Build Your Own Summer House
Wooden summerhouse kits are usually supplied as either ready-made or flat-pack for assembly on site. They are expensive. And it is difficult to customize these summer house designs to your own specification.
Why not simply build your own summer house?
The process is quite straightforward. With a good set of garden summerhouse plans adapted to your exact layout including step-by-step instructions showing how to build a summer house from scratch, and also a comprehensive materials list, you will be able to build a cheap gazebo to enjoy and, by the way, add much value to your property.
But first you need to consider the huge range of summer house designs available, so that you can firm up your own ideas and decide on exactly what sort of timber garden building you want.
Click here for 10 great plans to build your own summer house
There are a number of important things to consider when planning to build wooden summerhouses.
Usage
Will the summerhouse be just a storage shed for tools and gardening bits and pieces? An outside workplace? A children’s den? A place to relax, read, watch TV in the long summer evenings? These ideas will influence the eventual design of all garden summerhouses. You might need to include electricity or water, soundproofing, heating or cooling, cable TV – quite a lot to think about.
Size
Deciding on the uses for the summerhouse will dictate the size you need. A popular size for wooden summer houses is 6 x 8 feet but you should always go up a size if possible. Space in a backyard building is rarely wasted.
Location
Reasonably flat land is needed with good access for building machinery and delivery vehicles. You might want to position the summerhouse close to, or far from, your house and to avoid nosy neighbors. To some extent location, use and size are all inter-dependent and need careful thought before going any further. It is often a good idea to mark out the location with string or stones to see if the summerhouse will fit well with its surroundings.
Design
Think about the visual impact of timber garden buildings. Only you can be the judge, but try to relate the summerhouse to the other significant structures in your backyard such as a shed, BBQ pit, pool or hot tub.
Regulations
Knowing how to build a summer house is not sufficient! You will need to check local rules and regulations regarding wooden summerhouses to see if your intended plans will be permitted, and if you need to apply for such approval. Also ensure that you comply with electricity codes and building regulations during construction.
Foundations
It is usual to make a proper, ie concrete, base for average-sized summerhouse, but you could decide to fix the floor to a grid of concrete posts set into the ground. Mounting timber summer houses above ground would avoid some site preparation work and would also allow better ventilation under floors. It’s also a great place for hens to forage!
Materials
Western red cedar is the traditional material for these buildings, because it looks great and termites hate it. Pressure-treated softwood is a good alternative. This can be painted whatever color you want, which would not really be the case with cedar. You can use cedar shingles for the roof. Bark is not so good because of the difficulty of finding the right quality.
Plans
Don’t rely on your own sketches or rough diagrams, get some good quality summerhouse plans. Getting a professional to do all the hard work, such as drawing up detailed materials lists, is not expensive and this will help you to do things right in the first place. Cheap summerhouses still need to be planned and built properly to look good and relax in. With an expert doing all the critical calculations and drawings for you, you will have a lot of fun making your own garden summerhouse and it will give you much enjoyment for many years to come. Good summer house plans are really worth the small investment involved.
I strongly recommend the professionals at MyShedPlans for a great range of plans and clear advice for all sorts of garden buildings, including some really good-looking summerhouses. They are suitable for both beginners and diy experts, with plenty of step-by-step instructions as well as clear 3D drawings and diagrams. And there is a good, no hassle refund guarantee, which makes this small investment really risk free.
For more detailed and useful information about this excellent plans kit see an independent in-depth review which you should find interesting.
Click here to check out 10 great plans to build a cheap summer house
[...] have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] good range to choose from. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] good range to choose from. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a particular set of plans. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] exactly what you want. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] good range to choose from. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] good range to choose from. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] exactly what you want. We have found and recommend a really good source of plans if you want to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] an excellent source for a comprehensive set of plans that we believe to be essential if you wish to build a summer house from scratch. They include all of the things we consider essential, as outlined above, as well as having more [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points we have mentioned, as well as full [...]
[...] recommend a really ɡοοԁ source οf plans іf уου want tο build a summer house frοm scratch. Tһеу include аƖƖ οf tһе things wе consider [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
[...] a very good source of plans that we can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. All the vital elements listed above are included, as well as more than fifty diy garden cabin [...]
You’ve got great insights about woodworking plans, keep up the good work!
[...] have found an excellent set of summerhouse plans available online, which meet all the above criteria and are thoroughly recommended. Our policy is [...]