Once you've decided a garden pod is right for you, you'll find a handful of UK makers with attractive websites, similar-sounding claims and quite different products underneath. Headline prices don't compare like-for-like. These are the eight questions that surface the real differences — including the ones we think buyers should ask us.
At a glance
- Compare total cost, not headline price — insulation, electrics, delivery, VAT
- Ask for internal dimensions and whether they build to your size (we build in 200mm increments)
- Demand named insulation products and thicknesses, not adjectives
- Ask who makes the shell, how it arrives, and who answers the phone afterwards
1. What's actually included in the base price?
The single biggest source of misleading comparisons. Does the price include insulation throughout (floor included)? Sockets and lighting? Delivery? VAT? A £3,000 building that needs £2,000 of extras isn't cheaper than a £4,995 one that doesn't. Build a total-cost list for each option — our cost guide shows what typically drives the differences.
2. Is it made to your size, or theirs?
Many pod makers offer two or three fixed sizes. If one happens to fit your space and needs, great. If not, ask whether they'll build to your dimensions. We build to order in 200mm depth increments — the pod fits the garden, not the other way round.
3. How much of the footprint is usable inside?
Two pods with the same external footprint can differ noticeably inside. Heavily curved walls look striking but cost you desk positions and headroom at the edges. Ask for internal dimensions, not just external ones, and picture your actual furniture. Our pods use a more squared internal profile precisely to maximise usable floor area and headroom.
4. How is the shell actually made — and by whom?
"Fibreglass" covers everything from thin moulded panels to hand-laminated marine-grade lay-ups. Ask who manufactures the shell, how thick the lay-up is, and whether it's made in-house or bought in. (Ours are hand-laminated in our own UK workshop by people who previously built boats — a background where a failed lay-up has consequences.)
5. What's the insulation spec — exactly?
"Fully insulated" means nothing without numbers. Ask what material, what thickness, and whether the floor is included. You want named products and thicknesses — 50mm Celotex PIR, Isover CWS 36 — not adjectives. Our year-round use guide explains why this decides whether you'll use the pod in January.
6. What electrics arrive fitted?
Pre-wired and tested, or a bare shell for your electrician to fit out? Plug-and-go or hardwiring required? Can socket positions be customised before build? Full breakdown in our garden office electrics guide.
7. How does it arrive — and what can go wrong?
Delivered complete and positioned, or built on site over days or weeks? If delivered complete: what happens with narrow side access, and what does craning cost if wheeling isn't possible? Get the access conversation done before you order, not on delivery day. (We assess access up front; wheeled positioning is a small fee and HIAB crane hire is typically around £350 if needed.)
8. Who answers the phone afterwards?
Small-maker advantage, this one. Ask who you'd actually speak to if something needed attention a year in — the person who built it, or a support inbox? Read the reviews with names and stories in them, not the star count.
Ask all eight of any maker — including us. If you'd like our answers in person, get in touch, or start with the Garden Office Pod and Garden Office Room pages, where most of the above is answered in the specs.
Thinking about a garden office?
Both our buildings are hand-built to order by former boat builders and delivered fully assembled — see the GRP Garden Office Pod and the composite Garden Office Room, both from £4,995.