The summer house has recently gone through a surge in popularity as a place to enjoy your stunning garden and entertain friends in all weathers. But it isn’t just a practical party space, a summer house is a flexible space that can benefit the whole family as well as add real value to your home.
Here are some imaginative uses for a summer house:
An extra bedroom
As your family grows you may find that your house becomes a squeeze and you can no longer justify that spare room. This isn’t a problem if you have a large garden. In the past the most obvious solution to increasing the size of your home was to add an extension but today, with people hooked on home renovation programmes you can come up with something a little more imaginative.With a little work you can turn a summer house into a stunning garden bedroom that is full of rustic charm. Impress your friends and family by providing them with a private bedroom in their own secret garden.
Play around with it
A guest bedroom still might seem a luxury if you have small children. If you’re sick of having toys always under foot another solution is to use your summer house as a playroom and keep your home clutter free. Children can play in a safe, fun environment, safe to wander between inside and outside and you will only have one floor to pick toys up from at the end of the day rather than every room in the house.
Serious business
Make working from home even more enjoyable with your own home office created in your garden. You can find lots of ideas for bringing electricity into your outside space and even if the family is at home you will have the peace needed to meet those urgent deadlines.
Once you have decided what to do with your summer house you can go about the business of designing the perfect space for you. Two quick tips to keep in mind:
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If you are building from scratch it’s a great opportunity to build in things like electricity points, storage space and lighting so that the end result meets your space needs. So whether you choose a lodge style structure made from timber or an ultramodern design using metal keep function as well as form front of mind.
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If you are refurbishing an old summer house don’t just slap on some paint and hope for the best because old structures usually mean the roof and supporting walls need some care. Again there are lots of options for making your space more sound depending on budget. If you want a more rustic and natural style for that spare bedroom for instance you might consider western red cedar cladding which has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly and insulating or treated metal for a more space age look for the home office.
If you have been inspired to add space to your garden go for it - it could be the most valuable thing you do this summer.
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