ALFRESCO lunches, evenings outdoors with friends and garden parties — summer is officially on the way.
A summer house can be a great addition to your garden, perfect for hosting guests, or just to spend some much-needed moments of relaxation outdoors.
We’ve rounded up the best summer houses to suit a range of budgets and needs, so you can make the most out of the warmer season.
Best summer houses for your garden at a glance:
- Best round summer house: Palmako Veronica Log Cabin
- Best spacious summer house: BillyOh Kent Garden Office
- Best value summer house: Forest Oakley Summer House
- Best steel summer house: Telluria Luminato Premier Steel Garden Room
- Best luxury summer house: Crane Garden Building
Palmako Veronica Log Cabin
- Buy Sheds Direct Palmako Veronica Log Cabin, £2449 from Buy Sheds Direct - buy here
Perfect for use as storage throughout winter and as a place to escape throughout summer, this circular summer house from Buy Sheds Direct is of a premium build, and with two large windows, lets a lot of light in — perfect for lazing around on warmer days.
Expertly crafted from superior, interlocking 28mm Nordic logs, as well as tongue and groove cladding on the floor and roof, the design promises robustness, durability and resistance to the elements.
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Size: 9 x 9 inches Material: Nordic logs Guarantee: 5 years
BillyOh Kent Garden Office
- BillyOh Kent Garden Office, £3480 from Garden Buildings Direct - buy here
A perfect option for entertaining, the BillyOh Kent Garden office offers not one, but two rooms, for memorable summertime dinners. Plus, with an internal wall included, it makes for a great co-working space, too, with room for multiple desks.
With a strong construction, generous headroom, a multi-point locking system and offset double doors, this is the perfect summer house for those looking for an option with a vast amount of space.
Size: Multiple available here Material: 28mm Tongue and Groove cladding Guarantee: 10-year anti-rot guarantee
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Direct Forest Oakley Summer House
- Forest Oakley Summer House, £739 from Buy Sheds Direct - buy here
You don’t have to spend a fortune to be able to enjoy a summer house this season. In fact, this contemporary design is just over £700 and makes for a great space for you to enjoy your garden, complete with opening double doors with three-quarter length windows, plus
four additional, large acrylic windows.
Plus, with the largest anti-rot guarantee on the market offering up to 25 years of protection, and no need to retreat the wood, this is a great, low-maintenance option that’s sure to wow guests.
Size: 2.51m X 2.03m Material: UK timber Guarantee: 25-year anti-rot guarantee
Telluria Luminato Premier Steel Garden Room
- Telluria Luminato Premier Steel Garden Room, £16,999 from Garden Buildings Direct - buy here
A super sleek design that is sure to level up any garden, the Telluria Luminato Premier Steel Garden Room features hot-dipped galvanised steel double-walled panels, as well as two large floor-to-ceiling windows and glazed doors that provide a wealth of light.
The design is more modern in comparison to its wooden competitors, and, with a UV, fire and wind-resistant exterior, will stay in tip-top condition after years of use.
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Size: 18 X 12ft Material: Premier steel Guarantee: 20-year manufacturer warranty
John Lewis Crane Garden Building
- John Lewis Crane Garden Building, £12,650 from John Lewis - buy here
At a higher price point than most options in this article, this Crane Garden Building from John Lewis is definitely a luxury option. The leaded glass windows and doors allow for an abundance of natural light, and the exterior can be coated in a choice of Cream, Sage, Flint
or Willow microporous paint.
Handmade to order exclusively through John Lewis, this summer house is crafted from FSC-certified Scandinavian redwood, and is assembled upon delivery as standard — meaning less work for you.
Size: 3 x 3m Material: Scandinavian redwood Guarantee: Not listed
Coronet Corner Log Cabin
- Coronet Corner Log Cabin, £2604 from Dunster House - buy here
Perfectly shaped and sized to be fitted in any corner of your garden, the Coronet Corner Log Cabin features a tall walkthrough height and attractive French doors, as well as a pressure-treated floor and industry-leading four-point locking system.
Enjoy your summer house quicker with a quicker DIY install, thanks to pre-assembled windows. And, thanks to its robust Spruce material, you’ll be able to enjoy your corner house for years to come.
Size: 2.5m X 2.5m Material: Spruce timber Guarantee: 10 years
Vantage Traditional Summerhouse
- Vantage Traditional Summerhouse, £1824 from Dunster House - buy here
Perfectly encapsulating a traditional summerhouse, this design features an industry-leading walkthrough height, French double doors, large windows and large purlins for the ultimate roof strength.
A small yet bright option that allows for quick and easy construction, this is a great space for intimate gatherings with both friends and family.
