Checked 10 November 2026: this is a short note from the Garden Bar Guide team on what has changed on the site this autumn and why. Nothing here is a product launch or an announcement from anyone else. It is a list of the tools and pages we have added, and the rules we hold ourselves to while adding them.
New interactive tools
We have built three new planners. Each calculates in your browser, and none of them sends the figures you enter to us.
- Planning checker: a step-by-step walk through the permitted-development questions for an outbuilding in England. It is general information, not a legal decision; the Planning Portal and your council have the final word. Rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ; see planning outside England.
- Base calculator: works out the volume of materials for a slab or base from the size you enter. It does not quote prices; read garden bar bases for the choice of base.
- Festoon light planner: estimates run length and bulb count for a festoon layout. Pair it with festoon lights and IP ratings before buying anything.
Redesigned planners
- Budget planner: redesigned to be easier to use. It still has no default prices: you enter real quotes and it adds them up.
- Layout checker: redesigned too, for checking counter length, seating and the space behind the bar.
A new Compare section
The new Compare section is a home for side-by-side guides. Existing pages such as bar shed vs summerhouse and build vs buy show the approach. We have not tested the products or buildings we compare. Comparisons set out the criteria first and use published specifications and official sources.
New seasonal briefings
The Latest section now has a run of dated, practical winter briefings:
- Christmas hosting checklist
- Storm season checks
- Bonfire Night to New Year fire safety
- Frost and freeze checklist
- An alcohol-free January at the bar
- Planning a spring 2027 build
They sit alongside the November maintenance briefing. We publish a briefing when there is a useful seasonal job or a real change in official guidance, not to fill a weekly slot.
The standards we hold to
Adding pages is easy. Keeping them honest is the part that takes time.
- No invented prices. We do not quote prices. Tools work with figures you enter.
- No pretend testing. We do not claim to have tested products, and we do not invent owner stories, quotes or statistics.
- Official sources. Rules, safety and electrical claims link to official or primary sources, such as GOV.UK, the Planning Portal, HSE, Electrical Safety First, the Food Standards Agency, the Met Office and the NHS, with a checked date.
- Corrections. If a rule, source or specification changes, we correct the page and update its checked date. Read our corrections policy and editorial policy.
- Responsible hosting. We never encourage heavy drinking. See hosting safely.
What is next
We will keep checking the official sources behind the rules pages and adding briefings when there is something useful to do. If you spot something that looks wrong or out of date, the corrections page explains how we handle it.
Measure your garden this week and run the numbers through the planning checker before you order anything.
Quick answers
Do the Garden Bar Guide tools store my data?
The planners calculate in your browser and do not send the figures you enter to us.
Why don't the tools show prices?
Prices change and vary widely, so we do not publish them. The budget planner adds up the quotes you enter.
Has Garden Bar Guide tested the products it compares?
No. Our comparisons use published specifications and official sources, with the criteria stated first. We do not claim testing we have not done.