Summer Houses
A summer house for the garden is a great asset at your home so you need to ensure you choose wisely. The Platinum and Diamond, which are both family businesses, supply quality summer houses for sale made to last and to look good.
Using Redwood deal timber cladding, which is long lasting, toughened glass and robust attractive doors and windows they can take all that ‘Mother Nature’ can through at them. No OSB is used on these buildings, just ‘proper’ timber.
We erect all of the summerhouses free of charge and can arrange a base building service for you to make your life easy. All sizes to suit your needs so don’t’ accept a compromise.
We strongly advise people to take the time and look at the buildings they are thinking of buying. Come and see us at our Surrey showrooms and make your own mind up. No ‘pushy’ sale persons – just free buying advice.
View AllHow Do You Make The Right Decision?
It appears to be easy to buy a summer house – just take a look on the ‘web’ see a building which takes your fancy and then try to find the best price – easy -peasy! Well – NO. This is because there is such a large range of summer buildings available with the quality (or absence of it with many of the cheap ‘make down to a price’ ones) varying tremendously. So you do need to be very careful to ensure you are not disappointed.
1st Choice Summer Buildings – are All Made to Very High Standards and Quality.
Buy From an Established Garden Building Business
By buying from a business which has been established a long time you can be reasonably sure that they have gained a great deal of expertise in the market. Also and more importantly, they listen to their customers. You will find that most established businesses actually do have ‘bricks and mortar’ premises and they use the ‘web’ as a tool to inform the public of their range of products. These type of businesses tend to employ staff who you can actually talk to (just like in days gone by – how quaint, but nice). Whereas many web sites expect you to communicate through the wonders of email, which is good but will never beat ‘actually’ talking.
1st Choice were established in 1979 – and have been in summerhouses since then. There is a physical office where you can talk to us – face to face. Read More Secrets
Buying Summer Houses in the UK has never been easier.
If you are interested in a new summerhouse, sunroom or summer building for your home – whether it’s for sitting out in the garden on a sunny day, or for using it as a recreation area or hobby room or somewhere to store your leisure equipment or gardening supplies – then you find will find a large range on offer on our 1st Choice Leisure Buildings web site.
Our wide range of summer buildings, sunrooms, home offices and garden studios are available to be delivered and assembled at your home. All these buildings are ideally suited from small back gardens right up to very large gardens and can be used for domestic, recreational or professional use. To suit the needs of you all our buildings, which include log cabins, sunrooms, summerhouses and wood built home offices can be bespoke, both in size and design, so it meets YOUR requirements. Why settle for anything less? We always strive to ensure we are your 1st Choice for your garden buildings
Can I view the Summer Buildings Before I Buy?
The internet is a wonderful tool for seeing what is available and it can be very easy to purchase a summerhouse online sitting at home in England & Wales. With just a few clicks you can have made a decision, paid for a new summer house or sunroom and before you know it your new garden building will on its way to your home in England & Wales. The fact that it is so easy and quick means sometimes the decision made is the WRONG one.
There are many manufacturers who are making these buildings down to a price and not to a set quality and this is where trouble can occur. Your new sunroom will have to stand up to the full force of our British weather and any shortcomings in the materials used will expose your summerhouse through its weaknesses.
So how can you tell? The best way to tell whether the summer houses on offer are likely to be made to a good standard is when the retailer actually gives you an opportunity to view it before buying. If they don’t then you really need to be very cautious before spending your hard earned money on a summerhouse which could let you down.
It’s always worth checking out previous customers feedback, but only on independent sites.
Click Here For A Walk Through Of Our Display Site
You will find that the majority of summer houses retailers on the web do not offer an option to view beforehand. At 1st Choice, after being involved in manufacturing since 1979, we set up a display area back in 2003 to demonstrate to our customers the high quality of our range of buildings. Even if our showroom is a little way from you and you may decide it too far to go, the fact that it is there should give you the confidence in the ethics of 1st Choice.
Don’t make the mistake when buying a summer house, which others may have done, ALWAYS, if possible, ensure you see your new summerhouse before pressing that final click on the Checkout page. It’s very easy to rue that mistake afterwards and wish that you have been a little more careful. So, if possible, take a drive from your home to view the great range of buildings which we have for you to view. At the last count, we have about 80 various buildings which show how commitment to displaying the very best. This will ensure you have made an informed and wise decision.
Platinum and Diamond Summer Buildings Available
On our 1st Choice web site, you are able to spend time looking at our extensive range of garden houses, sunrooms and home offices and to view all the detailed specifications of all the ranges. You can even download the relevant leaflets and price lists from our web site. Our range of buildings, sunrooms and cabins from the Platinum and Diamond ranges have been sold throughout England & Wales and surrounding area for a great number of years.
