Best Garden Dome for a Games Room

Why a dome makes a great games room

Pool table, darts, gaming setup, table football: a games room is the kind of space everyone wishes they had room for indoors. A garden dome makes it possible, and brilliantly.

• Space without giving up a room indoors. Few houses have a spare room for a pool table. A dome gives you the space in the garden, with no indoor sacrifice required.
• Atmosphere built in. A games room lives on atmosphere, and a glowing dome has it in spades. The free Ambient LED lighting kit included with every dome, plus your own lighting, makes it a proper destination after dark.
• Year-round. Not a summer-only space: solid polycarbonate panels keep the rain out, and with a heater on cold evenings it's usable all year, so the games keep going through winter.
• Tough enough. As a material, polycarbonate is around 250 times more impact resistant than glass and flexes rather than shatters, so it takes the energy of a games room (stray balls, wayward darts, lively gatherings) far better than glass would.
• Room to gather. The open interior fits the kit and the people, keeping everyone together around the action.

Choosing the right dome

Size is the big one. A pool table or table tennis needs clearance all around for cues and play, plus room for spectators. Here's the floor space you get with each size:

Measure your chosen games and add generous space around them, remembering that the walls curve inwards, so there's less room at head and shoulder height than at floor level (it matters for cue sports and darts). A pool table realistically means the Large, and even then a compact table or a short cue helps with the tightest shots. Size up; a cramped games room is no fun.

• Specification: Ultra. In the Mini or Standard size, Ultra is our pick for most gardens: panels 30% thicker than Original, with stainless steel bolts, nuts and anchors. Extreme is our strongest 3 mm upgrade for a premium home games room or hospitality venue, including exposed, coastal or high sites; Original suits a sheltered garden. The 5 m Large comes in one specification, with maximum-thickness panels.
• Floor and base. A solid, level base with a hard-wearing floor takes the traffic. A slate-bed pool table is very heavy, so check its weight with the maker and make sure the base beneath it suits the load (a concrete slab may be the safer choice). Our guide to garden dome flooring options covers bases and finishes.

Fitting it out

• The games. Pool, darts, table tennis, table football or a gaming and arcade setup, arranged with the clearance each needs around the curved space. Put the dartboard on a stand with a surround so stray darts don't mark the panels.
• Seating and a bar. Somewhere to sit between games, and maybe a drinks station or bar: a games room and a garden bar are a perfect pairing (our home bar guide has the details).
• Lighting. Task lighting over a pool table or dartboard, plus the included LED kit and mood lighting for atmosphere. Get the light right over the table especially.
• Power and screens. A proper supply for gaming, screens, sound and lighting, installed by a registered electrician (in England and Wales it comes under Part P) with outdoor-rated fittings and RCD protection. Our electrics guide explains the options.
• Climate. A thermostatic electric heater for winter, kept well clear of the panels and out of the way of play, and the roof vents, windows and sliding door for summer airflow, so it's comfortable all year.

Keep valuables in mind

A games room can hold real value: a good pool table, a gaming rig, screens. The sliding door doesn't lock as standard, so the dome isn't the place to leave valuables overnight. Bring portable valuables in, or keep them secure elsewhere. It's a brilliant space to play in, not a strongroom.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: polycarbonate material data from A&C Plastics, Piedmont Plastics and KASTLITE.