Using Summer Houses For Seasonal Home Offices

Summer houses are charming garden structures designed for leisure and relaxation, featuring open-air designs with large windows to provide views into your outdoor surroundings.

Summer houses can often serve as reading nooks or hobby activity spaces, but turning your summer house into a garden office could be an excellent way to combine work and leisure activities.

Getting Started

A summer house can make a charming addition to any garden, providing a cozy secluded haven from which you can escape and appreciate nature. These structures typically serve as outdoor lounge areas; however, some homeowners use their summer houses both for leisure and work purposes – providing an ideal solution for people looking to work from home but lack enough room in their main house for a dedicated office space.

The ideal summerhouses are built for long-term enjoyment and feature premium finishes to complement your landscape. Most are constructed out of wood treated with water-based preservative to prevent decay; and feature large windows or open air designs for natural light access and seamless integration into their surroundings – making them a fantastic option for year-round outdoor office use.

When planning on using your summer house as a garden office, it is essential that it be equipped with proper insulation and electrics for lighting and heating systems. This will ensure a comfortable working environment all year round even during cold or rainy weather outside.

Look for summerhouses with glazed doors that open easily so you can easily bring in equipment and supplies when necessary. Also consider adding vents so your summerhouse stays properly ventilated while working inside it.

Finally, it is wise to invest in high-quality chairs and desks tailored specifically to your needs. A durable ergonomically designed chair will offer proper back support while working, while an ample workspace offers enough room for monitors and supplies. Furthermore, consider purchasing an office rug to reduce noise pollution as well as distractions – add one so your workspace remains tidy without distractions and noise issues! To prevent eye strain from occurring during work sessions make sure both overhead lighting as well as task lighting options are utilized in your workspace.

Designing Your Space

As a creative professional, working from home offers you more flexibility to pursue your interests without being tied down by one location. But it is essential that the space be designed with your needs in mind in order to provide both productivity and relaxation during this experience.

One way to accomplish this is by choosing a summer house as your workspace. These standalone structures offer privacy while still allowing for concentration without distraction, plus crafting or gardening hobbies can provide much-needed relief after a hard day at work.

Make the most of your space by opting for a full-insulated summerhouse. These structures feature insulation built into their walls, roof and floor that helps regulate temperatures, saving money by reducing reliance on electric heaters while remaining comfortable all year. In addition, many come complete with porches to further increase functionality and aesthetic of space.

For a classic garden aesthetic, opt for a wooden summer house with an apex roof and Georgian-style windows to complete the classic garden theme. If you prefer more contemporary structures with open plan interiors and large windows to let in natural light. Or combine styles by installing something like BillyOh Darcy Log Cabin Summerhouse unit.

While summer houses may be suitable for those on a limited budget, their use tends to be limited during warmer weather due to their lightweight construction and single glazing system that leaves it feeling cold during winter or overheated in direct sunlight unless properly ventilated. Garden rooms on the other hand, are built for year-round use due to superior insulation levels, heating systems, and climate control features that allow for year-round comfort and enjoyment.

Garden buildings provide the flexibility necessary to serve as home offices, studios and garden gyms with confidence that you can continue working outside even when the temperatures or weather make indoors uncomfortable – hence why their resale value tends to surpass that of summer houses.

Lighting

No matter the purpose, summer houses make ideal year-round garden retreats when thoughtful lighting design is implemented. Layering light sources for both mood and function allows users to increase usability from sunny afternoons through dark winter nights with just the right combination of natural and artificial illumination.

Light up your summer house with natural sunlight and soft indirect lighting to give it that summery vibe. Choose bulbs with a cooler colour temperature (between 3000K-4000K) that recreates daylight’s brilliance, light-coloured furniture and decor to reflect ambient lighting, strategically placing mirrors to increase natural daylight in your summer house, as well as strategically positioning mirrors can all help increase its effect.

Overhead pendant lights provide illumination in seating areas and dining tables, while recessed downlights highlight architectural features and create an intimate ambience for relaxing evenings. For verandas with festoon lights installed, install festoon bulbs with connectable festoon bulbs so you can customize the glow around deck or patio areas to your particular lighting requirements for evening entertaining.

Lanterns make a beautiful addition to any setting, including summer houses. Battery or solar-powered lanterns offer convenient use; just ensure that any you place outdoors are weatherproof against heavy rainfall and splashes of water, and consider flickering LED candles that mimic real flame without risk.

If you want to commemorate holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving at your summer house, use decorative centrepieces for dining tables that feature autumn leaves, pumpkins and other festive decor with tasteful lighting fixtures for a warm and festive ambiance. Hanging string lights along handrails or rooflines or using themed projectors that project holiday images onto its surface are great ways of adding charm – these decorations provide the perfect atmosphere!

Installing skylights can significantly enhance the natural lighting levels in your garden shed or summer house. Not only will they bring in additional natural light, but their openness will create the feeling of more spaciousness – while selecting one with clear or translucent glass shades can reduce the impact on privacy.

Furniture

If you work from home, a summer house can make for an adorable garden room idea to turn into your personal office. Tucked away in a quiet corner, a summer house allows for uninterrupted reading or writing sessions as well as enjoying other pastimes without distraction. Plus it brings nature closer into your life!

No matter the style or material of your garden building project, there are furniture solutions that can fit seamlessly. A wooden bench provides seating as well as desk or table functionality; add cushions in neutral hues for additional comfort; add soft lighting such as these lanterns from Lights4Fun for an inviting ambience after dusk.

Consider your summerhouse size and type before selecting furniture sets. For instance, in smaller summerhouses it might be beneficial to opt for folding chairs and laptops equipped with suitable power adapters; on the other hand, for bigger designs it might make sense to invest in a sofa or armchairs.

Thick cladding boards provide additional insulation and year-round use in your summerhouse, making it more durable against environmental elements and making for better year-round use.

Before building your summerhouse, determine where it should go in your garden. South-facing gardens tend to get more sunlight while north-facing ones receive less. If possible, position it so it faces one of these sunny areas of your garden.

Once you’ve determined a location for your garden building, prepare its base. Depending on its size and style, concrete or timber decking bases might work better depending on its weight; while a concrete base provides more permanence when dealing with heavier structures. Timber decking bases offer lighter yet more flexible solutions.

Install lockable doors on your summer house to create a safe work space and prevent unapproved individuals from accessing and misusing it for their own ends. Glazed or solid doors will add an aesthetic touch, too!