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Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
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12ft x 7ft Summer Houses – A Practical and Versatile Garden Building
A 12ft x 7ft summer house is a particularly useful size if you want plenty of usable space without a building that extends too far into your garden. At approximately 3.6m x 2.1m, the 12ft width provides room for seating, furniture, or a desk, while the 7ft depth makes it easier to fit in a typical garden.
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I have worked with timber garden buildings since 1979. Over the years I have seen fashions and styles change considerably, but the basic principles have not. A good summerhouse needs to be well made, suitable for how you intend to use it, and properly installed on a sound base.
Our 12 x 7 summerhouses are available in traditional and contemporary designs, including apex and pent roof styles. Depending on the model you choose, options can include quality redwood deal timber, toughened glass, solid timber floors and roofs, factory-applied colour finishes, insulation and alterations to doors and windows. Free professional installation is included with applicable Diamond and Platinum summerhouses.
Why Choose a 12 x 7 Summer House?
The proportions are one of the main attractions of a 12 x 7 summer house. Twelve feet of width gives you useful wall and floor space, but at only seven feet deep the building does not project into the garden as much as a 12 x 8, 12 x 10 or 12 x 12 model.
That makes this size suitable for many different uses. It can be a traditional summerhouse with comfortable chairs and a table, a reading room, an art or craft space, a hobby room, a children’s retreat, or somewhere to sit with family and friends. It can also work as a compact garden office if you choose a specification suitable for the amount of time you expect to spend inside.
Is a 7×12 Summerhouse the Same Size?
You may see this size described as a 7×12 summerhouse as well as a 12×7 summerhouse. Usually, these descriptions refer to the same basic footprint, but always check which measurement represents the front of the building and which represents its depth. This can be particularly important when deciding where doors and windows need to be positioned in relation to your garden.
What Should You Look for When Comparing 12 x 7 Summer Houses?
My advice is not to compare summerhouses on photographs and price alone. Two buildings described as 12ft x 7ft can have the same nominal footprint but differ significantly in the timber, framing, floor, roof, doors, glazing, and overall construction.
Think about what you actually want from the building. If it is mainly somewhere to sit during spring and summer, your requirements will be very different from somebody planning to work from their garden for several hours every day. Paying for features you will never use makes little sense, but buying a building that’s too basic for your intended use can be a false economy.
Diamond, Platinum or Royal – Which Is Right for You?
We offer different levels of garden building because there isn’t one specification that is right for everybody. Our Diamond summerhouses are a good choice for traditional summerhouse use, relaxing, hobbies, and enjoying the garden. They offer an attractive building at a sensible price without requiring you to pay for features you may not need.
Our Platinum range is worth considering when you want a higher specification, additional flexibility or insulation options. These buildings can also offer greater scope for alterations, depending on the individual model.
If your main aim is to create a room you intend to use regularly throughout the year, particularly as an office or hobby room, then one of our fully insulated Royal buildings may be more appropriate. You can also compare our range of insulated summer houses if extended-season or year-round comfort is important to you.
I wouldn’t recommend paying for a specification you don’t need, but I also wouldn’t buy a conventional summerhouse and expect it to perform like a properly insulated garden room. Decide how you are genuinely going to use the building and choose the specification from there.
Why My Experience Matters When You Buy a Summerhouse
I left school at 15 and started my own garden building business in 1979, trading as Marina Sheds. In those early days, I was directly involved with manufacturing and selling timber buildings. That hands-on experience taught me a great deal about how garden buildings are made and, importantly, where manufacturers can save money in ways that aren’t necessarily obvious from a photograph.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive all the money I was due from the sale, which was a difficult business lesson, but it didn’t put me off the garden building industry.
In 1992 we expanded the range beyond traditional sheds to include summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. That change in direction led to a new name, Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. His carpentry background brought another practical perspective to the business and, between us, we developed considerable experience of both the construction and retail sides of garden buildings.
We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998 and, in 2000, Craig and I decided to take a different approach. Instead of manufacturing everything ourselves and naturally being tied to our own products, we decided to retail selected buildings from quality manufacturers. That was when we formed 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
Craig now runs the day-to-day business, and I am there to support him and the team as required. More than four decades after I started Marina Sheds, I still take an interest in the buildings we offer and the advice we give our customers.
More Than 45 Years Around Garden Buildings
Having been involved with garden buildings since 1979, I know that impressive photographs and marketing descriptions only tell part of the story. The real test is the construction of the building, the materials used and whether the specification is appropriate for what the customer actually needs.
That experience is one of the reasons we try to give straightforward advice. Sometimes a more expensive building is justified; sometimes it isn’t. If a straightforward summerhouse will do everything you need, there is little point in encouraging you to spend substantially more. Equally, if you tell us you want to use a building as an office year-round, we will explain why insulation and the overall specification deserve much more consideration.
Timber Quality and Construction Matter
When comparing a 12ft x 7ft summer house, look beyond the style of the doors and windows. Check what the walls are made from, the framing supporting them and the construction of the floor and roof. These parts of the building are less exciting than decorative details, but they are fundamental to how substantial the finished summerhouse feels.
