What is The Difference Between A Small Summer House And A Shed?
When envisioning the perfect outdoor retreat, one might consider the cosy allure of a summer house or the practical simplicity of a shed. While both structures can enhance the functionality and charm of a garden space, they serve distinct purposes and offer unique benefits. A small summer house, often designed for leisure and relaxation, typically features comfortable amenities and inviting aesthetics. In contrast, a shed is primarily utilitarian, providing essential storage space for tools, equipment, and gardening supplies. Understanding these distinctions is crucial, especially if you have horses and need to consider how to keep your horse safe in the stable while ensuring your garden space remains functional and appealing.
Grasping the distinctions between these two structures can help homeowners make an informed decision that aligns with their lifestyle and needs. In this article, we will take a look into each of these buildings, explore their differences, and outline the key considerations for adding either one to your garden.
What Is A Summer House?
A summer house is often situated in a rear garden and typically designed for year-round leisure and relaxation. Its primary aim is generally to provide a cosy and comfortable space for various activities such as reading, entertaining guests, or simply enjoy the outdoors.
The key differentiator between a small summer house and a shed is the material and aesthetic. Unlike sheds, which are more suited for storage purposes, summer houses are designed to reflect the homeowner’s taste, main property, and surrounding landscape. If designed and constructed well, a summer house will add value to a property. For these reasons, a wooden or timber summer house is the most common type constructed in the UK thanks to the beautiful aesthetic that treated timber creates when burrowed in a garden – you may even have your summer house custom built to match or complement your home.
Summer houses can be equipped with glazed windows, seating, and more open space. Many summer house designs nowadays allow the front to open entirely or may even incorporate a veranda or balcony area and the front for dining and entertaining. At National Timber Buildings we can kit out your summer house with full electrics, leaving you free to add on all the extra add-on heating or cooling options you require. Plus, you will have proper electrical wiring and outlets for powering equipment such as fridges, and sufficient lighting to create a well-lit space. It also means your summer house will be usable and comfortable all year round.
We can also build in storage solutions, to keep chairs, equipment, and other accessories, organised and easily accessible. Plus, we can incorporate soundproofing materials or design elements to minimise noise transmission both within and outside the building. Additionally, consider installing solar panels for sheds to harness renewable energy and reduce your environmental footprint.
Access and connectivity are other important considerations when design planning. Convenient access points to the summer house and connectivity options for audio systems, TVs, or other media devices can also be factored in if needed.
Why Is Timber A Desirable Choice for A Summer House?
Natural aesthetics
Timber has a warm and natural appearance that can create a pleasant and inviting atmosphere in your summer house. The natural beauty of wood can enhance the overall aesthetics of the space and provide a calming and inspiring environment for you to enjoy year-round.
Insulation and comfort
Wood offers excellent insulation properties, which can help regulate the temperature inside the summer house. Timber walls can provide effective thermal insulation, keeping the interior cool in summer and warm in winter.
Durability and strength
High-quality timber can be incredibly durable and strong. Properly treated and maintained timber such as Tanalised timber can withstand the demands of frequent use, including dining with friends and the like. When well maintained, a timber summer house can have a long lifespan. At Nationals, we use sustainably sourced, high-quality, Tanalised® wood for all our bespoke timber buildings for guaranteed longevity.
Sustainability
Timber is a renewable and environmentally friendly building material. Responsibly sourced timber, such as ours, comes from sustainable forests and has a lower carbon footprint compared to other construction materials. Our sawmill for example, boasts a ‘four in one’ policy, whereby for every tree felled, four trees get planted in its replacement. Choosing timber for your summer house demonstrates a commitment to sustainable building practices.
Acoustic performance
Timber has natural acoustic properties that can help absorb sound and reduce noise transmission. A timber structure will help create a quieter and more pleasant environment for entertaining.
Construction efficiency
Timber construction methods, can significantly reduce construction time compared to traditional construction methods. This means your summer house can be designed, built and ready to use in no time at all.
How Are Summer Houses Used?
A quality summer house is often designed to be light and airy and shaded from the scorching summer sun. Due to their ability to add luxury utilities, summer houses tend to be more versatile and inclusive than the common shed and therefore, can be used for a whole host of purposes as well as sole use. In our experience, the most common uses are:
- A garden office
- Relaxation area
- Outdoor dining/entertaining area
- Games room
- Garden bar or lounge
- Music room
If you are looking to add utilities to your summer house design, it may influence where in your garden it can be built. For example, if you are adding electricity, the summer house will need to be placed near the electric mains of your main property.
