View More Summerhouse Images
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
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Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of sumerhouse shed combos
Click on images below to see larger versions of combination garden rooms with shed
We recommend OPTIONAL Demidekk Ultimate log cabin paint range which can be colour matched to suit. See examples in
our photo gallery.Please note that all colour shown are indicative only and will vary depending upon the light on the day the photo was taken. Additionally all screens will display the image differently. If exact colour is essential then please order a sample pot.
Painted Summer Houses at a Glance
Construction: Quality redwood deal timber · Sizes: From compact 7x5 summer houses to large 28x16 buildings · Glazing: Toughened glass as standard · Floors: Solid wooden floors and roofs · Styles: Apex, pent, corner, traditional and contemporary designs.
Uses: Garden retreat, home office, studio, hobby room, gym or entertaining space · Paint finish: Choice of coloured paint and stain finishes available · Insulation: Full insulation available on selected ranges · Installation: Free professional assembly on our main ranges, subject to delivery area and access · Bases: Base-building options available · Customisation: Bespoke sizes, layouts and options available · See before you buy: Painted summer houses on display at our Surrey show site near Guildford and Woking.
Need advice? Our experienced team can help with summer house size, colour, style, insulation, glazing, base requirements and installation before you order.
Platinum vs Royal Painted Summer Houses
| Feature |
Diamond |
Platinum |
Royal |
| Best for |
Relaxing, entertaining, hobbies and seasonal garden use |
Higher-specification leisure, hobbies, home working and extended-season use |
Premium garden room, home office, studio and regular year-round use |
| Price position |
£ – Best value |
££ – Higher specification |
£££ – Premium specification |
| Paint finish |
Colour paint finish options |
Colour paint finish options |
Colour finish included in the specification |
| Insulation |
Primarily suited to seasonal summerhouse use |
Full insulation available on selected models; some models fully insulated |
Fully insulated as standard |
| Glazing |
Toughened glass |
Toughened glass; specification varies by model |
PVCu double-glazed doors and windows |
| Sizes |
Selected models approximately 5×7 to 12×16 ft |
Selected models approximately 6×6 to 28×16 ft |
Approximately 8×6 to 20×12 ft |
| Installation |
Professional installation included on applicable orders |
Professional assembly included on applicable orders |
Professional assembly included on applicable orders |
| Why choose it? |
You want an attractive painted summerhouse with excellent value and bespoke flexibility |
You want more comfort, insulation options and a higher specification |
You want a premium fully insulated garden room for frequent or year-round use |
How to Choose a Painted Summerhouse
Colour is naturally one of the first things you notice about a painted summerhouse, but I recommend choosing the building itself before becoming too attached to a particular shade. Look first at the timber, framing, floor, roof, glazing, doors, treatment and overall construction. Once you are happy with the underlying building, you can decide which colour will make it look its best in your garden.
Two painted summer houses can look remarkably similar in photographs but have very different specifications. Always check what is included with the individual model, including the type of timber, glazing, flooring, roof covering, paint finish and assembly service.
Why Choose a Painted Summer House?
A professionally finished painted summer house arrives with a completed appearance rather than immediately giving you another decorating job. It can also help the building work visually with your home, fencing, paving and planting instead of looking like an unrelated timber structure placed in the garden.
An exterior coating also provides useful surface protection from normal weathering, although I would never suggest that paint can compensate for poor-quality construction. A good finish should be regarded as part of a quality summerhouse, not a substitute for one.
Grey Summer Houses
A grey summer house is one of the most popular choices for modern gardens because grey works particularly well with contemporary homes, paving, decking and rendered walls. It can create a clean, understated appearance without drawing too much attention away from the rest of the garden.
Grey covers a surprisingly broad range of shades, from pale silvery tones through to much darker charcoal finishes. Lighter greys tend to look softer, while deeper shades can create a stronger architectural look. Contrasting doors, windows or trim can also change the character of the finished building considerably.
If the exact shade matters to you, I recommend looking at a physical colour sample rather than relying entirely on a computer or telephone screen. Colour reproduction varies between devices, and the same finish can also appear different according to the light and surroundings.