Many of our summerhouses use quality redwood deal timber rather than relying on cheaper alternatives. Specifications vary between ranges and individual models, so we provide detailed information on the relevant product pages and are happy to explain the differences before you make a decision.
Doors, Windows and Toughened Glass
The position of the doors and windows can make a considerable difference to how useful your summerhouse is. Before ordering, think about where you will put chairs, tables, desks or other furniture and which direction gives you the best view of the garden.
Toughened glazing is an important feature on our applicable summerhouse ranges. Besides safety, good glazing and sensible window positioning can make the interior feel brighter and more welcoming. Depending on the model, there may also be options to change the position or number of doors and windows.
Do You Need an Insulated 12 x 7 Summer House?
Insulation is worth considering if you expect to spend significant amounts of time in your summerhouse outside the warmer months. It can help make the internal environment more comfortable and reduce heat loss when the building is heated.
However, insulation isn’t automatically necessary for everybody. If your summerhouse will mainly be used on pleasant spring and summer days, a conventional timber building may be all you need. If it is intended as a regular garden office, studio or hobby room, I would give insulation much more serious consideration.
Professional Installation
A well-made building still needs to be assembled correctly. Free professional installation is included with applicable Diamond and Platinum summerhouses, meaning the building is erected for you rather than arriving as a pile of panels for you to assemble yourself.
There are practical requirements for installation, including suitable access and a correctly prepared base, so please check the information for the individual building before ordering. If anything about access to your garden is unusual, tell us beforehand, and we can advise you.
A Good Base Is Essential
Whatever 7×12 summerhouse you choose, it needs a firm, flat and level base. This is something I would never recommend cutting corners on. If the base is uneven, the building can sit incorrectly, which may affect the floor and the operation of doors and windows.
If you already have a suitable concrete or paving base, that may be perfectly adequate provided it is flat, level and the correct size. If you need a new base, we can help with suitable options. You can find more information about our garden building base and additional services.
Can You Have a Bespoke 12 x 7 Summer House?
Many of our summerhouses can be altered to suit individual requirements. Depending on the range, this can include changes to the position of doors and windows, different styles, colour options and non-standard sizes.
This can be particularly useful if your garden has an awkward layout or you need the doors and windows positioned to make the best use of the view and available space. Gardens don’t always conveniently match standard catalogue dimensions, and sometimes a relatively small alteration makes a big difference to the finished building.
Factory-Applied Paint and Colour Options
Depending on the summerhouse selected, factory-applied paint finishes may be available in a choice of colours. Besides changing the appearance of the building, a professionally applied finish can save you the job of treating or painting a new summerhouse immediately after installation.
Colour is a personal choice, but consider the surroundings rather than looking at the building in isolation. The house, fencing, paving and planting can all influence whether a natural timber finish, traditional colour or more contemporary shade works best.
Why I Still Recommend Seeing Summerhouses Before You Buy
The internet has made researching garden buildings far easier than when I started Marina Sheds in 1979, but photographs still cannot tell you everything.
You cannot feel how substantial the floor is, open and close the doors or properly judge whether a building feels comfortable until you stand inside representative models.
That is why I continue to recommend visiting our Surrey garden building display site if you can. We have almost 80 display buildings in timber, metal and concrete, allowing you to compare construction, specifications and features in person.
We cannot display every model in every possible size, but seeing representative summerhouses can tell you far more than photographs alone. If you are travelling specifically to see a particular model, check with us beforehand.
Where Should You Position Your 12 x 7 Summer House?
Before choosing a model, think carefully about where it will sit. Consider the direction of the sun, the view from the windows, access from your house and how the summerhouse will look from other parts of the garden.
Also allow enough practical space around the building for installation and future maintenance. Placing a summerhouse hard against a fence or boundary may make treatment and maintenance unnecessarily difficult later.
Check Whether You Need Planning Permission
Many domestic summerhouses can be installed without making a planning application because they may fall within permitted development rights, but this depends on the building, its position, height, intended use and your individual property. Different restrictions can also apply to listed buildings, designated land and properties where permitted development rights have been removed.
Planning rules are ultimately the responsibility of the property owner, so if there is any doubt, I recommend checking with your local planning authority before ordering rather than relying on assumptions.
Choosing the Right 12ft x 7ft Summer House
Start with what you want the building to do. Then compare the construction, layout and specification rather than choosing solely on appearance or price. Think about where you want the doors and windows, whether an apex or pent roof suits your garden, how much natural light you want and whether insulation or a factory-applied finish is worthwhile.
If you have reached this page looking specifically for a 12ft x 7ft summer house, the models above are a good place to start. If the size isn’t quite right, you can also browse our complete range of summer houses and compare alternative dimensions and styles.
My Advice Before You Order
Measure the available space carefully and don’t just measure once. Check access to the garden, consider the base, decide which way you want the doors to open, and plan where your furniture will go. Most importantly, be realistic about how you intend to use the summerhouse. These simple decisions can prevent a lot of disappointment later.
If you’re unsure which 12 x 7 summer house would suit you best, please contact us. Please tell us what you want from the building, and Craig, me, or one of the team will help you understand your options. Our aim is not simply to sell you a summerhouse; it’s to help you choose one that is right for you and your garden.
Robin Antill
Founder, 1st Choice Leisure Buildings
From £3928
