8x8 Summer Houses

Transform your garden with an 8x8 summer house and give yourself a fantastic space for work, relaxation or play. Whether you're reading or crafting, these high-quality garden buildings provide a perfect retreat from the bustle of family life, with the advantage of being conveniently on your own doorstep. ...

Choose from a traditional look, a sleek contemporary building with a curved roof, or even a corner summer house if you have limited space in your garden. Find more help and advice on selecting your perfect model in our helpful summer house buying guide.

8ft x 8ft summer house questions

How to stop damp in a summer house

Check over your roof, walls, windows and doors, looking for damage and water ingress and resolve any problems you discover. Ensure your summer house has vents to allow air circulation, and add more if there aren’t sufficient. Insulate your walls and ceiling, panel over the top, and consider installing heating or a dehumidifier. Even the driest of outdoor buildings is exposed to steep temperature gradients you don’t get in a house, so protect any valuable items in airtight storage boxes.

Does a summer house need planning permission?

You should always check with your local planning office, but generally speaking, summer houses don’t require permission to build but do have to meet certain requirements. You can’t build one in your front garden, and height is restricted to a maximum of 2.5m at the eaves, rising to a maximum of 4m at the apex of a dual-pitched roof and 3m for a single-pitched roof. If you’re planning to build it within 2m of a property boundary, the maximum height for a summer house is lower at 2.5m. For more info, check the planning portal.

Can you live in a summer house in your garden?

You can live in a summer house in your garden, provided you have planning permission to do so and your building meets building regulations. Summer houses are not, however, normally designed for living in – they meet the regulations pertaining to ‘incidental’ rather than ‘ancillary’ use. These are planning terms used to distinguish use as a hobby room or a space for relaxing from functions like eating, sleeping, cooking and bathing, for which you’d usually rely on a house.