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Garden room cladding and materials
What your garden room is clad, roofed and glazed with decides how it looks, how long it lasts and how much looking after it needs.
The short answer: western red cedar and larch are the most common garden room claddings. Cedar can last 40 to 60 years and larch 30 to 50, and both can be left to weather silver.12 Thermally modified timber, composite and fibre cement can cost more upfront but need less upkeep. If your room is between 15 and 30m² and within 1m of a boundary, the cladding choice also affects building regulations.3
Cladding options compared
| Cladding | Typical lifespan | Upkeep | Material cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western red cedar | 40 to 60 years untreated1; 50+ well maintained2 | Can be left to weather2 | From about £45/m² for softwood cladding4; top-grade cedar about £90 to £100/m²2 |
| Larch, including Siberian larch | 30 to 50 years2 | Good Siberian larch can often be left untreated2 | Typically from about £45/m²4; fresh-cut waney edge from £15/m²2 |
| Thermally modified timber | 25 to 35 years1 | Stable; heat-treated rather than chemically treated1 | About £40 to £85/m²24 |
| Fibre cement | 30 to 50 years2 | Very low; baked-on finish needs no repainting2 | About £42/m² (2023)5 |
| Composite | Not reliably published | Low2 | About £36/m² (2023)5 |
| Charred timber (shou sugi ban) | Not reliably published | Often oiled; boards are fragile before treatment6 | From about £120/m² (2021)6 |
Prices are for materials and vary widely between suppliers and sources. Allow at least 10% extra for cutting and waste.4
Looking after timber cladding
- Leave it or coat it. Cedar and good larch can be left to turn silver-grey. If you want to keep the colour, hand-applied UV oils typically need recoating about every two years, and factory coatings about five years before the first maintenance coat.4
- Let it breathe. Battens behind the boards let air flow so they dry out. Poor ventilation can make boards swell, cup or twist.2
- Watch the shade. North-facing or shaded walls may grow algae.4
- Check the cedar. Home-grown western red cedar is knottier than North American cedar and rated less durable.7
Cladding near a boundary
In England and Wales, a garden room under 15m² with no sleeping accommodation is exempt from building regulations whatever it's made of. Between 15 and 30m², a single-storey room is exempt only if no part is less than 1m from the boundary, or if it is "constructed substantially of non-combustible material".38 The 1m is measured to the nearest part of the building, including gutters and fascias.9 Scotland has different rules; see our Scotland guide.
So a 15 to 30m² timber-clad room tucked within 1m of a fence will usually need building regulations approval. Some fibre cement boards are sold as non-combustible2, but whether a whole building counts as "substantially non-combustible" depends on how it's built, so ask your building control body before you order.
Roof options
| Roof | Lifespan if well maintained | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EPDM rubber | 50+ years | A rubber membrane |
| Torch-on felt | 30+ years | Can blister in heat and crack in cold |
| GRP fibreglass | 25+ years | Seamless, but can only be laid in dry, mild weather |
| Metal | 50+ years | Low maintenance and can be fitted in winter, but costs more |
| Green (sedum) roof | 30+ years | The structure must carry the extra weight |
Confederation of Roofing Contractors.10
Doors: bifold, sliding or French
- Bifolds open up 90 to 95% of the opening, but the folded panels need 400 to 600mm of space, and each frame section is 80 to 120mm wide, so you see more frame when they're shut.11 Fully installed, they typically cost £2,500 to £8,000.12
- Sliding doors open about half the width with two panels, but have fewer, slimmer frames and take no floor space.11 They suit exposed spots where you'd rarely open bifolds fully.13 They're generally cheaper, at around £800 to £3,500, plus £400 to £700 to fit.14
- French doors are often the cheapest, from £550 to £1,200 in uPVC up to £1,850 to £3,000 or more in aluminium, plus around £300 to £650 to fit.15 They usually open outwards, so leave room for them to swing.
Glazed doors are usually where a garden room loses most heat, so see our insulated garden rooms guide on glazing.
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Join the deals listQuestions people ask
What is the best cladding for a garden room?
There's no single best. Western red cedar lasts 40 to 60 years and can be left to weather; larch lasts 30 to 50 years; fibre cement lasts 30 to 50 years with very little upkeep.12
How long does an EPDM garden room roof last?
Well maintained, EPDM rubber can last 50 years or more.10
Can I have a timber-clad garden room near my fence?
In England and Wales, under 15m², yes. Between 15 and 30m², it's only exempt from building regulations if it's at least 1m from the boundary, including gutters, or built substantially from non-combustible materials.39
Related guides
Insulated garden roomsU-values, glazing and heating.
Building regulationsThe boundary and size rules.
FoundationsConcrete, ground screws or timber.
Sources
- GreenSpec, Timber cladding.
- Build It, updated Oct 2025, Timber cladding options explained.
- legislation.gov.uk, The Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 2.
- Build It, Aug 2026, Timber cladding costs.
- Homebuilding & Renovating, July 2023, House cladding cost.
- Homebuilding & Renovating, March 2021, Shou sugi ban.
- Scottish Government, Timber cladding in Scotland.
- Welsh Government, Building regulations: outbuildings.
- LABC, Does my new outbuilding need building regulations approval?.
- Confederation of Roofing Contractors, Roofing materials and terminology.
- MyBuilder, Aug 2026, Sliding vs bifold doors.
- MyBuilder, Bifold doors cost.
- Build It, Choosing between sliding and bifold glazed doors.
- MyBuilder, Cost of sliding glass doors.
- MyBuilder, French doors cost.