What Other Coloured Summer Houses Are Available?
Grey is popular, but it is certainly not the only choice. Depending on the summerhouse range, coloured finishes can include traditional greens, blues, neutral shades and other contemporary or heritage-inspired colours.
Greens often blend very naturally with planting and mature gardens, while blues can provide a distinctive but still traditional appearance. Neutral shades can work particularly well where you want the building to complement a house or patio without dominating the garden.
My advice is to consider the complete setting. Look at the colour of your house, fences, garden furniture, paving and planting, and think about whether you want the summerhouse to blend in or deliberately become a feature.
View More Painted Summerhouse Images
We recommend OPTIONAL Demidekk Ultimate paint range which can be colour matched to suit. See examples in
our photo gallery.
Sadolin 'Atlantic Blue-Old English'
Sadolin 'Articulate' Stain
Sadolin 'Blue Grey' Stain
'Brunswick Green' Wood Stain
We recommend OPTIONAL Demidekk Ultimate paint range which can be colour matched to suit. See examples in
our photo gallery.
Sadolin 'Burlesque-White Accents'
Sadolin 'Various' Stains
Sadolin 'Cosmos' Stain
'Light Green - White Accents'
We recommend OPTIONAL Demidekk Ultimate paint range which can be colour matched to suit. See examples in
our photo gallery.
'Polynesia - White Accents'
Sadolin 'Prince Charming'
'Tokyo Bay - White Accents'
Sadolin 'White' Wood Stain
Click on images below to see larger versions of combination garden rooms with shed
We recommend OPTIONAL Demidekk Ultimate log cabin paint range which can be colour matched to suit. See examples in
our photo gallery.Please note that all colour shown are indicative only and will vary depending upon the light on the day the photo was taken. Additionally all screens will display the image differently. If exact colour is essential then please order a sample pot.
Painted Summerhouse or Natural Timber?
A painted summerhouse is a good choice if you want a finished, coordinated appearance from the outset and would rather not decorate a new building immediately after installation.
A naturally finished or treated timber summer house may be preferable if you particularly enjoy the appearance of timber or want complete freedom to apply your own treatment later. Neither finish automatically improves the underlying building. Construction and specification should always come first.
Painted or Pressure-Treated Summer House?
Paint and pressure treatment are different things. Paint provides colour and surface protection, whereas pressure treatment introduces preservative into the timber to increase its resistance to decay.
If long-term timber treatment is your main priority, it is worth comparing our pressure-treated summer houses. Some pressure-treated buildings can also have coloured finishes, so the two features are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Can a Painted Summerhouse Be Insulated?
Yes. Insulation is available on selected painted summer houses, and some of our higher-specification models are fully insulated. This can be particularly worthwhile if you plan to use the building as an office, studio, hobby room or leisure space during colder periods.
If insulation is more important to you than the colour finish, compare our dedicated insulated summer houses. Look at the complete construction, including wall, roof and floor insulation and glazing, rather than simply whether the word “insulated” appears in the description.
Apex, Pent or Corner Painted Summerhouse?
Apex Painted Summer Houses
An apex roof gives the familiar traditional summerhouse appearance, with the ridge running along the centre of the building. It suits both classic and contemporary gardens and can provide useful internal headroom towards the centre.
Pent Painted Summer Houses
A pent roof slopes in one direction and generally creates a simpler, more contemporary outline. It is particularly popular with customers looking for a modern grey summer house or a design that sits neatly alongside contemporary landscaping.
Painted Corner Summer Houses
A corner design can make productive use of a part of the garden that might otherwise be difficult to use. The doors and glazing generally face back into the garden, creating an attractive outlook and making the building feel connected with the surrounding space. You can compare our corner summer houses.
What More Than 45 Years in Garden Buildings Have Taught Me
I left school at 15 and later found my way into the garden building industry. In 1979 I started my own business trading as Marina Sheds. Working directly with timber garden buildings gave me practical experience of what makes a building good, where manufacturers sometimes save money, and which details customers should examine before buying.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990, although unfortunately I did not receive all the money I had been due from the sale. It was not the easiest business lesson, but it certainly did not end my involvement in garden buildings.