Do Small Summer Houses Need Planning Permission?
In most cases, a summer house falls under ‘permitted development’ and will not usually require planning permission, but there are exceptions. Read our comprehensive blog on planning permission for a summer house for full details and associated FAQs.
4 Essential Considerations for Building Your Perfect Summer House
- Purpose: Determine the primary use—leisure, work, or entertainment—to guide the design and features.
- Location and size: Choose a site with good sunlight, scenic views, and accessibility.
- Materials: Select durable, weather-resistant materials that complement your garden’s aesthetic.
- Budget: Plan for costs, including construction, utilities, and maintenance.
What Is A Shed?
Typically speaking, the primary purpose of a shed is not to be ornamental or aesthetically pleasing, but practical. Traditionally, the wood and other materials used to build a shed were usually coarsely crafted, undecorated, and plain. Plus, they were usually hidden out of sight or placed in an unused space where it will not gain much attention. Nowadays, the materials used to build sheds are often more considered, so the structure is durable and built to last longer, but they still tend to boast quite a basic design and style.
What Are Sheds Used For?
Garden sheds are versatile structures typically used for a variety of purposes with storage being the primary one. Modern living tends to demand a lot of equipment especially when children are involved. Having an outside shed to store domestic and garden tools, lawn mowers, bikes, scooters, outdoor furniture, sledges, outdoor toys, sports gear, seasonal decorations etc is invaluable. Some households even store their tumble dryer or an extra fridge/freezer in the shed when there is no capacity in the home.
If you are partial to DIY, a shed provides a dedicated space for your projects, woodworking, or crafting. Likewise, keen gardeners will benefit from a space to store plant pots, compost, fertiliser, and other gardening essentials.
Depending on the quality of your shed, it may be more difficult to insulate and weatherproof which can limit its use throughout the year. However, a shed built by National Timber Buildings will be built from quality, sustainable resources to ensure the structure is protected from the elements. Read more about our customer sheds and associated FAQs.
Furthermore, many people ask, “Is shiplap good for a shed?” and the answer is yes! Shiplap provides excellent weather resistance and adds aesthetic appeal to your shed.
Key Differences Between A Summer House And A Shed
| Aspect | Small Summer House | Shed |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Leisure, relaxation, entertaining | Storage and utility |
| Design and aesthetics | Designed for comfort and to be a focus of the garden. Often feature glazed windows, seating, veranda/balcony. | Basic and practical and often designed to be unnoticeable. |
| Materials | High-quality timber, often with insulation and weather-resistant finishes. | High-quality timber for durability and weather-resistant finishes. |
| Amenities | Can include full electrics, heating, cooling, and soundproofing options. | Can include full electrics, heating, cooling, and soundproofing options but often not demanded as typically for storage purposes only. |
| Primary Users | Garden office, relaxation area, outdoor dining, games room, garden bar, music room. | Storing garden tools, equipment, bicycles, and outdoor furniture. |
| Construction considerations | Needs suitable location, scenic views, accessibility, and proximity to utilities if adding extras like electricity. | Can be placed in hidden spaces, less consideration for proximity to utilities and aesthetics. |
| Planning permission | Often falls under ‘permitted development’, but exceptions may require planning permission. | Often falls under ‘permitted development’, but exceptions may require planning permission. |
| Versatility | Versatile with potential for multiple uses year-round. | Primarily used for storage, may have limited year-round use depending on weatherproofing. |
| Impact on property value | Can add significant value and aesthetic appeal to property. | Adds practical value but less impact on aesthetic or overall property value. |
| Budget | Higher cost due to added features and custom design options. | Typically, a lower cost due to fewer features and custom design options. |
At National Timber Buildings we believe high-quality materials are key to building any durable, long-lasting timber building. We manufacture all timber structures in-house, with Tanalised®, quality wood, so getting a high-end build and finish is something you do not have to worry about with us whether you opt for a shed, summer house or other timber building. We also spend a lot of time perfecting the building design with our customers as they are an essential element to building the structure you require bespoke to your needs. Contact us today for more information, an online quote, or a copy of our brochure.
