Home & Garden

Transforming Your Summer House for the Winter Months

Summer houses make the perfect addition to your garden in the warmer months. They make great playhouses for small children, secluded hang-out areas for teenagers and a nice place to spend the evening when you have guests over. It’s a shame to let your summer house go unused during the winter, especially when just a few of these easy changes could adapt it to suit the colder months.

Transforming Your Summer House for the Winter Months

Make it Cosy and Comfortable

The first step is to switch out your summer furniture for something a little more comfortable. A cheap sofa picked up in the sale is perfect, as you’re more likely to spend more time in your summer house if you can lounge around comfortably. A large, plush rug will make the space feel cosier and warmer, whilst keeping a basket of soft blankets and slippers will make it a more inviting place to spend those crisp, cold winter evenings. Some heavy curtains will also make the space feel like a little living room, and they’ll have the added bonus of helping to keep out the cold.

Add a Fan Heater

Obviously adding a few homely touches just isn’t enough, and you’ll need to generate some heat in what is often thought of as a glorified shed. A fan heater will be sufficient to heat the whole room, and will be a simple addition as you’ll presumably already have an outdoor power supply to light up the summer house during the evenings.

Stock up on Entertainment

Housing a few of your favourite books in the summer house will encourage you to take a stroll down the garden to read, and consequently you’ll get more use out of your winter-adapted summer house. Put a cheap TV in there too and you’ll be more likely to spend time in there as a family. You could even have a scheduled movie night where the family heads out into the garden and cosies up in the summer house with snacks and a film. Obviously you’ll need to install some security, like a sturdy lock and an alarm system to protect any semi-valuable equipment you decide to house in there.

If you never got round to investing in a summer house during the warmer months, you might even be able to get a discounted one at this time of year from somewhere like Sheds and Things. How you’ve seen the potential for a winter-adapted summer house, there’s no excuse not to get started!