Most golfers know the drill. You book a slot at a commercial golf simulator, drive across town, pay per hour, and share the space with strangers. It works, but it is never quite on your terms. When a Sheffield homeowner came to us with a very different idea, we knew immediately this project was going to be something special.
The brief was bold: a full-sized, professional-grade golf simulator cabin in Sheffield, built at the bottom of the garden, with a bar and lounge area so friends could come over, play a round, and then pull up a stool to watch the replays over a drink. No compromises. No shortcuts. A proper destination, right at home.
What resulted from that conversation is an 8m x 3.5m bespoke log cabin that genuinely stops people in their tracks. From the deep anthracite exterior with its apex shingle roof to the white vaulted interior with black track lighting, this is not your average garden building. And yes, it really does sit at the bottom of a South Yorkshire garden.
The Brief: A Serious Golf Setup with Room to Entertain
Our customer came to us with a clear vision. They wanted a dedicated space for golf practice and simulation that was always available, fully equipped, and good enough to invite friends to. The idea of heading to a commercial venue every time they wanted to play simply did not fit their lifestyle. They wanted ownership of the experience.
A garage conversion was considered early on. The problem was the existing garage did not offer enough uninterrupted length, the ceiling height was limiting, and fundamentally, they did not want to give up the garage. A spare room in the house raised similar concerns about ceiling clearance and noise transfer. A purpose-built structure in the garden was the clear answer.
Log cabin construction offered exactly what this project demanded. The structural integrity of solid interlocking timber logs, combined with full insulation across the floor, walls, and roof, meant the building could be used comfortably year-round regardless of South Yorkshire's famously changeable weather. The timber frame also gave the flexibility to design the internal layout from scratch, which was critical for this project.
The split-zone concept was baked into the brief from day one. The homeowner was absolutely clear: they wanted a 5-metre golf simulator bay at one end and a 3-metre bar and lounge at the other. The two zones would flow naturally into one another, separated not by a wall or a door but simply by the bar counter itself, so you could play a hole on the simulator and then turn around to pour yourself a drink without leaving the room.
Why Timber Building Specialists? Our design-to-install approach, the fact that we handle the entire project without subcontracting, and our track record of delivering bespoke garden buildings across the UK all played a part. When you are investing in something this specific, you need a team that will take the details as seriously as you do.
Design and Specification: Built for the Shot, Built to Last
Getting the design right on a project like this required careful thought at every level. Here is the full specification that brought this Sheffield golf simulator cabin to life.
The Footprint and Zone Split
The cabin footprint is 8 metres long by 3.5 metres wide. That 8-metre length divides into a 5-metre golf simulator zone and a 3-metre bar and lounge zone. Five metres of clear length in the simulator bay is the sweet spot for a serious home setup: enough run-up, enough screen distance, and enough comfort to really commit to a full swing without feeling cramped.
Wall Logs, Glazing, and Structural Specification
The walls are constructed from 70mm x 185mm solid interlocking log sections, a specification that delivers excellent thermal performance and a solid, weighty feel to the finished building. The flooring is 28mm tongue-and-groove, providing a stable, warm base underfoot. Double glazing is residential-grade at 26mm, meaning the same standard of thermal and acoustic performance you would expect from windows in a home, not a standard garden building.
Foundations: Groundscrew System
The cabin sits on a groundscrew foundation system rather than a traditional concrete slab. Groundscrews are driven directly into the ground without excavation, creating a level, load-bearing platform that does not disturb the garden unnecessarily. They are particularly well-suited to gardens where the lawn or landscaping is to be preserved, and they make for a clean, precise installation base.
Exterior Finish: Full Anthracite
The entire exterior is painted anthracite grey, a decision that transforms the building from a garden structure into a considered piece of architecture. Logs, fascias, doors, window frames, and guttering all run in the same deep grey tone. The apex roof is finished with dark shingles, which sit beautifully against the anthracite timber below. The French doors dominating the front elevation are pre-painted anthracite, as are the flanking windows. The effect is striking: bold, modern, and completely at home in a contemporary South Yorkshire garden.
Interior Palette: White, Black, and Natural Oak
Inside, the palette flips entirely. White-painted timber boarding runs across the walls and the vaulted ceiling, creating a light, open feel that maximises the sense of space within the 3.5-metre width. Black structural accents and black track lighting rails run the full length of the vaulted ceiling, tying the two zones together visually and providing flexible, directional lighting for both the simulator bay and the lounge. Light grey large-format floor tiles run throughout.
