Garden Games Rooms: Pool, Golf Sim and Home Cinema

Pool tables and golf simulators need very different rooms

A standard 7ft pool table needs roughly 3.6m x 2.9m of clear floor to allow a full cue stroke from every side, more for a 9ft table - it's the single most common mistake we see in DIY builds, where the room fits the table but not the shot.

A golf simulator, on the other hand, is about height and throw distance rather than floor area: most enclosures want a minimum ceiling height of around 2.6m to clear a full swing safely, and a projection or screen distance of roughly 3m to 4.5m depending on the launch monitor. We size the room to your specific simulator setup rather than a generic dimension.

Cinema needs blackout and acoustic control, not just a big TV

For a genuine home cinema feel, daylight has to be fully excludable - we specify blackout blinds or shutters behind the glazing rather than relying on curtains, and where budget allows, we can reduce window area on one elevation altogether to improve both light control and screen contrast.

A basic acoustic lining and a sensible ceiling height (2.4m minimum, more if a projector throw distance needs it) go a long way to making the room feel like a cinema rather than a lounge with a bigger television.

• Blackout blinds or shutters specified into the glazing design, not added later
• Dedicated high-current power circuits for consoles, projectors, amps and simulators
• Acoustic wall lining option to control echo and improve sound quality
• Insulated envelope so the room holds a stable temperature during long sessions

Power, insulation and cost

Games rooms draw more power in one place than most garden rooms - a projector, amp, console, simulator PC and screen can all be running at once - so we design in dedicated circuits and enough sockets at the right height, not a single double socket in the corner.

A fully finished games room typically starts from around £30,000 for a compact cinema or pool room, and £38,000 upwards for a golf simulator room with the ceiling height, screen wall and flooring a simulator needs. All figures include groundworks, insulation, certified electrics and a decorated interior.