A summer house is where a garden goes from something you look at to somewhere you use. A cuppa with the morning sun, a quiet spot to read, a place for the kids to play when it’s drizzling. Get the right one and it’ll be the most-used “room” in the house from April to October.
Here are the summer house sheds we rate, from tucked-away corner designs to bigger garden rooms with space for a sofa.
Summerhouse or shed: what’s the difference?
Summerhouses have more glass, thicker timber and double doors that open wide. They’re built for sitting in rather than storing stuff. Many now come with a small side store, so you get both. If you want to use it all year, look at log cabins instead, as their thicker walls hold heat far better. We compare the two in our summerhouse vs log cabin guide.
Our favourite summer house sheds
Best value corner summerhouse
BillyOh Corner Summerhouse Log Cabin 7 x 7 Garden Storage Shed Wooden
Corner summerhouses are clever: the five-sided shape fits into a corner of the garden that’s usually wasted. This BillyOh is a lot of summerhouse for the money.
- Space-saving corner design
- Big glazed front
- Good starter summerhouse
Best with a veranda
WALTONS 7×7 Summerhouse Including Veranda
A covered veranda gives you somewhere to sit outside when it’s bright but blowy. The shiplap tongue-and-groove cladding is a step up from basic overlap.
- Covered veranda
- Tongue and groove cladding
- Apex roof with good headroom
Best for smaller gardens
WALTONS 8×6 Maine Summerhouse
A neat 8×6 summerhouse with a modern pent roof. It sits nicely against a fence and doesn’t dominate a smaller plot.
- Compact footprint
- Modern pent roof
- Shiplap tongue and groove
Best roomy garden room
BillyOh Bella 10 x 8 Summer House Shed, Modern Pent Roof Log Cabin
At 10×8 there’s room for a small sofa, a table or a hobby corner. A great middle ground between a summerhouse and a full log cabin.
- Space for proper furniture
- Contemporary look
- Wide double doors
Best with storage built in
Waltons 13×9 ft Corner Summerhouse with Side Shed, Wooden Garden Room
The side shed keeps cushions, the parasol and garden toys out of the way, so the main room stays tidy. Clever if you only have space for one building.
- Separate side store
- Corner design saves space
- Great family option
What to look for
- Cladding: shiplap or tongue and groove keeps the weather out better than overlap. See our cladding guide.
- Glazing: toughened glass looks great; styrene is safer around kids and won’t shatter.
- Floor: look for tongue and groove floorboards, not thin OSB, if you’ll be putting furniture in.
- Roof: felt is standard. Shingles look nicer and last longer.
- Treatment: many summerhouses arrive dip-treated only, so plan to treat it properly straight away.
Where to put a summerhouse
Follow the sun. A south or west-facing spot gets the afternoon and evening light when you’re most likely to use it. Leave space around it for treating the timber, and think about the view from inside, not just from the house.
Like any garden building it needs a solid, level base. A summerhouse is heavier than a shed, especially with furniture inside, so slabs or concrete are a safer bet. Our shed base guide explains the options.
Planning permission
Most summerhouses are fine under permitted development, but there are height limits near boundaries and you can’t use one as a bedroom. Check our planning permission guide before you order.
Ready to browse? See all summerhouses or step up to log cabins.
