Constucting Summerhouses
Planning is Essential before Erecting these Cabin Style Buildings
Feb 11, 2008
There are a number of kits for cabin style summerhouses available with companies offering a variety of shapes and sizes. This article is concerned with tongue and groove plank construction. They all require a suitable base to be prepared before assembly and the manufacturers give detailed requirements on its size and construction.
What the manufacturers don’t take into account, because they can’t, is the nature of the site where you will erect your summerhouse. And this is where the potential problems lie. Your particular site is unique so a careful appraisal of the area will enable you to get from flat pack to summerhouse with minimal trouble. Here are some of the things well worth considering beforehand.
The Ground
The size of the site is obviously important. In addition to being large enough for the summerhouse itself, you will need sufficient ground encircling the area for you to work easily and safely – remember you are going to have to work from a ladder to get the roof on.
The Neighbours
Is your site near a boundary fence? Will you need access to your neighbour’s land to erect your summerhouse? It’s sensible to talk to them beforehand otherwise you may end up with your summerhouse in a less than ideal position or never getting it further than the flat pack.
The Air
Check the height that your shed is going to be, don’t estimate it, and make sure that there is sufficient clearance from trees and bushes when you are working on the roof. The last thing you need when you’re up there fixing tiles or shingles is to get caught up on a branch or vicious thorn.
The Roof
Whilst on the subject of the roof, this could be your trickiest problem. Most kits come with the roof as three or four quite heavy panels. With one person on a ladder trying to position and secure the panel and the other person on the ground passing it up, strains on arms and tempers are likely. It’s a little easier if there are three people but not much.
To avoid some of this trouble cut the roof panels in half to make them lighter and then put in extra wooden roof beams to support the smaller sheet sizes.
The Floor
The floor often comes in large sheets like the roof. Some manufacturers suggest that you put the floor down after you have erected the walls to full height. They do this so that the floor doesn’t get stained or dirty from working whilst building the walls.
This is fine except that it can be very difficult getting several large floor panels in and laid whilst you are in the shed hemmed in by the walls you’ve just put up.
It’s probably best to lay the floor panel before walls go up if you can. Build the wall to around knee high and then fit the floor panels. Cover the floor panels with plastic sheets for protection when you continue with the walls.
Some kit instructions tell you to fit the door and frame when the walls are around three planks high, around eighteen inches. This is fine on a still day but a sudden gust of wind before many more wall planks can be fitted may well bring the door and frame down, risking damage. Build the walls to waist high before fitting the door.
Tip
To make it easier to slide the windows and doors into position, rub soap along the grooves at the sides of the frames.
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