Small Summer Houses at a Glance
Construction: Quality redwood deal timber · Sizes: Compact sizes for smaller gardens, with models starting from around 6x6ft · Glazing: Toughened glass as standard · Floors: Solid wooden floors included · Styles: Apex, pent, corner, traditional and contemporary designs.
Uses: Garden retreat, home office, reading room, hobby space, art studio or exercise room · Installation: Free professional installation available on many models, subject to delivery area · Options: Insulation, coloured paint finishes and bespoke designs available · Bases: Base building service available · See before you buy: Full-size summer houses on display at our Surrey show site near Guildford, Woking and Ripley.
Need advice? Our experienced team can help with summer house size, style, specification, insulation, base requirements, installation and delivery before you order.
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Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
Click on images below to see larger versions of summerhouses
l 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
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Choosing a Small Summerhouse
A small summerhouse can give you a proper garden retreat without dominating the available space. It’s best to decide exactly what you want to do inside it. Somewhere for two chairs and a coffee table needs far less room than a garden office, art studio or hobby room with storage, and that difference should influence the building you choose.
When space is limited, every door, window and item of furniture matters. Mark the footprint on the ground, place a chair or desk inside the marked area if possible and imagine opening the doors and moving around the room. A carefully planned small summerhouse can be considerably more useful than a larger building with the wrong layout.
How Small Is a Small Summerhouse?
The genuinely compact choices currently displayed include the Diamond Ashington, which starts at around 5ft x 7ft, and the Platinum Bursledon Corner, Platinum Hamble Corner and Diamond Worthing Corner, which start at approximately 6ft x 6ft. These are the first buildings I would compare if you are specifically looking for a tiny summer house.
Other designs on the page begin at around 8ft x 6ft. That is still relatively compact, but it gives you noticeably more usable space for a desk, larger chairs, shelving or hobby equipment. I would choose according to what needs to fit inside rather than treating “small” as one fixed dimension.
Tiny Summer Houses for Very Small Gardens
If your garden is particularly restricted, a tiny summer house can provide somewhere to sit, read or enjoy a hobby without taking over the lawn or patio. Compact corner buildings can be especially useful because they make use of garden space that might otherwise be difficult to furnish or landscape effectively.
Do not assume that the smallest model will automatically be the best. Allow enough room for comfortable seating, door swings, and movement inside, and leave appropriate external clearance for installation and future maintenance.
Small Corner Summerhouses
Corner summerhouses can be a very effective choice where garden space is limited. The Platinum Bursledon Corner, Platinum Hamble Corner and Diamond Worthing Corner are currently available from approximately 6ft x 6ft, making them some of the most compact summerhouses in the range.
The angled frontage can direct doors and glazing back towards the main garden rather than towards a fence or boundary. I would still mark out the footprint before ordering and think carefully about the view from the seating position, the direction the doors open, and where furniture will sit.
Small Apex or Pent Summerhouse?
An apex roof gives you the familiar traditional pitched-roof appearance, while a pent roof provides a cleaner single-slope profile. Neither style is automatically better. In a small garden, I would consider how the roof looks alongside the house and fencing as well as how the doors and windows affect the usable interior.
Buildings such as the Platinum Highclere and Fleet provide apex alternatives, while Twyford and Odiham offer pent-roof designs. Their ranges begin at around 8ft x 6ft, so they can still work where you have slightly more space than the smallest corner models require.
What About the Winchester Summerhouses?
The Platinum Winchester Apex, Winchester Pent and Winchester Transverse are unusual because their size ranges begin at around 8ft x 6ft but extend to much larger buildings. You therefore do not need a large garden to consider a Winchester; the same design can work as a relatively compact summerhouse.
The Apex gives you a traditional pitched roof, the Pent provides a single-slope roof and the Transverse offers another frontage and roof orientation. All three currently provide insulation and colour options so I would compare their layouts as well as their appearance.
Can a Small Summerhouse Be Used as a Garden Office?
Yes, provided you plan it around one person’s workspace rather than expecting a compact building to behave like a large office. A modest desk, office chair and a small amount of shelving can fit very effectively into some small summerhouses if the doors and windows have been positioned sensibly.
If you intend to work inside regularly during colder weather, consider insulation, heating, ventilation, glazing, electricity and internet connectivity as well as floor area. You can compare our insulated summer houses if extended-season use is important.
Can a Tiny Summer House Be Used for Hobbies?
Yes. Reading, writing, sewing, painting, crafts, and other hobbies that don’t require large equipment can work particularly well in a compact garden room. A dedicated small space can be more useful than constantly setting equipment up and putting it away inside the house.
