Lockdown number 3 is it? I must say, I’ve lost count myself. Being stuck indoors all day, all night, and your biggest dilemma is whether to watch TV from the couch or from your bed tonight. Its draining living the same old day over and over again. Wouldn’t it be nice to have somewhere to go for once? A place to call your own, to escape when you need it most, a place to be proud of. Well, it’s easier to create one than you think.

First lockdown fell in the summer, which was lucky as my family and I spent most of our time in the garden. But it got me thinking, how nice would it be to also have an escape. We had dead space at the end of the garden, and I had a vision. I envisioned one thing and one thing only – a garden room. It was perfect. There would be a seating area with a TV and reclining chairs; a kitchen area with an oven and a barbecue; and a bar with seats for our guests (when we’re finally allowed some)! But that was just the inside…

I knew what I wanted, had my ideas and seen the pictures; a decking to die for and timber to blanket round the entire structure. But I wanted it to be perfect, to be exactly what I envisioned and nothing less.

Where do I start? How do I know what timber to use? When you search online, the information is endless with so many different supplier websites. But what I really needed was advice, an expert to speak to and tell them exactly what I was after. I came across Southgate Timber through Google and spoke to their Sales Director Mark Jenkins. He was a wealth of knowledge and he recommended IPE Hardwood Decking, “the Rolls Royce of hardwood decking”, he said, and once I received my samples, I could see he wasn’t wrong.  It’s without a doubt the king of hardwood decking, practically indestructible. It was perfect to fit outside the garden room. The smooth profile ‘hidden fix’ they suggested meant it could be finished exactly how I wanted – no screws, no gaps and no fixings showing at all. It was so refreshing to talk to someone who actually knew what they were talking about.

And it wasn’t just the decking they assisted me with. The Western Red Cedar they recommended for the structure, is a beauty. Southgate Timber advised me on this very fashionable timber that would look beautiful cladded over my project. They knew it had everything I wanted; long-lasting, easy to work with and most importantly, stylish. I told them I wanted modern, a complete makeover from the old-fashioned garden I had, and they delivered. The luxurious project that I was beginning to think might be impossible to build, was the most straightforward process of my life thanks to Southgate Timber.

The timber on that thing is as pretty as a picture. So alluring, it’s impossible not to stare at all day. So captivating, even the neighbours couldn’t take their eyes off it. That’s exactly what it is. And through Southgate Timber, that’s what I got.