Does anyone actually use their garden room?

[SlightlySleepy]

We moved into a house with a garden room and I was so excited. I had images of me sitting outside with a coffee and a snack on a comfy sofa watching the kids play. Or inviting my friends over for a BBQ and when it began to get cold, all moving into the garden room.

Well none of this has happened. First we used it as a dumping ground for bikes/tools/lawnmower, then we had a clear out and put a small dining table in at and the much anticipated sofa that I was going to sit on with my coffee.

However, if the kids are actually playing nicely with each other, I've got far more productive things to do that sit in a room alone wistfully watching them. And as for the BBQ idea, it's actually colder in the garden room than outside because it hasn't had the sun in there all day, like the patio has. And anyway, the house is far bigger than the daft garden room, so why would we go in there when we have a whole house to sit in?!

I tried putting the kids toys in there, but they just went in, got the ones they wanted and came back in the house. Who wants to sit in an isolated room alone?

I thought about using it for an office. But I'm already heating my house, why would I take on the additional cost of heating the garden room as well, just so I could sit in there?

So now it's back to being full of junk.

Does anyone actually use theirs and what for? Bonus points for photos!

Love ours but it bakes during the day so radiates heat out from the walls in the evenings.

I’ve got a greenhouse that serves a bit of the purpose of allowing me to potter, somewhere to sit in the rain or when it’s windy....but mostly potter . I find it very restful having a bit of space wit( only 5he cat to disturb me.

I was given a summerhouse this year and used it loads in the summer. I’d have breakfast out there then a cup of tea later, sit and relax and watch something. If friends came we’d quite often sit out there. My DC are older though and I think this plays a big part in being able to enjoy it.

We use our summer house for all sorts of stuff for the kids - movie theatre (with projector), haunted witches house for Halloween, tea party venue, chill out area, mad Science lab and so on. Next will probably be Santa’s Grotto for Christmas or hot chocolate station with different toppings laid out.

If it never gets any sun have you considered relocating it to a sunnier patch in the garden? We're just about to put one up in an area of the garden that catches the late evening sunshine. I'm hoping it will encourage us to stay in the garden later in the summer.

Is a garden room a posh conservatory or a summer house?

To me a garden room is a single storey extension with a proper room but lots of windows like a conservatory so you are in a room in your house but surrounded by your garden and views of it. Like accountant222 - which is lovely BTW.

A summer house is a posh shed in the garden, at its best has heating and is dry with sofas and electrics, maybe an office or with a TV and a veranda. At worst, it’s just a big shed that looks a bit prettier from the outside.

I have a lovely shed - it has insulation and electricity and comfy sofas and blankets. But I never use it! Like yours, it is in the shade. It was loved for a time by teenage DS and his mates until someone smoked weed in there but I think it is destined to spend its days as a very attractive dumping ground

Thank you everyone for your great ideas. @stayathomegardener your room looks beautiful! @Bumblebeebum you have such a creative imagination to do all those cool things with your room. It's certainly given me some ideas.

@Fafoutis thank you for your honesty, that's kind of how I feel about mine, isolated and very unappealing! Just to clarify, I mean a summerhouse/posh shed. It has everything it needs (heating, electricity) it's just lacking in someone to want to use it. I can't move it to a sunnier location because it's concreted in. I think the idea of using it as an occasional room with the kids when we're doing something particularly exciting might be good, as we could decorate it with Christmas/ Easter/ birthday things in advance and then surprise them when it's done.

It’ll come into its own as the kids get older.

Either for you or for them as a sanctuary...

I think the main thing you can do is to stop feeling bad about not using it!

Ha ha I know, but it feels like such a waste