Embrace Tranquility: 7 Compelling Reasons to Invest in a Summerhouse

A summerhouse is more than just an additional structure in your backyard; it’s a gateway to relaxation, creativity, and connection with nature. While its name may suggest seasonal use, the benefits of owning a summerhouse extend far beyond the warmer months. In this article, we’ll explore seven compelling reasons why investing in a summerhouse can enrich your life and transform your outdoor space into a haven of tranquillity.

Summerhouse
  1. Escape the Daily Grind:
    In today’s fast-paced world, finding moments of peace and quiet can be a challenge. A summerhouse offers a secluded retreat where you can escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, unwind, and recharge your batteries. Whether you use it as a reading nook, meditation space, or simply a place to enjoy a cup of tea, your summerhouse provides a sanctuary away from the distractions of the modern world.
  2. Expand Your Living Space:
    A summerhouse serves as a versatile extension of your home, providing additional living space for entertaining guests, hosting family gatherings, or pursuing hobbies and interests. Use it as a guest bedroom, a home office, an art studio, or a playroom for children – the possibilities are endless. With its customizable layout and design, your summerhouse becomes a functional and adaptable space that meets your specific needs.
  3. Embrace Outdoor Living:
    One of the greatest joys of owning a summerhouse is the opportunity to embrace outdoor living year-round. Whether you’re enjoying a sunny afternoon with friends, dining alfresco under the stars, or simply basking in the beauty of nature, your summerhouse blurs the boundaries between indoor comfort and outdoor serenity. With its large windows, open-air design, and seamless connection to the surrounding landscape, it allows you to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and scents of the outdoors.
  4. Enhance Your Property Value:
    Investing in a summerhouse not only enhances your quality of life but can also add value to your property. A well-designed and well-maintained summerhouse is a desirable feature that can attract potential buyers and set your property apart in the real estate market. Whether you’re looking to sell in the future or simply want to increase the value of your home, a summerhouse is a smart investment that can yield long-term returns.
  5. Create a Focal Point in Your Garden:
    A summerhouse serves as a focal point in your garden, anchoring the landscape and adding visual interest to the outdoor space. Whether you choose a traditional wooden design, a modern architectural style, or a charming cottage-inspired look, your summerhouse becomes a focal point that draws the eye and enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of your garden.
  6. Enjoy Year-Round Comfort:
    Contrary to its name, a summerhouse is not limited to seasonal use. With proper insulation, heating, and ventilation, your summerhouse can be enjoyed year-round, providing comfort and shelter in all weather conditions. Whether it’s a cozy retreat on a chilly winter day or a shaded oasis during the heat of summer, your summerhouse offers a comfortable and inviting space that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
  7. Foster Connection and Creativity:
    A summerhouse is more than just a physical structure; it’s a place where memories are made, connections are forged, and creativity thrives. Whether you’re spending quality time with loved ones, pursuing your passions, or simply enjoying moments of solitude, your summerhouse fosters a sense of community, inspiration, and well-being. It becomes a cherished space where you can cultivate meaningful experiences and create lasting memories for years to come.

In conclusion, investing in a summerhouse is a decision that offers a multitude of benefits, from providing a peaceful retreat to expanding your living space, enhancing your property value, and fostering connections with nature and loved ones. Whether you’re seeking relaxation, creativity, or simply a place to call your own, a summerhouse is a valuable addition to any home and garden. So why wait? Embrace tranquillity, embrace outdoor living, and embrace the countless joys of owning a summerhouse today.

Summerhouse

It All Starts With The Base

One of the most important factors to consider when purchasing a new shed is the base on which it is going to stand. Without a decent base at its foundation your shed, summerhouse or garage is at serious risk of developing major structural faults, pretty much as soon as it has been built.

Without a sturdy level base underneath your building will start to lose its shape and develop large cracks and gaps which, besides being unsightly,  jeopardize its weatherproofing and in a worst case scenario can lead to the building collapsing.

This is due to the nature of  the construction which means that as soon as the building has been completed it gradually snuggles itself in to its new surroundings and settles wonkydown. Without a level base it will settle at an odd angle which is where the gaps will start to appear and doors will stop opening properly etc. This also applies to the strength of the base too, even the smallest 6×4 wooden shed has a considerable weight to it and it is essential to use materials in the base that can take the weight of the job, if the base is not strong enough you will again see gaps and jammed windows galore!