Think about whether you need natural light or uninterrupted wall space more. Lots of glazing can make a small room feel open and bright, but windows also take up space where you could otherwise add shelving or cupboards.
Should a Small Summerhouse Be Insulated?
Insulation is worthwhile when the way you intend to use the building justifies it. If you mainly want somewhere pleasant to sit during spring and summer, you may not need a fully insulated specification. If you intend to work or pursue hobbies for longer periods during colder weather, insulation becomes more useful.
Insulation does not itself heat a summerhouse; it reduces the rate of heat transfer through the structure. Heating, glazing and ventilation also matter, so I recommend comparing the complete specification rather than assuming an insulated label automatically guarantees comfortable year-round use.
Diamond or Platinum Small Summerhouse?
I would normally compare Diamond if you want a quality timber summerhouse primarily for relaxation, hobbies and conventional seasonal garden use. The Diamond range also provides useful bespoke options on applicable designs and includes some genuinely compact buildings.
Platinum is worth considering when you want a higher specification or insulation options. The right range isn’t automatically the most expensive; it is the building whose construction, dimensions, and options suit what you genuinely intend to do inside it.
You can also compare our complete summer houses range if you are still deciding whether a slightly larger building might suit you better.
Why I Look Beyond the Photograph
After working with timber garden buildings since 1979, I know that two attractive photographs can hide considerable differences in construction. Photographs show style very well, but they cannot tell you everything about timber quality, framing, floors, roofs, doors, glazing or joinery.
I look at the whole building. Good cladding needs suitable framing behind it, substantial doors depend on proper joinery, and a solid floor needs adequate support. That matters just as much on a tiny summer house as it does on one of our largest garden buildings.
Why Timber, Floors and Toughened Glass Matter
The applicable summerhouses shown use quality timber construction, solid wooden floors and toughened glazing. These basic parts interest me more than many decorative extras because you will depend on them whenever you use the building.
If practical, inspect the building before buying. Stand on the floor, open and close the doors and look at the window joinery and internal framing. Those details can tell you considerably more about how a building has been made than a photograph or one impressive headline measurement.
Can a Small Summerhouse Be Made Bespoke?
Yes. Bespoke options are available on selected Diamond and Platinum summerhouses and can include changes to dimensions, doors, windows and layout. Bespoke flexibility can be especially valuable in a small garden because moving a door or window by a relatively modest amount may allow the whole building to fit or make the interior considerably easier to furnish.
If your available garden space is restricted, measure it carefully and tell us the maximum dimensions you can accommodate. It is better to design the summerhouse around the site than to discover after ordering that a standard building leaves insufficient clearance.
Can a Small Summer House Include Storage?
Yes, although there is inevitably a trade-off. Dividing a very small summerhouse into separate leisure and storage areas can leave both sections too restricted, so think carefully about how much storage you genuinely need.
If combining both functions is important, compare our summer houses with shed storage. In some cases, a slightly larger combination building makes more sense than trying to squeeze two functions into the smallest possible footprint.
A Small Summerhouse Still Needs the Right Base
A compact building still needs a firm, flat and level foundation. I have seen customers focus on the summerhouse itself and then treat the base as an afterthought, but an unsuitable or uneven foundation can affect how the structure sits and how its doors operate.
Choose the summerhouse first and then prepare the foundation to the manufacturer’s precise required dimensions. Our summer house base guide explains the main options and why correct preparation matters.
Professional Fitting on Small Summer Houses
Professional fitting or assembly is included on many of the small summerhouses displayed, subject to the individual building, delivery area, suitable garden access and the required prepared base. A small building may look straightforward to assemble, but installers familiar with the product can remove a substantial job and ensure the components are put together in the intended sequence.
If your garden is compact, access can sometimes be more challenging than the building size itself. Narrow side passages, tight turns, steps and walls should be considered before ordering. Please contact us if you are unsure about access.
See Small Summerhouses Before You Buy
When I started in garden buildings in 1979, there was no internet, so customers naturally inspected buildings before buying them. Online photographs make research much easier today, but they cannot show you how a floor feels underfoot, how a door operates or whether a compact interior feels comfortable once you stand inside it.
That is why I still recommend visiting our Surrey garden building display site if practical. We cannot display every model and size, but representative buildings let you compare timber, doors, glazing, construction, and proportions before choosing.
My Garden Building Experience Goes Back to 1979
I’m Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings. I left school at 15 and started my garden building business in 1979, trading as Marina Sheds. I learnt the business hands-on by making and selling timber buildings, delivering them and dealing directly with customers, and that experience still influences how I assess garden buildings today.
I sold Marina Sheds in 1990, although unfortunately I did not receive all the money that was due to me from the sale. It was a difficult business lesson, but it did not end my involvement with garden buildings.
