Things to consider if you’re building your own summer house

Tips for Building a Summer House

If you’re lucky enough to have the space to accommodate a summer house in your garden, it can be a great way to create an outdoor extension of your home – providing the perfect space to relax, socialise, and even work, whilst enjoying the surroundings of your garden.

And the good news is, that if you don’t have the budget to buy a ready-made summer house (or perhaps you just fancy a new garden project!), you can build your own! This will not only allow you to save money, but it will also give you complete control over the dimensions, design, and functionality of your brand new summer house.

So, if you’re thinking of building your own summer house, here are just some of the things you should consider…

Base

Whether you opt for a concrete slab, paving slabs, or a timber frame, it’s important that your summer house has a good, strong, and durable base. When laying the base for your summer house, if you’ve opted for paving slabs, you’ll need to start by digging out about 6 inches of soil and replacing it with sand and hardcore. On the other hand, if you choose a concrete base, then you’ll need to lay a waterproof membrane over the area before pouring the concrete.

Construction

Once your base is in place and ready to go, it’s time to construct the summer house itself.

Firstly, it’s important to select high quality, durable materials that are suitable for outdoor use. After all, the last thing you want is for your summer house to fall victim to the weather conditions before you’ve even had time to enjoy it.

Another good tip is to divide your summer house plan into sections and build one section at a time so that it can be assembled in place and moved if necessary.

Once you’ve built the roof of the summer house, it’s important that you coat it with at least two layers of roofing felt to protect it. Electricity – If you want your summer house to be fully equipped with lights, appliances, and electrical sockets, then you’ll need to connect it up to your electrical circuit. To do this, you will usually need to dig a trench from your home to your summer house and line it with a conduit to protect the electric cable. It’s often advisable to call in the services of a qualified and approved electrician to take care of this part of the process for you – it’s a simple job if you know what you’re doing, but it’s important that it’s done safely.

Finish

Once the shell of your summer house is up, it’s time to add the finishing touches that will make it look and feel like a welcoming extension of your home. Think window boxes, a good lick of paint, and some carefully chosen furniture.