We always recommend either a concrete base or paving slabs.  By using one of these you can be confident that your building will remain in shape, be weatherproof and give you many years of trouble free service!

Here is a quick guide on how to lay these two different bases to give you an idea of the job involved and whether you can do it yourself (with someone to help of course) or use an outside party such as a landscape gardener.

For a concrete base you need the following;

  • Building Sand
  • Cement
  • Hardcore
  • Timber
  • Tape Measure
  • Pegs & String
  • Hardcore

Once you’ve picked your location, measure out an area that is 5cm larger than your building on all sides. Remove any vegetation from this area and dig down 6 inches (or less if you want the base to be raised above ground level).

 

building-shed-base

For the cement to take shape  you will need to measure and cut a timber framework to line the edges. Ensure that this is sitting perfectly flat on the ground and flatten out the entire surface using a spade and rake. Next put down a 3 inch layer of hardcore,  covering generously with sand.

 

 

For the concrete you can either mix 1 part cement to 5 parts ballast, or use a pre made dry concrete mix.

img_0406

  • Slowly add water to the mixture, ensuring that it does not become too sloppy.
  • Spread the concrete evenly into the framework, filling to slightly above the timber.
  • Use another long piece of timber to level off the cement, rest the wood against the framework and move across it in a slow sawing motion to level out all of the concrete.
  • If wet weather is likely cover the base with plastic or tarpaulin for 24 hours.
  • In particularly hot or dry conditions covering with damp sacks and topping up with water occasionally can prevent your base from cracking as it dries.

If you decide to build your shed base using paving slabs instead you’ll need:

  • Flat Face Paving Slabs
  • Building sand
  • Standard cement
  • Rake
  • Standard cement
  • Tape measure
  • Spade
  • Standard cement
  • Pegs and string
  • Rubber mallet

Choose your location carefully and measure out the area for your base as outlined above in the concrete base guide. Dig down to the required depth (about  2.5cm, but differing depending on the thickness of your paving slabs and whether you want a level or raised base).

Next combine one part cement with eight parts building sand to make a dry mixture. this needs to be spread evenly across the base area (about 4cm deep)  and levelled out with a rake. Working out from a corner lay each slab and tap into position using your  mallet, whilst regularly checking the flatness with a spirit level to ensure all slabs are in line with each other.

Installation of paving slabs

Do one last check with a long straight edge, making any adjustments to ensure a perfectly level surface, and brush away any excess sand or cement.

Starting out with a solid, level base will make things much easier when it comes to building your shed, and will protect the building from damp or muddy conditions. Even for relatively simple projects like this it’s vital that you choose the best selection of tools and materials. Our expert advice and comprehensive range of products will save time and ensure that your project runs smoothly.

By using the above as a guide you should be able to successfully create your base and be confident that it is adequate for your buildings needs. However, if DIY is not really your strong point we strongly recommend getting someone in to do the job for you – by doing this you are not only guaranteeing a professional finish but you are also supporting local businesses!

Base instructions were sourced from another website

The Results Are In!!

The Results Are In!!

 Over the past week or so the team at Taylors have been pondering, discussing and finally voting for our favourite buildings from three of our main categories. Out of our Summerhouses, Log Cabins and Sheds we have finally come to our top three.

Our candidates for the top garden shed were The Supreme Apex, The Rowlinson Potting Shed and The Supreme Workshop…

Our Top Three

The candidates

These were all selected to be in the top three by measuring their value for money, customer feedback, quality and supplier relations and we are pleased to announce that our winner is….

The Supreme Workshop

Supreme Workshop

Our Winner!!

This building claims the best shed crown mainly due to its sturdy construction and versatility which is helped by the double doors which means that this building can be used to store larger items such as ride on mowers and other large garden machinery. That is assuming of course you are using it for storage, it could be used as a workshop or even a games room if you so wished.

Our top three summerhouses in the running for top spot were the Popular Summerhouse, Prima Fifth Avenue and The Denby Summerhouse

The Top Three Summerhouses

Our Top Three Summerhouses

By measuring their value for money, customer feedback, quality and supplier relations as before we are pleased to announce that our winner is….

