Description

The Swallow Rook Potting Shed

A beautifully crafted growing space that blends the charm of a greenhouse with the practicality of a shed.

The Rook is designed for gardeners who want the best of both worlds — a bright, nurturing environment for seedlings and young plants, paired with the storage and sturdiness of a traditional shed. With its long run of front‑facing windows and Swallow’s signature thermally modified redwood, the Rook feels warm, inviting and wonderfully purposeful from the moment you step inside.

Sunlight pours through the 3mm toughened glass, creating the perfect spot for potting, propagating and tending to your favourites throughout the seasons. The generous staging gives you room to work, while the enclosed rear section keeps tools, compost and essentials neatly tucked away. It’s a space that feels organised, calm and ready for whatever you’re growing next.

Automatic roof vent(s) help regulate temperature, the inward‑opening door keeps access smooth, and the beautifully grained timber brings a natural elegance that sits comfortably in any garden setting. Whether you’re nurturing tomatoes, raising cut flowers or simply enjoying a quiet moment with your plants, the Rook turns everyday gardening into something a little more special.

For those who want a hardworking structure with real character, the Rook is a potting shed that grows with you — season after season.

Made from Thermowood

Swallow (GB) Ltd buildings are made from Redwood Thermowood. Thermowood is strong, durable, and low maintenance, produced by drying the timber in kilns, and then putting it in a special oven where a powerful compressor removes air. The temperature is raised to 215 degrees C which bakes the timber. The result seals the capillaries, destroys resins and proteins, and stabilises the timber.

Thermowood is therefore completely rot resistant and will have no resin marks (knot bleed), making it ideal for painted finishes.

Swallow buildings come with either an oiled or painted finish. We recommend retreating with a solvent-based/oil-based wood preservative or quality water-based paint approximately every 6 – 8 years.

Make It Your Own — Fully Bespoke Options

Enhance your Swallow building with a range of accessories;

• High level shelf
• Extra rear shelf
• Cresting
• Black ornate door handle
• Thermowood, Oiled or Painted finish
• Black rainwater system (guttering)
• Any many more!

 Standard Specification

• Window eaves: 1.73m / 1730mm / 5’8″ height
• Shed Eaves: 2.11m / 2110mm / 6’11” eaves height
• 2.37m / 2370mm / 7’9″ ridge height
• 3mm toughened glass
• 2 rear shelves
• 1 x full length staging
• Opening end window with manual stay
• Each roof vent has an Automatic opener.
• 12mm Fitted Floor with Plastic Runners.
• The inward opening door has a mortise lock and Stainless steel handle.
• Single Door
• Vinyl roof covering
• All the glazing is slid into a groove and sealed with quality silicone.
• The redwood pine glazing bars are 58mm x 32mm finished size.
• All boards are 12mm finish tongued and grooved and fixed with stainless steel nails.
• All the timber is thermally modified.
• There is a specially turned apex finial for that classic look.
• The ridge and top vents are sealed with a specially machined timber capping.
• 24mm black PVC damp barrier screwed to the base.

** All sizes are approximate **

Installation & Base

Swallow offers installation of the building included within the basic price.

Swallow buildings need to be placed on a flat, level, compact (firm) base, with paving slabs or concrete being the best options.  The base should be the same size as the building itself*, level (with no drainage slope) with 2 inches above ground level to avoid surface water running underneath.

Greenhouses: Can sit on either a solid paving or concrete base as described above, or on concrete strip footing.

Dwarf wall models will require a suitable dwarf wall to be constructed – Exact measurements will be supplied once you have placed an order. ** DWARF WALLS ARE NOT INCUDED AS PART OF YOUR ORDER **

Clearance – We recommend at least 18” clearance all round for installation, airflow, and future maintenance, but we can work with 12” or sometimes even less – please speak with a staff member.

*Bases can be larger than the building if required by the customer but must not be any smaller.

*** Swallow buildings cannot be transported through houses or any other building structure so clear access must be provided ***

WARRANTY

12-year warranty with all Swallow timber products against rot & decay, and a 3-year warranty on all fittings & fixtures. i.e. door handle, lock, hinges, bolts, window openers, automatic vent openers etc. (resistance against winds measuring 50 miles per hour is the standard measured by the TUV Standards Authority.