Summer Houses
Independent advice to help you choose the right summer house for relaxing, entertaining, hobbies or occasional work — without paying garden-room prices for features you don’t actually need.
What is a summer house?
A summer house is usually a garden building designed primarily for leisure rather than storage. Compared with a basic shed, it will typically have more glazing, a more decorative appearance and an interior intended to be occupied.
But the term covers a wide range of buildings. At the lower end are relatively simple timber structures for seasonal use. At the upper end are substantial, insulated buildings that begin to overlap with what suppliers describe as garden rooms.
What can you use a summer house for?
Relaxing
Create a sheltered place to read, enjoy the garden or escape the house during warmer months.
Entertaining
Larger summer houses can provide useful additional space for drinks, meals and informal entertaining.
Hobbies
Painting, crafts, model making and other hobbies can benefit from a dedicated space with plenty of natural light.
Occasional working
A summer house can work for occasional laptop use, although regular year-round home working usually justifies a better insulated garden office.
Explore Garden Offices →Summer house or garden room?
This is one of the most important distinctions to understand before buying. The two categories overlap, but they are usually aimed at different levels of use.
Choose a summer house if…
You mainly want seasonal leisure space, appearance matters more than winter thermal performance, and you want to keep the budget relatively modest.
Choose a garden room if…
You want regular year-round use, better insulation, more substantial glazing, heating and a more complete finished interior.
Explore Garden Rooms →What should you look for when buying?
- Wall thickness and construction
- Floor thickness and support
- Roof construction and covering
- Quality of doors and windows
- Whether glazing is single or double glazed
- Opening windows for ventilation
- Internal dimensions as well as external size
- Whether the floor is included
- Whether a base or foundation is required
- Delivery and installation charges
- Timber treatment requirements
- Guarantee length and what it actually covers
How much should you spend?
Summer houses are available across a very broad price range. A basic timber building can cost far less than an insulated garden room, while large or highly decorative models can move into several thousand pounds.
The important thing is not to pay for the wrong specification. If the building will only be used during warmer weather, you may not need to spend heavily on insulation and heating.
Equally, buying a cheap summer house and then trying to turn it into a winter office can become an expensive conversion.
Need year-round space?
Compare the likely finished cost of an insulated garden room before upgrading a summer house after installation.
See our Garden Room Cost Guide →What size summer house should you buy?
Start with the furniture and activity you want to accommodate rather than choosing a building simply because it fits the available garden space.
Small
Suitable for a couple of chairs, a small table or compact hobby use. Good for smaller gardens where the building should not dominate the space.
Medium
Offers more flexibility for seating, hobbies or occasional entertaining while remaining manageable in many domestic gardens.
Large
Can become a genuine entertaining or multi-purpose space, but the foundation, delivery and planning position deserve more attention as size increases.
Corner summer house
A useful shape where you want to make use of an otherwise awkward corner while maintaining views into the garden.
Do summer houses need planning permission?
Many domestic summer houses can potentially fall within permitted-development rules, but there is no universal exemption.
Height, location, proximity to boundaries, garden coverage and restrictions affecting the individual property can all matter.
Check before you order
Our planning guide explains the key points to consider before paying for a garden building.
Read the Garden Building Planning Guide →What type of base does a summer house need?
A summer house needs a level, stable base capable of supporting the building and helping keep the timber structure away from persistent ground moisture.
The appropriate solution depends on the building’s size, weight, the site and the manufacturer’s requirements. Common approaches include concrete slabs, paving systems and proprietary support systems.
Should you insulate a summer house?
It depends on how you intend to use it.
For occasional summer leisure use, substantial insulation may offer relatively little benefit compared with spending the money on better glazing, flooring or the size of the building.
For frequent winter use, insulation becomes much more important — but at that point it is worth comparing the cost of a purpose-built insulated garden room.
See what year-round garden buildings really need →Summer house buying checklist
- Decide whether the building is for seasonal or year-round use.
- Measure the furniture you intend to put inside.
- Check the usable internal dimensions.
- Compare wall and floor construction.
- Check the roof covering and expected maintenance.
- Confirm what type of glazing is included.
- Check whether the windows open.
- Establish whether the base is included.
- Confirm delivery access.
- Check whether installation is included.
- Ask whether timber treatment is required immediately after installation.
- Check the planning position.
- Compare the completed cost, not only the building price.
More GardenSpacewise guides
Garden Rooms
Need something more substantial for regular year-round use? Start with our Garden Rooms hub.
Explore Garden Rooms →Garden Offices
If the building is primarily for working from home, compare dedicated insulated office options.
Explore Garden Offices →Planning & Costs
Understand the two issues that can have the biggest effect on your project before ordering.
Planning & Costs →All Garden Buildings
Compare summer houses with sheds, garden rooms and offices before deciding which category suits your needs.
Explore Garden Buildings →Buy for the way you’ll actually use it.
A summer house can be excellent value when you want attractive seasonal garden space. If you need a heated room for daily winter use, compare the cost of an insulated garden room before trying to turn a summer house into one.
Garden Buildings Compare Garden Rooms