Kit log cabin or made-to-measure garden room?
Updated 20 October 2026
Short answer: a kit cabin is far cheaper and fine if you (or a handyman) can build it and you're happy to add insulation and electrics afterwards. A made-to-measure garden room costs several times more but arrives finished – insulated, plastered, wired and on a proper base – built by someone else.
What you get with a kit
A kit log cabin arrives on a lorry as a pile of numbered timber boards with doors, windows and fixings. You build it on a level base you've prepared yourself. The 88 kits in our index cost from £1,286.99 to £17,996.99 including VAT, and the cheapest that meets our all-year office rule is Coronet Corner Log Cabin 2.5m x 2.5m at £2,014.99.
On top of the kit price, budget for:
- A base – a concrete slab, paving or a ground-screw frame. It must be level and square, or doors and windows won't fit.
- Building it – most sellers expect two people and a few days. Of the 6 sellers we compare, 2 offered its own installation on the cabins we checked; the others leave it to you or point you to independent fitters.
- Treatment – most kits arrive untreated and need a protective stain or paint straight away, and regularly afterwards.
- Insulation and electrics – for winter use, insulating the floor and roof, plus power and lighting from a registered electrician.
- Floor and roof covering – check each listing: with some sellers the floor or roof covering is an optional extra.
What you get with a garden room company
A garden room builder designs the room to fit your garden, puts in the base, builds an insulated timber frame, clads it, fits glazing, plasters or lines the inside, and wires it. You get a finished room and one firm responsible for it.
Not every firm publishes prices. Of the builders we've checked, these do: The Green Rooms (from £12,750 inc VAT (smallest listed option; turnkey)), Downland Garden Rooms (fully inclusive prices published; the lowest listed is £21,999 inc VAT (£18,333 + VAT)), Nordic Room (most projects start from £30,000 (their guide)), Garden Office Buildings (from £25,000 (their office/studio, plastered, decorated and wired as standard)), Createspace Garden Rooms (from £15,000 (final price after a free site survey)), Miniature Manors (from £15,000) and CS Garden Offices (from £8,982 (smallest standard garden office size; VAT not stated)). What's included varies a lot between firms, so compare like with like when you get quotes.
Side by side
| Kit log cabin | Made-to-measure garden room | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | You, a handyman, or a fitter you hire | The company |
| Walls | Solid timber logs, usually uninsulated | Insulated timber frame (thickness varies by firm) |
| Base | You provide it | Usually included |
| Electrics | Extra, by an electrician | Often included – check the quote |
| Size and layout | Fixed sizes from a range | Designed to fit your garden |
| Price guide | £1,286.99–£17,996.99 for the kit (our index) | See builders' published prices above |
Questions to ask yourself
- Will I use it in January? If yes, you need insulation either way – a kit plus insulation, or a garden room.
- Can I (and a friend) spend a weekend or two building, or will I pay someone?
- Does my garden have easy access for a delivery lorry, or will boards need carrying through the house?
- Does my plan fit within the planning rules? See our planning guide.
Ready to compare? Browse all kit cabins or see garden room builders in Surrey, garden room builders in Kent, garden room builders in Sussex, garden room builders in Hampshire.