20th May 2025
You’ve been dreaming of adding a garden bar to your outdoor space, but you have a whole heap of questions that you’d love to be answered. Garden Bars – decisions, decisions. What size is best for your area? Which type suits your style? And what kind of base does it need for durability? In this blog, we’ll answer all your questions and provide plenty of inspiration to help you create the perfect garden bar for entertaining and relaxation.
What are garden bars?
A garden bar is the ultimate feature for home entertaining. Whether you enjoy sipping cocktails under the stars, hosting weekend barbecues or pizza oven parties, or simply love having a dedicated spot for your morning coffee, a garden bar turns your outdoor area into an extension of your living space.
Types of garden bars
There are many creative ways to establish an outdoor bar in your garden. Here are a few popular options:
🌱 A swanky garden room or rustic log cabin decked out as the ultimate party space.
🌱 An indoor-outdoor room where bi-fold windows or doors open directly to the garden from an indoor bar area.
🌱 A repurposed shed can become a brilliant cosy bar with a little paint and creativity.
🌱 An outdoor bar structure made from reclaimed materials.
🌱 A stylish bar cart, perfect for mobile service.
🌱 A purpose-built garden bar – large or small.
Small Garden bars
Before you think a garden bar is just for other people with large gardens, stop and check out the Fold Down Wall Garden Bar. It is the perfect solution for balconies, courtyards and patios. The fold-down bar provides a fabulous spot for a morning coffee, warming hot chocolate as the temperatures cool or a glass of wine as the sun fades from the day. The clever part is that you can store your glasses, bottles and accessories neatly away on the shelves when it’s not in use.
Garden Bars for larger spaces
If you’re thinking of more of a statement piece for a larger garden, consider options like the 4×6 Shiplap Reverse Apex Garden Bar or the Shiplap 6×3 Pent Garden Bar.
Do garden bars add value?
Without a doubt, a garden bar will add significant value to your day-to-day home life. It creates an inviting space for entertainment, relaxing and enjoying your outdoor area year-round.
But what about adding value to a property ready for sale?
That’s going to be a matter of the type of garden bar you choose and how it complements the overall design of your garden. A well-designed, thoughtfully placed garden bar can certainly increase the appeal of your outdoor space making it more attractive to potential buyers.
Is it legal to have a bar in your garden?
There are no rules in the UK about having a bar in your garden as long as it’s for your own use and entertaining family and friends. Making a garden bar into a public bar or selling alcohol from your garden would NOT be legal.
There are some rules however around the installation of garden buildings that you will need to consider. Always check with your local council regarding the rules for your area.
Forest Garden freestanding outdoor bars are designed as timber structures, most closely likened to sheds. Think of our garden bars as outdoor sheds with a twist – a shed bar.
This brings us to the question of whether there are rules for building sheds in your garden. Sheds fall under the category of outbuildings, they typically benefit from ‘permitted development rights,’ which means you don’t usually need planning permission to build them. But there are rules that apply, including
🌱For domestic use
🌱Do not take up more than 50% of the garden area.
🌱Abide by height and location to boundaries restrictions.
Check the official permitted development rights for householders guide and with your local planning department.
What is the best base for a garden bar?
We treat our garden bars like our sheds – they are built to last. We’ve made over 2 million sheds so we know a thing or two about materials and bases to ensure longevity.
Timber garden bars are best built upon:
🌱 Concrete.
🌱 Concrete slabs.
🌱 A pro shed base made from 100% recycled plastic or a correctly sized timber shed base.
These materials are the most suitable for UK weather conditions and potential sub-soil erosion.
Whichever base you choose, it’s crucial that your base is level. Not just level to look at. Really level. The surface must not deviate by any more than 15mm from edge to edge. If the base is uneven, the building could twist, leading to misaligned roof sections, doors, and windows, and causing gaps to form.
What is the best garden bar?
The Forest Garden Shiplap PTR 6×3 Pent Garden Bar is a clear favourite. It’s been a top seller since it was launched in 2021 to meet the rising demand for garden architecture that helped create thriving outdoor entertaining areas at home.
The Forest Garden Shiplap PTR 4×6 Reverse Apex Garden Bar is the younger but slightly larger sibling in our collection and has also proven to be popular with customers since its 2023 debut.
Then there’s the Fold Down Wall Garden Bar. Perfect for small spaces, like patios, courtyards and balconies. Sized at just 100cm(h) x 77cm(w) and folding almost flat to the wall when not in use (just 14cm deep), this is a bar suitable for every garden. It also doubles up as a stylish dining space for two. We’re thinking it would make the perfect place to perch for a break mid-gardening.
Need something much larger maybe to fit a pool table? Consider a Log Cabin or Xtend Garden Building.
Creative Garden bar ideas
Once you have a garden bar, the styling possibilities are endless. We’ve dotted photos of our bars throughout this page for you and here are a couple of themed ideas to inspire your setup.
The Gin Bar
We styled the 6×3 Pent Garden Bar as a Gin Bar, painting it in Anthracite dark grey for a dramatic aesthetic and then adorning it with monochrome bunting, twinkling fairy lights, black metal bar chairs, and accessorised with cosy blankets and cushions so that the party doesn’t have to fade when the sun goes down. We also used minimalistic wire baskets for the gin-making accessories and added a couple of pots of growing herbs. Grow your own cocktail herbs!!!
The Tiki Inn
To create a Tiki Bar, reminiscent of Polynesian beach bars, we used the same anthracite-painted 6×3 Pent Garden Bar and adorned it with all the colour. Orange metal bar stools, beach-themed décor such as a giant pineapple and flamingo, living ferns and vibrant paper fan decorations. Serve up tropical cocktails and create a festive atmosphere reminiscent of those Polynesian beach bars!
Which garden bar?
A garden bar can be a fantastic addition to any home, transforming your outdoor space into a vibrant hub for relaxation and entertainment. Will you go big with a full-sized garden bar or choose a cosy folding bar for tight spaces?
Gather your friends and family, mix up some refreshing drinks and enjoy your time outdoor