In 1992 we expanded beyond sheds and added summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. Because the business was now offering considerably more than sheds, that change of direction led to the name Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined the business in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. His carpentry training complemented the manufacturing and commercial experience I had accumulated, and garden buildings have very much been a father-and-son business for us ever since.
We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998. Then, in 2000, Craig and I decided to take a different approach and formed 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. Instead of being tied to one factory’s output, we wanted to retail quality products from selected manufacturers and give customers a genuine choice to suit their requirements.
Today Craig runs the day-to-day business, and I am here to support him as required. After working with garden buildings since 1979, the same basic principle applies: understand what you are buying, compare the construction properly, and choose the building that genuinely suits how you intend to use it.
Do Painted Summer Houses Need Maintenance?
Yes. Don’t forget the exterior timber finish once the building is installed. Paint is exposed to sunlight, rain and changing British weather, so the exterior should be inspected periodically and maintained in accordance with the coating manufacturer’s recommendations.
It is normally much easier to deal with small areas requiring attention than to leave the finish until extensive preparation and repainting become necessary. Good maintenance will also help keep your summerhouse looking attractive for longer.
Try to maintain sensible access around the building as well. Dense planting immediately against painted timber can make inspection and maintenance unnecessarily difficult.
See the Colour and Quality Before You Buy
I have been involved with garden buildings since 1979, and one thing has not changed: you can learn a great deal by seeing a building properly rather than judging it entirely from photographs. You can examine the timber, framing, floor, glazing and doors and get a much better impression of the proportions when you can actually walk inside.
If you can travel to us, I recommend visiting our Surrey garden building show site near Guildford and Woking to compare representative buildings and finishes. We cannot display every size, design and colour combination, so if you are making a special journey to see something particular, contact us beforehand.
Painted Summer House FAQs
What is a painted summerhouse?
A painted summerhouse is a timber garden building supplied with a decorative exterior colour finish rather than simply a natural or basic timber appearance. It combines usable garden leisure space with the opportunity to coordinate the building with your house and landscaping.
Are painted summerhouses better than unpainted summer houses?
Not automatically. A painted finish gives the building a completed appearance. It saves the initial decorating work, but a summerhouse’s quality still depends on its timber, framing, floors, roof, glazing, doors, and construction. I recommend comparing the complete specification first.
What colour summer house is most popular?
Grey summer houses are particularly popular for contemporary gardens, although greens, blues and neutral shades remain excellent choices. There is no single best colour; the right choice depends on your home, garden and whether you want the building to blend in or stand out.
Can I get a grey summer house?
Yes. Grey finishes are available on selected summerhouse ranges, with exact shades depending on the manufacturer and model. If the precise colour matters, I recommend checking a physical paint sample whenever possible rather than relying only on photographs on a screen.
Can coloured summer houses be insulated?
Yes. Selected coloured summer houses are available with insulation options, and some higher-specification buildings can be supplied fully insulated. If you intend regular colder-weather use, compare the complete insulation and glazing specification before ordering.
Can I choose different colours for the doors and windows?
Contrasting trim or alternative colour combinations are available on selected ranges. Options vary by manufacturer and model, so check the specific summerhouse specification before ordering.
Does the paint colour look the same as it does online?
Not necessarily. Screens, cameras, lighting and surrounding colours can all affect how a paint finish appears. When colour matching matters, a physical sample is a more reliable guide than a website photograph alone.
Find the Right Painted Summer House
The best painted summerhouse is not simply the one with the colour you like most. Start with the size, construction and layout that suit your garden and intended use, then choose the finish that complements the surroundings.
Browse the painted summer houses above, compare our wider summer houses, or look at our insulated summerhouses if regular colder-weather use is particularly important.
After more than 45 years in garden buildings, my advice remains simple: choose the quality of the building first and the colour second. A good paint finish can make a quality summerhouse look superb, but it is what sits underneath that paint that determines whether you have made the right purchase.
Robin Antill
Founder, 1st Choice Leisure Buildings
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