The Versatile Garden Room: A Case Study of the ‘Tin Shed’ by Phil Gannon..
Ever feel like you could use a bit more space at home? A garden room might just be the perfect answer! It’s a lot more than just a shed; it’s a useful, flexible extension of your house. It can be a quiet office, a comfy spare bedroom, or a cool gym. Its best feature is how adaptable it is—a great way to get more room without a major renovation.
With so many of us working from home now, we all need a dedicated spot to get things done. A garden room is an awesome escape from the noisy house. It’s a peaceful hideaway where you can really focus. Getting a separate work space helps you separate your work and home life, which is so good for your mental health. Plus, you don’t have to put your laptop away from the kitchen table every night—you get a real, professional setup!
And it’s not just for work! You can easily turn a garden room into a cozy guest bedroom. It’s like having a little mini-house for visitors, so they get their own privacy and you don’t have to change your routine. It’s also fantastic for your hobbies, whether you’re an artist, a musician, or love to craft. It’s a special spot just for your passions, with lots of natural light to get you inspired.
Want to get healthier? A garden room is perfect for a home gym. It’s super convenient—no more driving to a gym! You can work out whenever you want, in your own private space. You can fill it with all your gear, from a yoga mat to weights. And on nice days, you can open the doors and enjoy the fresh air. It makes exercising so much more enjoyable!
The ‘Tin Shed’ project is a great example of all this. It’s located in the beautiful Pendle Valley, and it was designed it to fit in with the landscape. The main goal was to use sustainable materials and build something that was both durable and looked good. This started with a timber frame, which is an eco-friendly choice because it’s a renewable resource and absorbs carbon. It also helped us build the ‘shed’ super fast and make it really energy efficient.
For insulation, we used hemp. It’s a natural material that’s great for the planet because it doesn’t need much water to grow and it soaks up a ton of carbon. Hemp is also fantastic at keeping the inside cozy and soundproof, which is perfect for a Zoom call or a yoga session. Inside, we used wood wool panels. They look great and also help with sound and air quality. They’re a really nice, natural touch.
The outside is finished with corrugated steel. It’s exactly what you’d expect from the name! This material was a perfect fit for the countryside setting of the Pendle Valley—it looks just like the old barns and sheds. It’s super tough, handles bad weather well, and you don’t have to do much to maintain it. The mix of the raw steel outside and the warm, natural materials inside creates a really cool look that makes the building stand out. And it’s built to last for years, which is a huge plus.
So, to wrap it up, the ‘tin shed’ shows that a garden room can be so much more than just a little box in the yard. It’s a beautiful and sustainable space that fits right into its surroundings. By making it multi-purpose and using eco-friendly materials, we created a building that’s not only super useful but also responsible. It’s a perfect example of how smart design can make our lives better and help the planet too!
Phil Gannon BA(Hons) MArch ARB RIBA
Director
07450 244 761
Eddie – Thursday 25th September 2025. (Text and images supplied by Phil at Gannon Works).