To back up our claim of being the 1st Choice we are proud to have been involved in the manufacture of them since 1979, nearly FOUR decades. Overall this time we have followed the ethos that quality is always first, even if the price is a little more than some of the ‘cheap’ ones available on the web. At the end of the day we have to live with our conscience and being a family firm, ever since we started, we believe in fair play. With the latest two grandchildren on the scene, this is more important than ever for their futures as well as ours.
Our display centre showroom also showcases our selection of summer buildings, summerhouses and cabins, all made in the UK and all built to last.
Should I Choose An Insulated Summer Room in The UK
The summerhouse for your garden is enjoyed traditionally through the warmer months and then, maybe, used as a storage place through the winter. Well, how about being able to use it all year round? By investing a little more and having your summer room insulated you can use this wonderful building all year round. Your children can be out from under your feet and they can use it as their own with their computer games, music or chilling with their friends. Mum or Dad could use it as a ‘man cave’ or ‘she den’ for their own hobbies or pastimes. Or an insulated summerhouse could be used as a home office for your business and if so, the cost would be tax deductible against your business which is a ‘win-win’ for you.
Can I Insulate My Summer Building After Delivery?
It’s reasonably easy to insulate a summerhouse if you have semi-reasonable DIY skills. You would need to buy polystyrene or fibreglass insulation and then cut this and fit it in between the internal framework. The fibreglass insulation will need tacking into place to stop it moving before you fix the inner skin. This can be plywood, hardboard (which you can get with an attractive veneer on it) or even T&G boarding. This is OK for the walls but the roof can be a little tricky as you have to put the insulation into place, but you have gravity working against you, making fitting the inner skin fiddly. You would need 2 or 3 people to do the roof. After you have completed that it would also be a good idea to use cover strips over the joins to finish it off.
What Other Options Do I Have?
On all our Platinum summerhouses and garden summer buildings we are able to offer a full range of insulated options. The walls and roof can be lined and insulated enabling you to benefit from all year round use. We normally use a Kingspan quality insulation which is a solid composition with foil backing. There is a range of different internal linings. Before finishing the building it will have internal trims fitted ensuring a delightful finish. With a choice of internal cladding, you can choose one to suit you.
How Much Will Insulation Cost For My Sunhouse?
All of our Platinum pages have links to the prices of the basic buildings and on the order form, you will see the cost for that particular model. On some, there is even an option to insulate the floor for even better protection from the elements. One of the questions is whether you can afford it. Well, if you would like to use your new garden building all year round then it’s worth working out what this all year round use is worth to you. To be able to have an all year round office or hobby room is a great asset and a little piece of calm away from our mad world.
Will My Summer House Be Warm In The Winter?
If your building is insulated either by yourself or through our service then it will be nearly as warm as inside your house. Like your house during the colder spells, you will have to have some form of heating inside. Ideally, an electric radiator, but never a Calor gas heater. Besides the flammability of it – these types of heaters give off a lot of moisture and can make the building damp. Avoid at all costs!
Besides keeping your new summerhouse warm in the winter it will help to keep it cooler in the summer. And this is something which not many people think about. And to be honest I never used to think about that but on our show site we had a normal summer building next to an insulated sunroom and I was checking them over. When I went from the normal one into the insulated one I could not believe the difference in temperature. I had to go back into the uninsulated one to check, so well worth doing.
Can I Receive A Personal Quote?
We are, of course, very happy to supply you with a firm quote to meet your needs.
Just call us on (0333) 800 8880, use our contact form or visit our display sites near Woking and Farnham.
Help With Planning Permission For Garden Buildings
If you need help about planning permission take a look at our page about planning requirements for garden storage sheds on our web site or go direct to the Planning Portal Official Site
General Help And Advice for Buildings in the Garden
If you need help and shed buying tips then take a look at our page with advice about buying on our web site or go direct to the Which Garden Shed UK Reviews
How Qualified Are We To Offer Advice?
We, being a family business, have been involved in the manufacture of quality summer buildings for sale since 1979 when Robin started his first production unit. Craig, Robin’s son, joined in 1990 and trained at Guildford College in joinery. And for over 20 years we ran one of the largest UK shed companies in the south of England and made the conscious decision to only deal with quality materials which we knew would last the test of time. This ethos probably comes from our upbringing. Robin’s father and grandfather were Master Butchers in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire and Quality and Customer Service was always the keyword behind their businesses.
Craig is a key member of the business and is helping 1st Choice to embrace the challenges of the 21st century. And with his two children, Daniel and Rebecca, the future looks very promising. So as you can see we are not just salespeople selling a range of products who know nothing of little about the products but have the history behind us to ensure that when you choose ‘1st Choice’ then you know your building actually will be ‘1st Choice.
Written By Robin - Expert in Garden Buildings For 39 Years.Hi, I'm Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, and I use my expertise gained over 39 years in the garden buildings industry to understand that each customer is different. With my manufacturing, retailing and customer service experience my articles help people choose their ideal shed, garden workshop, summerhouse, log cabin or garden office needs to suit their requirement and that is key to satisfaction. And what do I do when I'm not writing? You may find me following Grimsby Town Football Club or riding roller coasters - so plenty of 'ups and downs' in my life.
