials
A garden room is a small building, and every layer of it does a job.
- Base: prepared and constructed to suit the ground, with the floor kept clear of standing moisture.
- Timber frame: structurally sized for the span and the roof, with insulation added between and, where needed, over the framing.
- Envelope layers: breather membrane outside, vapour control inside, so moisture moves the right way through the structure.
- Cladding: timber and composite options chosen for exposure and for how you want the building to sit in the garden.
- Roof: flat or pitched, insulated where required and detailed for Devon rainfall, with guttering and a considered discharge point.
- Glazing and doors: sliding, French or bi-fold, positioned for light and outlook without turning the room into a greenhouse.
Planning, building regulations and services
Garden rooms are typically designed within permitted development so planning permission isn't required. Permitted development limits depend on the specific site: position relative to boundaries, height, and how much of the garden is already built on, so we check yours before anything is agreed.
Building regulations are always adhered to. Where a structure's size, use or proximity to a boundary brings it into scope, that's factored into the design rather than worked around.
Electrics and plumbing are subcontracted to qualified trades. That covers power, lighting, heating provision and, where the room needs it, water and waste: all coordinated so the trades arrive at the right point in our programme.
Siting the room in the garden
Position decides how much you use it. Light, outlook, the walk from the back door and how much lawn the building takes up are all worked out on site before a base is set out.
Access matters too: whether materials can be machined in or have to come through the house changes the programme, and occasionally the construction method.
The approach is part of the job, a path or a small terrace at the door, and ducting laid before any surface goes down.
Home working, studios and other uses
Home offices need power, data, glare control and enough insulation that heating costs stay reasonable through a working winter.
Studios and hobby rooms are usually about light and acoustic separation. Gyms need a floor built for point loads and ventilation that copes with use.
Occasional guest or family use changes the specification again, often bringing plumbing and building regulations more firmly into the picture: worth discussing early rather than after the base is poured.
Examples of our work
Slide through photos of finished projects across South Devon.
Where we do this work
Related services
Back to the PC Landscaping homepage, see all services or get in touch with Phil.
Garden Rooms: common questions
How much does an insulated garden room cost?
It depends on size, insulation and glazing specification, base construction, internal finish and what the electrics and plumbing need to do. The team designs it with you and gives one fixed price based on the measured area and labour before work starts.
Do I need planning permission for a garden room?
Typically not, we design within permitted development wherever the site allows. Permitted development limits depend on your specific plot, so we check before anything is agreed. Building regulations are always adhered to.
How long does a garden room take to build?
Longer than a patio or a deck, because the base, structure, envelope, fit-out and subcontracted services each need their stage. You'll get a realistic programme with your fixed price.
Can I use it in winter?
Where you want the room usable all year, we add insulation and a properly detailed envelope so it stays comfortable through a Devon winter rather than becoming storage.
Who does the electrics and plumbing?
Qualified trades, subcontracted by us and coordinated around our build programme, so you're not left chasing anyone yourself.
How long will a garden room last?
It's built as a building, not a shed: breathable and detailed for the climate here, with insulation added where you need it. Looked after, it's a long-term structure rather than a temporary one.
Can you build a smaller garden structure instead?
Yes. If a full garden room is more than you need, a timber pergola or covered seating area may suit the garden better, we build those too.
Which areas do you build garden rooms in?
Teignbridge, Torbay, Exeter and the South Hams, from our base near Newton Abbot.
Client feedback
Recent words from South Devon gardens
“Phil finished the remainder of my featherboard fence. Started the job promptly, arrived on time and finished the job professionally.”
Big Steve
Featherboard fencing · Google review
“Fitted our hardwood deck and it looks great! Decent price and took just a couple of days plus they cleaned up after themselves.”
Steve Marson
Hardwood decking · Google review
“Phil and Nigel did a complete redesign of our garden, did a very professional job from start to finish… this is the second job they have done for us and we have another project for later in the year.”
Robert Down
Full garden redesign · repeat client · Google review
“Fab job for my pathway around my house and patio… Phil's suggestion and explanation of the construction work was the most solid.”
Hung Alice
Pathway & patio · Google review
Talk through your garden room with the team
A site visit covers position, access, permitted development and what the room needs to do, then one fixed price.
30 years' experience · Fully insured · 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday