A pent roof has a single sloping plane. It is the standard roof option across our ranges, with Garden Pods offered in their Pod Pent form.
Roof
Garden room roofs: pent, pitched and apex
The roof decides the outline of your garden room and how it sits against the house and the fence line. A pent roof gives the clean, low, flat-roof garden room look that fits close to a boundary. A pitched roof garden room or apex roof garden room adds height inside and a more traditional shape.
Pent is standard on every Noah range. Pitched and apex roofs are an option on Garden Buildings, Garden Rooms, Signature and Granny Annexes. We build both in Telford to the height that keeps you inside permitted development where your site allows it.
Compare the options
Compare the shapes
Pitched and apex roofs are optional on Garden Buildings, Garden Rooms, Signature and Granny Annexes. They are not listed for Garden Pods.
Visit the individual guides to consider the roofline and layout in more detail.
Height and planning
How high can a garden room roof be?
Under permitted development in England, the height you can build to depends on how close the building sits to a boundary and the shape of its roof. Our roofs are drawn to scale below against those limits.
Within 2m of a boundary
The whole building can be up to 2.5m high. Our pent roofs are 2.44m at the front and our ground screw base sits at ground level, so on flat, level ground a pent building stays within the limit. A pent roof keeps the outline low here.
More than 2m away
A dual-pitched roof can be up to 4m, and other roofs up to 3m, with eaves no higher than 2.5m. Our pitched roof has a 3.05m ridge over 2.33m eaves, with a taller 3.4m or 3.8m apex on Garden Rooms and Signature.
What can add height
Height is measured from the highest ground next to the building, so a raised base or a sloping garden adds to it. If your base is raised or you choose a canopy roof, check with your council that the building still falls under permitted development.
General guidance for England. Our heights are measured from the floor of the building, and we confirm the finished height at survey. Read our planning permission guide for the other rules that apply.
A roofline that suits your garden
A pent roof creates a clean, low-profile outline with one fall from front to back. A pitched or apex roof has two slopes meeting at a ridge, giving a more traditional silhouette.
Compare the complete building height, including the base, when choosing the shape. The roofline is part of the design, not a guarantee of a particular planning outcome.
Shape outside, comfort inside
The roof covering protects the room from the weather; roof insulation helps control heat transfer. Garden Pods, Garden Rooms, Signature and Granny Annexes include insulation, while Garden Buildings are uninsulated.
Your chosen range determines the construction beneath the roofline. This lets you choose the appearance alongside the level of insulation you need.
Online configurator
Compare roof shapes on the same building
Switch between pent, pitched and L-shaped roofs on the building you have designed, and watch the shape and the price change.
What is the roof covering made of?
We use EPDM rubber roofing. It is a synthetic rubber membrane that can be laid in one piece across a garden building roof, so there are very few joints, and it stands up well to sunlight and frost. It comes with a 10-year manufacturer warranty, subject to the manufacturer’s terms.
Can a Garden Pod have a pitched roof?
No. Garden Pods are built with a pent roof only, in their Pod Pent design. If you would like a pitched roof, choose Garden Buildings, Garden Rooms, Signature or Granny Annexes.
Does a pent roof mean I won’t need planning permission?
Not on its own. A pent roof keeps the building low, which helps close to a boundary, but where the building sits, what it stands on and any restrictions on your property all count too. See how high a garden room roof can be above.
Can I have an L-shaped roof?
Yes, on Garden Rooms, Signature and Granny Annexes. An L-shape joins two rooms at a corner, or gives one room a sheltered nook. See our corner and L-shaped garden rooms.
Can I add a rooflight?
Yes, on any range. Add a rooflight to your wish list in the configurator and we will quote it with your design.
Are gutters included?
Yes, on Garden Rooms, Signature and Granny Annexes: the roof has a gutter along its lower edge and a downpipe to take the rainwater away. Fascias in black or grey finish every roof edge.
Does the roof need any maintenance?
Very little. Keep it clear of leaves, branches and other debris so rainwater can run off, and check it after a storm. The manufacturer’s warranty does not cover storm, animal or accidental damage, or problems caused by a lack of maintenance.
How much space do you need above and around the building?
Allow for the building’s full size including the roof overhang, plus at least 1ft around the base so we can build it. Our team also needs clear space above to fit the roof covering, so check for overhanging trees and branches before you order.
Guides and advice
Read more before you decide
How-to guide
Contemporary garden rooms: how to get the design right
What makes a garden room look modern, and how your roof choice caps your height.
Read the guide →
Ideas and inspiration
Do I need garden room planning permission?
Learn garden room planning permission requirements, including when you need to apply and what to do before your garden room installation.
Read the guide →
Ideas and inspiration
A guide to small garden rooms
Our Noah experts answer: can you install a garden room in a small garden? And more in our small garden rooms guide.
Read the guide →
Free 48-page brochure
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Forty-eight pages of finished buildings, every range with sizes and from-prices, and plain explanations of cladding, insulation and electrics. Request the brochure by email. Our team may follow up to discuss your plans.
- 48 pages of garden rooms and real installs
- Every range with sizes and from-prices
- Cladding, insulation and electrics explained
- Emailed brochure, with follow-up from our team
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