A summer house is a very simple structure. It is a realistic project for even a novice carpenter, given a basic set of tools and some good instructions. A good design will make any garden a more enjoyable place to be, and will also add significantly to the value of the property.
One vital point - garden summer houses must be built precisely and methodically. Any imperfections in measurements will be immediately obvious once assembly has been completed. The more charming the summer house the more vital to get the build quality spot on.
There are two main advantages to building your own summer house from scratch - vast savings compared with ready-to-assemble kits and flatpacks, and the ability to choose from a much wider range of designs and customize them to your exact ideas.
I believe strongly that any project like building a summer house needs a good set of drawings and assembly instructions to get things right from the start. Unless you have the technical skills needed to prepare a good set of drawings for yourself, it is really sensible to get the job done for you by specialists in garden summer house design. That way you can be sure that all dimensions are accurate and, rather more to the point, everything will go together properly!
Many people assume that plans and drawings are one and the same. More accurately, however, plans include drawings but contain much more information that is essential to proper assembly.
Any good set of plans should include at least dimensionally accurate three-view drawings of the entire structure, similar drawings for every detail part unless it is clearly shown on the main drawings, three dimensional diagrams for all main and sub-assemblies, full material specifications, quantity and exact cut dimensions for every part and a list of all bought-out hardware such as fasteners and brackets.
Not all plans include written assembly instructions or guidance, but these are really useful for all but the expert woodworker, and could make the difference between build success or failure. Incidentally, the free plans often seen advertised online seldom have proper instructions or materials lists, and the standard of drawings is usually questionable as well. Definitely not for the novice woodworker.
Unless you already have a design lined up you will also appreciate being able to choose from a wide range covering pretty well all types and shape of summer house.
There is a very good source of plans I can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points I have listed, as well as full step-by-step instructions and a great range of over fifty designs.
They are not expensive and, I believe, represent the best value for money currently available online.
You might also be interested in a blog about building summer houses, which you can find at BraveNet. It is definitely worth checking out if you intend to design and build one of these great little structures in your garden.
One vital point - garden summer houses must be built precisely and methodically. Any imperfections in measurements will be immediately obvious once assembly has been completed. The more charming the summer house the more vital to get the build quality spot on.
There are two main advantages to building your own summer house from scratch - vast savings compared with ready-to-assemble kits and flatpacks, and the ability to choose from a much wider range of designs and customize them to your exact ideas.
I believe strongly that any project like building a summer house needs a good set of drawings and assembly instructions to get things right from the start. Unless you have the technical skills needed to prepare a good set of drawings for yourself, it is really sensible to get the job done for you by specialists in garden summer house design. That way you can be sure that all dimensions are accurate and, rather more to the point, everything will go together properly!
Many people assume that plans and drawings are one and the same. More accurately, however, plans include drawings but contain much more information that is essential to proper assembly.
Any good set of plans should include at least dimensionally accurate three-view drawings of the entire structure, similar drawings for every detail part unless it is clearly shown on the main drawings, three dimensional diagrams for all main and sub-assemblies, full material specifications, quantity and exact cut dimensions for every part and a list of all bought-out hardware such as fasteners and brackets.
Not all plans include written assembly instructions or guidance, but these are really useful for all but the expert woodworker, and could make the difference between build success or failure. Incidentally, the free plans often seen advertised online seldom have proper instructions or materials lists, and the standard of drawings is usually questionable as well. Definitely not for the novice woodworker.
Unless you already have a design lined up you will also appreciate being able to choose from a wide range covering pretty well all types and shape of summer house.
There is a very good source of plans I can recommend that will prove invaluable to anyone intending to build a summer house from scratch. These sets of plans include all of the essential points I have listed, as well as full step-by-step instructions and a great range of over fifty designs.
They are not expensive and, I believe, represent the best value for money currently available online.
You might also be interested in a blog about building summer houses, which you can find at BraveNet. It is definitely worth checking out if you intend to design and build one of these great little structures in your garden.
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