Size: 2.5m X 2m Material: Spruce timber Guarantee: 10-year guarantee
Terminator Pub Shed Log Cabin
- Terminator Pub Shed Log Cabin, £3769 from Dunster House - buy here
Bring the bar to your back garden with the Terminator Pub Shed Log Cabin. With a sleek finish, a 4-point locking system and fully pressure-treated floor bearers, this fun design will create many memorable summers for years to come.
Plus, a solid timber log bar comes as standard, so there’s no need to spend weeks building it yourself. With fixtures and fittings included, you’ll be serving drinks to friends in no time!
Size: 4 X 3m Material: Spruce timber Guarantee: 10-year guarantee
Office Shed Clockhouse
- Office Shed Clockhouse, £5953 from Quick Garden - buy here
Inspired by traditional British details, the clock house wooden cabin is a stylish combination of wooden aesthetics and functional comfort. With enormous windows and opening doors, the open layout can be separated into different areas upon request.
All parts come sequentially numbered for ease, and the design is eco-friendly too, crafted from timber sourced from FSC-certified forests only.
Size: 4X3 M (13'X10') Material: Slow-grown spruce Guarantee: 10-year guarantee
Terminator Log Cabin
- Dunster House Terminator Log Cabin, £2164 from Dunster House - buy here
You don’t have to give up on your dream of having a summer house if you’re short on space. In fact, there are a lot of compact versions on the market — our favourite is the Terminator Log Cabin from Dunster House.
It features all the aspects of a larger summerhouse, including high internal eaves and wide-opening French doors, as well as a 4-point locking system.
Size: W2.5m X D2m Material: Slow-grown spruce Guarantee: 10-year guarantee
Halls Popular Greenhouse
- Halls Popular Greenhouse, £599.20 from Halls Greenhouses - buy here
Whilst solid wood summer houses remain the most popular on the market, glass designs benefit from maximum light and panoramic views across your garden.
The Halls Popular features a smooth sliding door, a large roof vent and your choice of silver or powder-coated green and black frame finishes. And whilst wood summer houses may blend in better with the natural elements of your garden, a glass summerhouse can be a striking addition.
Size: 8ft X 6ft Material: Glass Guarantee: Not listed
Dunster House Avon Log Cabin
- Dunster House Avon Log Cabin, £2049 from Dunster House - buy here
You’d be surprised, but not every summer house comes with flooring as standard. The Dunster House Avon Log Cabin comes complete with a 19mm thick roof and floorboards, that come included with the design.
Other features include DIY installation with pre-assembled windows, multi-point locking systems and wide-opening French doors.
Size: W3m x D2m Material: Slow-grown spruce Guarantee: 10-year guarantee
Dominator Insulated Garden House
- Dominator Insulated Garden Office, £5874 from Dunster House - buy here
The Dominator Insulated Garden Office is expertly designed to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Plus, the low U-value walls, floor and roof means that energy costs are kept low throughout use.
The design is highly customisable, allowing you to position the windows and doors anywhere in the building. And with much of the building supplied as pre-built panels, the building process is much quicker and easier than with other options, too.
Size: 4.4m X 2.3m Material: Spruce timber Guarantee: 10 years
What is a summer house?
A summer house is an outdoor garden structure, typically crafted from wood or steel. The structure allows users to enjoy time outside, becoming a focal point of a garden for many, and a place where owners can entertain or relax during the summer months. There’s an abundance of designs on the market, from traditional wood, or glass and steel. They come in many different shapes and sizes to suit a vast array of gardens and can be a great investment.
How much do summer houses cost?
As seen throughout this article, different summer houses vary in cost depending on size or material. Some can be a few hundred pounds, ranging all the way up to several thousand —the price point will depend on the type of design you are looking for, and whether you’ll be using your summer house as an office space, storage, or entertaining.
Where to buy a summer house?
Most home and garden retailers stock some type of summer house now that they have grown in popularity throughout recent years. The best place to look is online. A few of our favourite places to buy a summer house are:
- Amazon
- B&Q
- The Range
- Argos
- Garden Buildings Direct
Do I need planning permission for a summer house?
Luckily, planning permission is not required for the vast majority of summer houses. You’ll only need to get permission if the summer house covers over half your garden, or any design that is over 3 metres high with a pent roof, or 4 metres high with an apex roof. You’ll also need to apply if you aren’t going to be using your summer house for domestic use.
How to insulate a summer house
These days, most summer houses come with built-in insulation as standard — a good example of this is the Dominator Insulated Garden Office. However, if you’ve purchased a design that you’ll need to insulate yourself, you’ll be able to do this during the construction of
your garden house. Simply buy some solid insulation boards that can be fitted in between the joists, and ensure they stay in place by nailing small pieces of wood to the joints. Alternatively, expanding insulation foam can be used.