The Denby Summerhouse

The Denby Summerhouse

The Denby is our champion!

The Denby was a clear winner for us by a substantial margin, this beast of a summerhouse is a real stand out among our range and some of the feedback we have had from our customers shows that you all feel the same about this magnificent building too!

Our final ballot was for our favourite Log Cabin, once again using the same format as the previous two polls, we came up with our winner. Our candidates were the Daniel Log Cabin, The Wolfgang Log Cabin and the Barbeque Hut.

Our Best Log Cabins

A hard choice to make

We struggled a bit with this as we could not reach an agreement straight away between two of them. After a few heated debates and a re-vote we concluded that our winner for best log cabin had to be…

The Daniel Log Cabin

The Daniel Log cabin

Our eventual winner

One of the best sellers in our entire range, not to mention all of our ranges full stop, The Daniel
was chosen due to its sturdy construction. Another factor which influenced the choice was that we use one of these very buildings as an office in our garden centre, you can see it next to the tills by the exit. This cabin has given us many years of good service and we have always been very fond of it!

The final stage of our election was to decide between our three champions and select what we consider to be the best of the best!  We had the impossible task of selecting just one to be the Taylors Garden Buildings champion for summer 2015.

Yet again we deliberated, pondered and generally racked our brains to make the final big decision, after what seemed like an eternity we had to go with a coalition. It was either that or have a mini riot in our office.

Ladies and gentleman, our joint winners for best Taylors Garden Buildings product of summer 2015 are

The Denby and the Daniel

Our two worthy joint winners are, for the purposes of this vote, going to henceforth be known as The Danby-

THE DANBY

The winners!!

The voting goes on….

As we said the other day, it has been near enough impossible to avoid the general election and the constant stream of party political broadcasts these past few weeks. We decided to do our own fun vote as to which were our best garden buildings.

We picked our favourite 3 sheds based on factors such as features and benefits, supplier support, price value and lead time for delivery.

Now the ballot continues with our three favourite summerhouses.

Our choice for the three best summerhouses in our range are as follows;

1.Popular Summerhouse

2.Prima Fifth Avenue

3.Denby Summerhouse

Popular Summerhouse

This has been a real hit with our customers, the classic design  suits most english gardens and it is available with or popular summerhopusewithout a verandah. There are 6 sizes available in this model from the smaller 5×7 up to the largest at 8×10. The manufacturer of this range of summerhouses deliver and install their buildings to a majority of england and this is all included in the price. This is not only excellent value for money but eliminates the stress and hassle of having to arrange an independent party to assemble the building. It is also delivered and installed on the same day. The cladding on these summerhouses is whitewood tongue and groove boarding with a sturdy rounded and planed frame, this framing is also incorporated in to the roof which is finished off with barge boards and green mineral felt.  The many optional extras (including a generous selection of paint finishes) means that you can create a building to suit your garden decor and reflect your personality in its design.

Prima Fifth Avenue

One of the best features of this model is the pentagonal shape which means it can be placed in any part of your garden including the corner. If you prefer a more non-classic design of building for your garden this one is a real contender and its modern style can be adapted to suit your tastes, primathere is a selection of roof colours to choose from and a choice of chrome or brass fittings. Other options include different colour stains and a choice of three finials (a ball or one of two stylish weather vanes – a witch or cockerel). I have always been a fan of these buildings and the feedback we have received from our customers means that they are all fans too! If you come to our garden centre one of the first buildings you will see is a Prima, that proves just how highly we regard this model.

Denby Summerhouse

Another modern styled building, the Denby has a sturdy shiplap tongue and groove construction over a rounded and planed framework. The interior of this summerhouse is very spacious and the abundance of toughened SONY DSCglass to the front means that it will get a lot of light all through the daylight hours. This building is an outstanding garden feature and comes inclusive of joinery made doors and windows and redwood cladding. The manufacturers of this remarkable building offer a delivery and installation service which is included in the price for many parts of mainland england. This means that you can get the whole package at the click of a button – delivered and built all in one go!

Next time we will take a look at our three top Log Cabins – see you then!