What is a Summer House
A summer house, also known as a garden house or garden room, is typically designed as聽a small, detached building in a garden or outdoor space.
Its primary purpose is to provide a comfortable and pleasant space for relaxation, leisure, or entertaining during the warmer months of the year.
The top 10 Summer House uses are
1. Games Room 路 2. Garden Bar 路 3. Reading Room 路 4. Man Cave / She Shed 路 5. Outdoor Dining 路 6. Cinema Room 路 7. Music Room 路 8. Yoga Studio 路 9. Art Studio 路 10. Hot Tub Room
Summer House Designs
Summer House Design Ideas
Firstly, lets take a look at the design of the building, in particular the construction.
There are two major alternatives to start with in the look of the building. The pitched roof and the flat roof create the difference between a traditional and a modern design.
Summer houses are more often a traditional look and as they were initially created by upgrading garden sheds. Nowadays, with the addition of insulation and double glazing, they are suitable for year round use, so can be a multitude of buildings as the seasons change.
See our designs
Fully Insulated Summer Houses
If you intend to use the summer house all year round you will require insulation, internal lining and double glazing.
This is not a simple case of adding rockwool and plywood to a garden shed though. There needs to sufficient framing to accommodate enough insulation, and the walls need a vapour barrier.
Summer houses are more often a traditional look and as they were initially created by upgrading garden sheds. Nowadays, with the addition of insulation and double glazing, they are suitable for year round use, so can be a multitude of buildings as the seasons change.
Non Insulated Summer Houses
The design of the building, in particular the construction of the outer shell is different on the non insulated Summer Room.
The main difference is that the plywood lining is moved to the other side of the framework. This creates a triple external skin which includes the bitumen vapour barrier to protect against external moisture.
The lining board provides a smarter finish than a traditional garden shed whilst adding structural rigidity.
Doors and windows can be single glazed, however we allocate double glazed u-PVC聽 within the price in case future upgrades to insulated buildings are required.
What are the main uses?
Other uses for a summer house
The Garden Bar
Outside entertaining in a summer house is becoming extremely popular for those who like to party. You can easily treat it as a lock up and leave garden room, especially when it’s insulated and internally lined.
In addition to the garden bar, don’t forget to add the speakers in the ceiling and a bluetooth music system. This essential can easily be added to both the contemporary or the traditional designs during manufacture, and looks far better as a built in feature.
When creating the building, we would suggest a set of bi-fold doors, as the summer room really becomes part of the garden when the doors are fully open.
Outdoor Dining
There’s nothing better than sharing your time with friends and family, except when you can get together in a place that’s full of atmosphere.
Setting up the summer house as a dining room will certainly take the ambience up a notch or two, especially when the sun goes down. With the doors open and the moon shining, there is no better way to spend time with loved ones, than out in the garden under a starlit sky.
Then after supper with the plates out of sight in the kitchen, maybe the lawn could be the dance floor,
The Garden Yoga Studio
Salute the sun every morning by turning your new summer house into a quiet place for stretching and meditation.
Paint the walls a soft hue, hang a print of your happy place and install meditation bells.
And if you haven’t already designed your building, consider putting in French doors or a bi-fold to enjoy plenty of fresh air.
The Place to Relax
Summer houses can be used all year round if they are fully insulated.
Our summer rooms include insulation and double glazing, and are constructed for use throughout the year.聽
Alternatively we can construct them in a more traditional way using single glazed doors and windows and removing the internal insulation and lining.
Buildings constructed in this method still benefit from a triple outer skin onto the standard framing, and will also last as long as our garden rooms and offices.
CONFIGURE YOUR BUILDING
- Choose your design
- Click the Configurator Link
- Select your Size
- Add / Subtract Doors and Windows
- Choose insulated or non insulated version
Need more inspiration
Summer House Interior Design Ideas
To make the most of a beautiful view, a sofa that looks out over a fabulous garden is the way to go. With floor to ceiling glass, this really helps the outside become the inside, especially if you add indoor plants around the summer house. Installing furniture made from natural materials will also give a sense of co-joining the inside to the outside.
Pastel shades such as sage green or light blue provide subtle tones and give an air of calmness. These light colours are fresh and inviting, and work well with virtually all colour schemes.
Don’t be afraid to add a bold colour somewhere in the mix, to really draw your eye. Shocking Pink, Bright Orange, or Lime Green are perfect as a splash of colour, especially if you want to create something individual. Then, once the paints dry, grab a book, get comfy with a coffee or a glass of wine, and leave everyone else to deal wit the stress of everyday life.
Internal Layout Design Tips
A great tool for creating the perfect internal layout for your summer house is the Ikea room planner.
Not only does it allow you to add doors, windows and furniture. It also has accessories such as rugs, TV’s pictures and desktop items.
This tool is a great way to style your summer house and find out what sized sofa works best with a book case or coffee table. Once you’ve worked out the layout, you can either print off the Ikea list, or go shopping elsewhere, knowing what you want and how you want it to look.
Ikea Room Planner