Electrical Works
A full electrical fit-out was completed as part of the project, including the dedicated power supply required by the golf simulator, projector, and launch monitor. The bar zone is serviced with circuits for the under-counter drinks fridge, espresso machine, and the wall-mounted TV. Track lighting is installed throughout. A ceiling-mounted black infrared heater in the lounge zone keeps the space comfortable on cooler evenings without taking up wall or floor space.
If you are exploring options for a project like this, take a look at our range of bespoke garden log cabins for inspiration across different sizes and specifications.
The Installation: Five Days from Groundscrew to Handover
Five days. That is how long it took from the first groundscrew being driven into the Sheffield garden to the homeowner walking into a finished, electrical-ready cabin. Here is how that timeline played out.
Day one was groundscrew installation. The team arrived, mapped out the footprint, and drove the groundscrews to the precise depths required to achieve a perfectly level platform. No concrete mixing, no curing time, no digging. The foundation system was complete and ready to build on the same day.
Days two and three were dedicated to the log shell. The interlocking 70mm x 185mm wall logs go up systematically, course by course, with the door and window frames built in as the walls rise. The roof structure followed, with the apex frame constructed and the insulated roof panels fitted before the shingles were laid.
Day four brought the finishing works to the shell: guttering, the 28mm floor, door and window fitting, and the external anthracite paint application. By the end of day four, the building was weathertight and the character of the exterior was fully visible.
Day five was electrical completion and the internal fit-out. Cabling, sockets, track lighting installation, the bar unit positioning, and the final checks. The cabin was handed over fully operational, ready for the golf simulator equipment to be installed and the bar to be stocked.
The project ran on time without incident. The groundscrew system avoided any ground disturbance issues, the site access across the lawn was managed using protective ground matting, and the five-day programme was delivered exactly as planned.
The Result: Step In, Tee Up, Turn Around
Walking into this Sheffield golf simulator cabin for the first time, you do not immediately take stock of the specification. You just feel that it works. The white vaulted ceiling lifts the space, the track lighting picks out every detail cleanly, and the grey tiled floor gives the whole interior a considered, finished quality that feels closer to a boutique sports facility than a garden building.
The Golf Simulator Zone
From the moment you step through the French doors and turn to face the simulator bay, you understand what this space is for. The white impact screen fills the end wall, framed by the black netting enclosure that defines the boundaries of the hitting zone. Artificial turf runs underfoot, giving that proper golf course feel beneath your feet as you set up your shot. Golf clubs are racked along the left wall, tidy and accessible. The launch monitor and computer unit sit on a black stand to the right, ready to capture every piece of data from your swing.
The projector, mounted centrally at ceiling level, throws a crisp image onto the screen. The track lighting above dims when you play, putting all the attention on the shot. The 5-metre bay length gives you proper room to swing freely, and the white walls either side keep the space feeling open rather than enclosed.
The Bar and Lounge Zone
Turn around after your shot and you are in a different world, but it does not feel like a different room. The oak-topped bar unit with its anthracite cabinet base sits right in front of you, with the oak slat feature wall panel rising behind it, the TV mounted centrally. Bar stools with tan leather seats line the front of the counter. The drinks fridge hums quietly below.
Beyond the bar, the lounge zone opens out into a relaxed area of poseur tables, bean bags, and the kind of lighting that invites you to settle in for a while. The ceiling-mounted infrared heater means this is equally comfortable on a January evening as it is in July. The French doors at the far end frame the garden, bringing natural light in during the day and giving the space a connection to the outdoors that stops it from feeling like a bunker.
The whole split-zone concept works because the transition between playing and relaxing is effortless. You finish your round on the simulator, turn around, pull up a bar stool, and within seconds you are watching your swing replays on the big screen with a drink in hand.
Could a Golf Simulator Cabin Work for You?
If any part of this Sheffield homeowner's story sounds familiar, it is worth having a conversation with our team. The desire for a proper home golf setup without the ongoing cost and inconvenience of commercial venues is something we hear regularly, and a purpose-built cabin is almost always the best answer.
The format we delivered here, a golf simulator bay paired with a social space, works brilliantly as a standalone project, but it is also endlessly adaptable. The footprint, the zone split, the specification, and the internal layout can all be tailored to your garden, your budget, and how you want to use the space. We design and install across the UK, and every project is handled entirely by our own team from the first conversation through to handover.
If you are ready to explore what is possible, our team offers a free design consultation to talk through your ideas and the practicalities of your site. There is no pressure and no obligation, just a straightforward conversation about what your project could look like. Get in touch with our team and let us know what you have in mind.
