Summer Houses and Garden Rooms

GARDEN · GLOBAL

Summer Houses and Garden Rooms

What each is for, planning limits, insulation and power, and the base

A garden building used for an hour on a summer afternoon and one used as an office every day are different products, and the difference is mostly insulation and power.

Summer house or garden room

A summer house is a single-skin timber building for seasonal use — pleasant in June, cold in November. A garden room is insulated, lined and glazed for year-round use and costs several times as much.

Be honest about which you need, since upgrading a summer house afterwards is rarely cheaper than buying the right thing.

Planning

In England, outbuildings are generally permitted development within limits — no more than half the garden covered, single storey, maximum height of 2.5 metres within two metres of a boundary, and not forward of the principal elevation.

Using one as sleeping accommodation changes the position entirely, and building regulations may apply depending on size, use and distance from a boundary. Check with the council.

Insulation and power

Floor, walls and roof insulated, a damp-proof membrane and double glazing. Electrical supply to an outbuilding is notifiable work and belongs with a qualified electrician, run in suitable armoured cable.

Heating a poorly insulated building is expensive and never quite works.

The base

Level, firm and correctly sized — concrete, slabs on a compacted sub-base, or ground screws. An uneven base is why doors stop closing within a year.

Maintenance

Treat all faces including the underside and cut ends before assembly, and recoat every few years. Clear gutters, keep plants off the timber and check the felt or roof covering annually.

Keep the building ventilated, since a sealed timber building grows mould.

Buying

Check the cladding thickness, the framing size and whether the floor is included, since headline prices frequently exclude it.

Using it in winter

A single-skin building is close to outdoor temperature, so plan for that rather than expecting a heater to fix it. Insulating the floor matters as much as the walls, since most heat goes downwards.

Never use a fuel-burning heater in an enclosed garden building, since carbon monoxide has no smell.

Security

Fit a proper closed-shackle padlock and hinge bolts, since supplied hasps are usually weak, and consider an alarm. Tell your insurer, since outbuilding contents cover is frequently capped.

Keep valuable tools and bikes out of sight from the garden.

Delivery and assembly

Check whether delivery is kerbside and whether assembly is offered, since a large building is a two-person weekend job. Confirm access for a lorry before ordering.

Check the parts against the list before starting, since a missing panel stops everything.

Security and insurance

Fit proper locks, tell your insurer, and check what outbuilding contents cover is capped at.

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