Always View Summer Houses for Sale Before Buying
With the ‘web’, with its flashy web pages, and possibly a glossy brochure you will never really know what your proposed building will be like in ‘real life’. This is why it’s crucial to try to view any potential summer building before delivery. This way will ensure that you can see how well it’s been made, that there is enough height inside, you can see than the doors and windows are solidly made (and not flimsy, cheap and nasty) and what quality of timber which has been used. Whilst many companies on the ‘web’ claim it’s best to buy online and that you can save money it’s never possible to be sure what you will actually get. If they are not prepared to let you see their buildings beforehand then you need to be very wary. It’s a fact that the cheapest price is not always the best value.
1st Choice Summer Buildings – has a summer rooms show site near Guildford and Farnham in Surrey. Just outside Guildford and Farnham and not far from the M25
Click Here For A Walk Through Of Our Display Site
Ensure the Timber Used is the Best for the These Summer Houses
It’s possible that you can save money by selecting one of these cheaper buildings but you need to ensure that only the best and correct materials are used in it. This means using timber which comes from the colder parts of Europe such as Sweden, Norway, Finland where it grows very slowly. This cold weather means it has the greatest density ensuring it remains very stable even in the UK variable weather. The cheaper garden huts are made using faster growing cheaper whitewood trees meaning it is likely to have more movement in your garden. Which is not good in the long run.
1st Choice Sun Rooms are only made using slow growing Redwood Deal.
Insist on Toughened Glass in Your New Garden Summer Building
You will find the better summerhouse will have toughened glass as standard but on the cheap buildings will have horticultural glass. This is actually ‘second-grade’ glass and you will normally be able to see defects in it. Away from the busy activity, it can be just about OK but on buildings which are being used regularly it best not to take any chances. If it breaks it breaks into jagged pieces and you would not want your children or grandchildren getting hurt. Horticultural glass does reduce the cost of the building but is it worth the risk?
1st Choice Contemporary Summer Houses – have toughened windows.
Do You Want a ‘Run of the Mill’ Garden Building or Are Your Special?
The advantages for standard sizes and layouts are that this can help to keep the cost down, but quite often if you would like a size to suit YOUR garden or you would like doors and windows in a different place you would be out of luck. This is why it’s good to talk to a garden building company who can make your summerhouse to suit YOU. It may be a little more expensive but the extra cost can make the difference between ‘putting up with the available options’ or getting the best use for YOUR garden.
1st Choice Bespoke Summer Rooms can be made in ‘more or less’ any size to suit you. Also, the layout and design of these buildings is also flexible and can bespoke to suit you.
Are All Summer Houses Sections Pre-Cut to Shape
Ensure that all the gable and shaped ends are supplied cut to shape and size. Unbelievably some cheap summerhouse manufacturers supply shaped ends needing to be cut by you. This saves money but mean more work for you and the possibility of mistakes.
All Summer Buildings from 1st Choice – have pre-cut panels in shape as well as size.
Check Out Feedback From Previous Customers
The advantage of the ‘web’ and social media means that any ‘bad apples’ or companies selling bad buildings can quickly be isolated. So this is one way to find out a little more about the company form whom you be thinking of buying a summerhouse from. Can be very enlightening and can help to put your mind at rest.
You Can See INDEPENDENT Customer Feedback on this page.
Check Out Summer Buildings Buying Advice
The advantage of long standing businesses is that they share good advice about buying summer buildings This helps you to make the correct decision for you.
Take a look these Buying Advice Pages to give you further insights as to what you should look out for.
See At Our UK Show Sites In Surrey And See How Good These Summer Houses For Sale Are. Any Questions? Call Right Now!
So when you ‘search for summerhouses near me’ and whether it’s contemporary, insulated, corner, large or small – or sun houses, garden studios for your home – whether it’s for sitting out in the garden on a sunny day, or for using it for a recreation area or hobby room or somewhere to store your leisure equipment or gardening supplies – then you find will find a large range on offer on our 1st Choice Leisure Buildings web site. And if our standard range doesn’t suit then we can make bespoke summerhouses for your needs. All buildings assembled free of charge so why settle for anything less?
We always strive to ensure we should be your 1st Choice. A family business established in 1979.
Main Product Ranges
Farnham Show Site
1st Choice Leisure Buildings
Squires Garden Centre,
Bagshot Lea Road,
Badshot Lea,
Farnham,
GU9 9JX UK
Woking Show Site
1st Choice Leisure Buildings
Sutton Green Garden Centre,
Whitmoor Ln,
Sutton Green,
Guildford,
GU4 7QA UK
1st Choice Leisure Buildings For Log Cabins, Summer Houses, Garden Offices & Concrete Garages
Call us today on 0800 999 6995 email 1clb@leisurebuildings.com
