Case Study — Garden Room, Suffolk

The Birch
Room

A high-specification garden room combining a hand-laid cedar shingle roof, Scottish larch cladding, a polished concrete floor and a site-machined birch ply interior finished with secret fixings throughout.

The Brief

A garden room built to the same standard as the house

The brief for The Birch Room was simple in ambition but demanding in execution: a standalone garden room that didn't feel like an outbuilding. The client wanted a genuinely high-specification space — somewhere that could comfortably serve as a home gym, wine store, cinema room and shower room, finished to a quality that matched the main house rather than a typical garden structure. Every material and detail was chosen with that standard in mind, from the timber frame up.

Scottish larch cladding and cedar shingle roof, The Birch Room

Roof & Cladding

Cedar shingles and
Scottish larch

The roof was hand-laid in cedar shingle — a material chosen for the way it weathers over time, ageing from its warm honey tones into a soft silver-grey over the coming years. It's a roofing method that rewards patience and precision, with every course laid individually for the right overlap and exposure.

The walls are clad in Scottish larch, left unfinished to weather naturally alongside the roof. Both materials were selected to age together, so the building continues to develop character long after completion rather than looking its best only on day one.

Roof materialCedar shingle, hand-laid
CladdingScottish larch, vertical board
FinishUntreated, natural weathering

Interior

Site-machined birch ply
with secret fixings

Internally, every wall and ceiling surface is lined in birch ply, machined on site and finished entirely with secret fixings — no visible screws or brackets anywhere across the build. It's a detail that takes considerably longer to execute properly, but the result is a continuous, calm, almost monolithic interior surface that lets the timber grain do the talking.

The floor is polished concrete, chosen for its durability and clean, contemporary finish underfoot. Combined with the ply, the interior reads as a single considered material palette rather than a collection of separate finishes.

Wall & ceilingBirch ply, site-machined
Fixing methodSecret fixed throughout
FloorPolished concrete

How We Built It

From groundworks to completion

Groundworks

Site clearance and Type 1 sub-base preparation, compacted and levelled ready for the foundation slab.

Reinforced concrete slab and frame going up

Slab & Frame

Reinforced concrete slab poured, followed by the timber frame structure going up directly on top.

Structural ply and insulation before internal lining

Frame & Insulation

Structural ply and insulation installed before the birch ply internal lining began.

Roof & Finish

Cedar shingles hand-laid course by course, followed by larch cladding and final internal fit-out.

The Small Things

Details that take longer to get right

The difference between a good build and a great one usually comes down to details most people will never consciously notice — but would notice if they were done badly. A few from The Birch Room:

Lestrange built exactly what we asked for — and it didn't feel like a garden room at all. The finish throughout is the same standard as the house. We use it every day.

— Client, The Birch Room

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Thinking about a garden room of your own?

Whether it's a home gym, a studio, or a space that simply needs to be done properly, we'd be glad to talk it through.

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The BirchRoom