Summer Houses

There are many reasons to buy your own summer house. Some of the most popular examples include:

1. All year-round use – do not let the name “summer house” make you think you can only use it from April until September. By adding double glazing, draught proofing, and a small heater your summer house can be used all year round
2. Extra covered outdoor space – having “covered” outdoor space is invaluable. The roof and walls make a garden house usable all year round and release valuable space from the home into the garden
3. Focal point – structures such as gazebos, arches and pergolas are garden structures, which add a WOW factor. When you buy a perfect garden summer house, you buy a covered garden building, which is also an amazing garden focal point
4. Property value increase – you cannot take your summer house with you when you move home. Therefore, the summer house becomes a highly prized garden building for the “would-be” buyers, and in turn will increase your property value
5. Range of styles and options – there are many design options for roof, floor, windows, and doors, etc. We cover options such as contemporary & traditional as well as corner and octagonal summer houses in the next section
6. The versatility of uses – potentially unlimited, there are a variety of uses for a summer house, such as an entertainment venue, garden office, garden rooms, guest room, home gym, garden storage space (e.g. extra space for garden tools), wellbeing room and many more

Buy summer houses in a range of designs and styles.

Look for modern summer house features such as bi-fold doors, clean lines, large windows, minimalistic design, natural light, open-plan layout and sleek cladding.

Two examples of our contemporary summer houses for sale are:

1. Forest 8’x6’ Beckwood 25yr Guarantee Double Door Apex Summer House - 4 Windows
2. Shire 10’x6’ Orchid Contemporary Wooden Garden Summerhouse

Look for classic features such as decorative trims, Georgian-style windows, overhanging roof, pitched roof, shiplap cladding, wooden construction, and wooden verandas.

Here are two top-quality examples of traditional summer houses:

1. Shire 7'3”x7'11” Parham Traditional Summer House
2. Traditional 6’x8’ Broadway Summer House

Maximise your garden space by neatly filling a corner with this range. Enjoy features such as a compact footprint, double doors, full-length windows, maximised corner space, a sloping roof, traditional timber construction, and a wide-opening design.

Just two examples of corner summer houses available are:

1. Shire 7’x7’ Barclay Corner Summer House
2. Traditional 8’x8’ Stowe Summer House

Even octagonal (8-sided) summer houses are available. Features vary but often include a decorative roof finial, full-length windows, multi-sided design, ornate detailing, panoramic views, sloping roof and traditional timber construction.

1. Coppice 8’x8’ Thetford Octagonal Wooden Greenhouse
2. Shire 8'x8' Arreton Octagonal Summer House

Not everyone agrees on what to call these garden buildings. The most popular is “summer houses”, but others call them “garden houses”, and then there’s also the term “shed houses”.

Shed houses are a bit like the crossover between a traditional garden shed and a summer house. You’ve still got all the charm – the timber, the windows, the double doors but with a more practical edge. Sometimes, it’s less about a place to relax and more about blending storage and leisure in one spot. Think somewhere to keep the mower, but also where you’ve got a small sofa and a radio.

What makes a shed house different from a typical summer house usually comes down to how it’s used rather than how it looks. A summer house is usually thought of for its comfort and style, somewhere to unwind, maybe entertain, or just enjoy the view. A shed is the kind of garden building that’s useful all year round for storage, plus you can stick a heater in it, add a few shelves, and it becomes part of how you live. Some are built with thicker cladding, others with extra roof support, especially if you’re planning to store tools or heavier garden kit. But honestly, people use them for everything from mini workshops to reading rooms, and they’re both doing the same job: giving you more usable space without messing up the rest of your home.

As well as different styles, we have a garden summer house size for every garden! With sizes stretching from 6’x4’ (ideal for smaller gardens and patios) up to 20’x15’ (Log cabin summer houses, like this example, are ideal for many uses (e.g. a garden office) in larger gardens.

These are great for small gardens and for use as a cosy hideaway without taking up too much space. They come in sizes 6'x4' to 10'x8' perfect for relaxing, reading or having morning coffee. Despite the smaller footprint, they can still have stylish designs, glazed windows, decorative trims and storage options.

10'x8' to 20'x15' our large summer houses give you plenty of space for relaxing, entertaining or even a home office. The space inside allows for flexible layouts, furniture, storage and decorative features to create a comfortable outdoor room. Many designs have large windows, double doors and veranda options, to let in more natural light and blend in with the garden surroundings.

Our most popular summer house sizes are 7’x5’, 8’x6’, 7’x7’, 8’x8’, 9’x9’, and 10’x8’ but with 35+ sizes available, there is bound to be the perfect size to meet your requirements.

As garden houses are wooden, choose from either dip treated, pressure treated or untreated:

1. Dip treated – the exterior timber is dip treated. This means internal timber is not treated. The process offers protection against weather and pests but requires annual retreatment with a top-quality wood preservative
2. Pressure treated – the entire timber (exterior and interior) is deep-treated under pressure with a top-quality wood preservative. This means the wood is guaranteed for years, and will not require annual retreatment
3. Untreated – if you buy one of our log cabin summer houses, these are delivered as untreated

For more detailed information about summer houses than we could possibly cover here, read our Summer House buying guide. This covers a multitude of topics including summer house sizes, timber treatment, cladding ideas & thickness, the roof & floor, and the windows & doors. Also, covered are other summerhouse style features, summerhouse bases, planning permission required, delivery and installation.

Whether you call them garden houses or shed houses, why not speak to the friendly team at Buy Fencing Direct? Our team has an expert wealth of knowledge on all summerhouse-related topics and can advise about the best model for you, installation, etc.

Contact us in the following ways to buy one of our summer houses for sale:

• Phone – call us at 0333 003 0515
• Emails – you can send us emails through the contact form on our Contact Us page
• Live chat – text chat with our team live during working hours by clicking the orange 'Live Chat - Ask a Question' pop-up at the bottom left of your screen