Garden Games Room & Teenage Den Surrey

Teenagers are not hanging out in the park in the evenings anymore, and most parents are quietly relieved about that. But the alternative, having them take over the living room or disappear to a bedroom, is not much better. A garden games room gives them a proper space of their own, separate from the house, where they can have friends over without it consuming the rest of your home.

And it is not just for the kids. The same space works equally well as somewhere for adults to watch sport, play pool, have a drink with friends, or just disappear for an evening. We design and build bespoke garden games rooms and teenage dens across Surrey, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, built to the same standard as every other My Retreat garden room.

Why a Separate Space Makes All the Difference

The problem with teenagers taking over the living room is not really about the teenagers. It is about the lack of separation. When the gaming setup, the friends, the noise and the snacks all land in the main house, everyone ends up compromising. A garden room solves that completely.

The same logic applies to adults. A dedicated space for watching sport, playing games or having friends round without it affecting the rest of the household is something most homeowners appreciate far more than they expect to. Once it is there, it becomes one of the most used spaces on the property.

Built Around How You Actually Use It

A games room has different demands to an office or gym. The electrical layout, the wall reinforcement for screens, the acoustic insulation, the number of sockets. We design around your setup from the start rather than retrofitting later.

What to Think About Before You Build

A games room or teenage den is one of the more straightforward builds we do. A few decisions at the planning stage make a significant difference to how the finished space works day to day.

Size

A 3m x 3m room is a comfortable single-use games space. If you want a pool table, a sofa area and a gaming setup in the same room, 4m x 4m or larger gives you the space to do it properly. We design around how the room will actually be used rather than a minimum footprint.

Equipment list

Tell us what is going in the room at the design stage. The socket layout, wall reinforcement positions, cable runs and consumer unit sizing are all determined by what you are putting in the space. Adding a projector screen, an arcade machine or a mini fridge after the fact is much harder than designing for them from the start.

Power requirements

Most games room setups run comfortably on a standard 32 amp supply. If you are running a lot of equipment simultaneously, or something with a high draw like a large projector or dedicated server, let us know at the design stage and we will size the supply accordingly.

Connectivity

Online gaming needs a reliable, low-latency connection. A direct ethernet run from the house is the most reliable option and worth planning at the build stage. We can advise on the routing and whether a powerline adapter or external access point is more practical for your garden layout.

What Size Garden Room Do You Need for a Pool or Snooker Table?

This is one of the most common questions we get for games rooms, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on the size of table and what else is sharing the room with it. The figures below are the minimum room sizes required for normal play using a standard 57-inch cue, with nothing else in the room. If you are adding seating, a bar or a TV setup in the same space, you need to add that footprint on top.

These minimum dimensions allow for normal shots with a standard cue. Awkward shots hard against the cushion will need a shorter cue regardless of room size. The key point is that these are the room sizes needed for the table alone. A 7ft American pool table needs a 5m x 4m room just for play. Add a TV, seating area and dart board alongside it and you are looking at a room of 6m x 5m or larger to avoid it feeling cramped.

Planning permission

Most garden games rooms fall within permitted development rights and do not require planning permission. Whether that applies to your property depends on factors specific to your home, including whether your permitted development rights are intact, whether you are in a conservation area, and how much of your garden is already built on. It is the responsibility of the customer to confirm their planning position before proceeding. If you need help with this, we have an architect available as an additional service who can check on your behalf. Read our full planning guide for more detail.