From Marina Sheds to Titan Garden Buildings
By 1992 we had expanded beyond sheds and added summerhouses, garages, garden rooms and log cabins. Marina Sheds no longer properly described what we were doing, so that wider direction meant a change of name to Titan Garden Buildings.
My son Craig joined me in 1992 after studying carpentry at Guildford College from 1990. His carpentry training brought further practical timber and woodworking knowledge into the business alongside the experience I had gained from manufacturing, selling and working directly with customers.
Why Craig and I Formed 1st Choice Leisure Buildings
We sold Titan Garden Buildings in 1998. In 2000, Craig and I decided to take a different approach. Rather than manufacture everything ourselves and naturally be limited to our own designs, we chose to retail carefully selected quality garden buildings from established manufacturers. That decision led to the formation of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings.
I still believe that independence matters because different customers need different specifications. Somebody wanting a tiny summer house for reading and relaxing does not necessarily need the same building as somebody wanting an insulated office. Our role is to explain those differences rather than automatically recommend the most expensive option.
Craig now runs the day-to-day business, and I am there to support him and the team whenever required. You can read more about my background, Craig and the development of the business on our About 1st Choice Leisure Buildings page.
What More Than 45 Years Has Taught Me About Small Summerhouses
One of the main things I have learnt is that small buildings require careful planning rather than less planning. When floor space is limited, the position of every door, window, chair, desk and cupboard matters, and relatively small design changes can make a surprisingly large difference.
I have also learnt not to judge quality by size or price alone. A tiny summer house still needs suitable timber, framing, floors, doors, glazing and a good foundation. Buy the specification that suits how you genuinely intend to use the building.
Frequently Asked Questions About Small Summerhouses
What is the smallest summerhouse available?
The current range includes genuinely compact buildings. The Diamond Ashington starts at approximately 5ft x 7ft, while the Platinum Bursledon Corner, Platinum Hamble Corner and Diamond Worthing Corner start at around 6ft x 6ft. Always check the precise manufacturer’s dimensions before preparing your garden.
Is a 6×6 summerhouse big enough?
A 6×6 summerhouse can be perfectly practical for one or two people using compact seating, reading, relaxing or pursuing a hobby. It becomes more restrictive if you want a large sofa, substantial desk or extensive storage, so mark the footprint out and measure the furniture you intend to use.
What is the best small summerhouse for a corner?
The Platinum Bursledon Corner, Platinum Hamble Corner and Diamond Worthing Corner are all current compact corner designs starting at around 6ft x 6ft. The best choice depends on the exact dimensions, construction, insulation requirements and the view and access available in your garden.
Can a tiny summer house be used as an office?
Yes, provided you plan it as a compact one-person workspace. A modest desk, office chair and some shelving can work well, but for regular colder-weather use you should also consider insulation, heating, ventilation, electricity and internet connectivity.
Can small summerhouses be insulated?
Yes. Insulation is available on selected compact Platinum designs, and some models are fully insulated. Check the complete wall, roof, floor, glazing and lining specification rather than assuming all small summerhouses have the same insulation options.
Can a small summerhouse be made bespoke?
Yes. Selected Diamond and Platinum buildings offer bespoke options which may include changes to dimensions, doors, windows and layout. This can be particularly useful when garden space is limited, or an existing wall, tree, or pathway restricts where the building can stand.
Does a tiny summer house need a proper base?
Yes. A small building still needs a firm, flat and level foundation suitable for the exact model. Don’t assume a compact summerhouse can sit on uneven soil or grass; check the manufacturer’s base requirements before installation.
Do small summerhouses need planning permission?
Many domestic summerhouses can fall within permitted development rights, but this depends on factors including the property, building height, position, proximity to boundaries and intended use. Small size alone does not guarantee permission isn’t needed, so check the requirements for your property if you are unsure.
Is fitting included with small summer houses?
Professional fitting or assembly is included with many of the applicable buildings shown, subject to the individual product, delivery area, suitable site access and the correct prepared base. Always check the individual product details for the precise installation conditions.
My Advice Before Buying a Small Summerhouse
After working with timber garden buildings since 1979, my advice is simple: decide exactly what you want to do inside, mark the footprint out in your garden, measure the furniture you intend to use and compare the actual construction rather than choosing solely from photographs. With a small summerhouse, careful planning is especially important because every bit of usable space counts.
Craig, the team and I are here to explain the differences rather than automatically direct you towards the most expensive building. Please tell us how much room you have and how you intend to use your summerhouse, and we can help you compare compact corner, apex, pent, insulated and bespoke options.
Robin Antill
Founder, 1st Choice Leisure Buildings
From £3249
