Summer houses are becoming ever more popular with the homeowner for multiple reasons. These outdoor buildings acquire multiple uses that can often benefit both everyday life and financial gain, and with so many available purposes comes the increased desire for the need of a summer house in a garden. GBC Group, the UK’s premier retailer of quality garden and leisure buildings have explained just exactly why the demand for summer houses are rising.
Cheaper than upsizing
When a homeowner outgrows their home it’s not always easy to simply purchase a house that is on a larger scale but still has everything that the current home already provides. If the urgent reason for moving is purely down to space, then the option to purchase a summer house to provide additional living areas is much more cost effective. Not only does investing in a summer house have the ability to increase the value of your home, it also provides the option to avoid additional costs associated with moving, such as solicitor fees, removal vehicle hire and an increase in mortgage repayments.
Home office
The option to work from home is quickly becoming more of a widely available option, with many employers valuing the benefits this behaviour creates in terms of employee satisfaction, and employees value the financial gain thanks to a reduction in commuter costs. While working from home can have its benefits, it’s extremely important to have a process in place that ensures that work life and personal life can still be kept separate. To avoid blurring the boundaries, summer houses are being used for the sole purpose of creating an at home office.
Storage
One of the main motives for the increased purchasing of summer houses is to gain more space. Property owners have the opportunity to use these buildings as an area for extra storage and in many instances can even treat the area as more of a shed-like space. Rather than being hindered with garden products in the house, a summer house is can often result in a tidier and more organised environment.
Better social life
Summer houses create the perfect social space for garden parties, gatherings such as book clubs or even time for one’s self to get away from a busy household. The popularity of social occasions is consistently increasing and with the unpredictability of the UK’s weather, having a roof that you can rely on to keep warm and dry if rain was to come along brings an added benefit to owning a summer house and one that many homeowners are more than happy to invest in.
Cheaper to keep warm in winter
When the weather gets cold over the winter months, the average property owner’s heating bill will most likely increase due to demand. With a typical summer house’s parameters being on the smaller scale in comparison to a house, heating the property takes less energy, resulting in a more cost-effective outcome. So for many, if a day indoors is necessary, staying in the summer house is a much more mindful route to cutting costs.