Garden room comparisons: Garden Retreats vs Waltons

Garden rooms allow you to enjoy all of the comforts and conveniences of your home while relaxing in the tranquil setting of your garden. As a result, they make excellent areas for winding down and taking part in the activities that you love.

Because our garden rooms are custom-built to your specifications in terms of design and quality, you have complete freedom in deciding how you wish to use them. Some of our customers have used their garden rooms as home offices, outdoor gyms and entertaining areas for friends and family.

We understand that while you are researching different garden rooms, weighing up the similarities and differences between manufacturers is an important step to finding the right structure for you. So, in this guide, we are going to compare our Garden Retreats pods and timber garden building specialist, Waltons.

Garden Retreats and Waltons: Summary

The main differences between Garden Retreats and Waltons

As you can see from the table above, there are some key differences between Garden Retreats and Waltons. Whereas Waltons offer a selection of small to large-sized rooms, we have three different pod sizes which can be installed either individually or combined to create a larger structure. This modularity means you can extend your pod if and when your space requirements and capacity change.

An insulated garden room from Waltons will be constructed using timber, which requires annual treatment. This material also needs to be nailed together and cannot be dismantled. Our pods, on the other hand, are made from glass fibre and carbon fibre frames which is held together by screws—this means they can be dismantled and put back together if you relocate to a new home and want to take your garden room with you.

Waltons offers three different roof styles for you to choose from (flat, pent or apex), but at Garden Retreats, we only offer a flat roof. While this seems more limited, there is a reason for this; it allows you to build a roof terrace onto your garden room at the time of purchase or at any point in the future. We can achieve this because our pods are so strong and structurally sound.

Benefits of the Garden Retreats pod

Unlike timber, the carbon fibre and glass fibre frame of a Garden Retreats pod will not expand or deteriorate in the adverse weather we get in the UK. They require zero external maintenance, meaning you can use your pod all year round without having to worry about rot or condensation. Our construction materials use 75% less energy than steel to produce and transport, meaning they are a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative without compromising on style or quality. We also use an industry-leading British warm roof system with a U-value of 0.18 so your pod won’t lose any heat.

You have total creative freedom to make your pod your own. Our composite cladding is offered in three classic colours (dark grey, light grey and cedar) which can be matched by the optional decking, which is also made from composite material. Other customisation options include your choice of patio or bifold doors in black or grey, a roof terrace with spiral decking and plenty of internal design choices. These include wipe-clean luxury Italian floor tiling and wall panels that can even be upgraded to include your own hi-res image as a feature wall.

Finally, we can have your pod up and running within a matter of days, not weeks or months. All electrics are included (plug sockets with USB ports, internal and external spotlights, smartphone-controlled heating and a hook-up point for the mains) and we can install your pod quickly and effectively on-site.

Whether you need a new home office, study space for the kids, gym or leisure facility, somewhere to run your business or just extra room to relax with friends and family, a Garden Retreats pod is sure to tick all of your boxes. Get in touch with a member of our team today to discuss your ideas or book a free site survey.