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Contemporary Summerhouses

Timeless designs to elevate your space.

Contemporary Summerhouses

Van, Delivery & Installation included Delivery & installation included
Van, Delivery & Installation included
Delivery & installation
included
10-year guarantee
10-year guarantee
for peace of mind
50 Years Experience
Over 50 years'
experience
Handmade to Order in Norfolk
Handmade to order
in Norfolk

Garden summer houses, whether contemporary or traditional, are a desirable feature of any garden. Over the years the rise in popularity of the summer house or garden room has led to a more diverse range of styles available on the market. Today, the contemporary summer house can be anything from the common boxy design with large windows and vertical board cladding to a completely unique architectural masterpiece as well as fresh takes on old favourites. Contemporary summer houses provide valuable extended living space that has the perfect balance between form and function. 

What is a contemporary summerhouse?

What defines a contemporary summer house comes down to styles and features. A contemporary summerhouse, distinct from its traditional counterpart, showcases modern architectural elements. Characterised by clean lines, minimalist design and often a fusion of indoor and outdoor spaces, it represents an evolution in garden building design. Contemporary summer houses provide not just a space to relax but also an aesthetic statement, enhancing the overall appeal of your garden.

Modern versus traditional summerhouse

Why have a contemporary summerhouse?

Choosing a contemporary summer house over other more traditional models is down to your own personal preference and the overall style of your home and garden. If you live in a modern home, a contemporary summer house is more likely to fit seamlessly in with your scheme. For those that live in more traditional homes you have the option of continuing the traditional theme into your garden with a classic summer house or this could be a great opportunity to contrast new with old by elevating your space with a summer house that has more modern and contemporary features. 

 

The benefits of a contemporary summerhouse

Additional year-round living space   

Your contemporary summer house is a more cost-effective way to increase your living space without the costs and stresses that come with a home extension. Most modern summer houses will be lined and insulated making them more suitable for year-round use and will be a valuable asset to enhancing your lifestyle.

Connection with nature  

One common feature of contemporary summer houses is that they tend to have larger windows, and glass doors which not only let in more natural light but also give you uninterrupted views of your beautiful garden. These expanses of glass allow you to enjoy all the comforts of being inside but give you a feeling of being outside, especially if your modern summer house has bi-fold doors which can be completely folded back during the summer, to create a relaxing environment for you to enjoy. 

Versatility  

Your contemporary summer house can be used for whatever you want, be it hosting a barbecue evening or your very own garden office. The use you have for your garden summer house may well change over time, which shows how much value the extended living space of a summer house has with the ability to be transformed into whatever you need at the time.

Increased property value  

Whether you decide to go for a contemporary summer house or a traditional one they will often add value to your property providing they are well-crafted, the style complements the rest of the home and garden, and it provides additional living space that can be used all year round. A contemporary summer house is a long-term investment, adding to your property's market worth and its overall appeal to prospective buyers

Our contemporary summerhouse features & considerations

Size & Position

Once you have decided on purchasing a contemporary summer house for your garden, the next thing you need to decide is how big it will be and where it’s going to go, which is not always easy to decide. Firstly, you need to consider what you’ll be using your summer house for. Will it be for relaxing? A garden office? Or maybe a hobby room? This needs to be taken into consideration when deciding which size you’ll need. Next, what do you have in terms of good usable space? By good, we mean somewhere that gets adequate exposure to the sun, it is a summer house after all! 

Doors & Windows

One of the common features of a contemporary summer house is the large windows that often span from floor to ceiling like in our Holt and Salthouse models. It’s also quite common for at least one side to be made up completely of glass windows. This sleek style allows you to get that indoor-outdoor feeling with its uninterrupted views of your garden.

Lined & Insulated

Having your contemporary summer house lined and insulated means that it will be more usable all year round whether that’s during colder months or warmer ones. The importance of this will vary depending on what your intended use for the building is, for example, if it’s going to be your garden office or a games room then it’s going to be a non-negotiable feature for you to be able to use it comfortably season-to-season. 

Customisations

Our bespoke contemporary summer houses come with a range of customisable options such as window and door placement, exterior colour, and veranda size. For a more contemporary look go for a darker exterior colour like black or Farrow & Ball Down Pipe.

 

Why Choose Crane

Established in 1974 by David Crane, Crane Garden Buildings are proud to still be, at their heart, a Norfolk-based, family-run business, and a highly rated producer of high quality timber garden buildings. 

10-year guarantee for peace of mind

50 years' Experience

Handmade to order

14 show centres across the country

UK Delivery & installation included

FAQs

Absolutely. We offer various customisation options to ensure your modern summer house reflects your unique taste and complements your garden perfectly.

Certainly. Make sure whichever contemporary summer house you choose is lined & insulated which comes as standard on some of our modern-style summer houses but is an added extra on others. We also have an electric pack extra which will include an 8-way consumer unit as well as internal plug sockets for you to add a heater in the colder months. 

The installation duration varies based on the summerhouse's size and complexity. However, our team aims to ensure a swift and hassle-free setup, typically completing most installations within a day or two.

In most cases, planning permission is not required for summer houses, as they fall under ‘permitted development’. However, there may be certain size and location conditions to meet. We recommend you check with your local planning authority for specific details. In the meantime, take a look at our guide to planning permission.

We offer finance plans across our full range of garden buildings to suit your needs, so whether you're looking for a simple storage shed, a summerhouse or a garden office, we're here to help make your garden project that much more achievable.

Yes you can. Use our online building configurator to explore the options available to you and create the bespoke garden summer house of your dreams.

We provide a 10-year guarantee with most of our buildings. We also have a dedicated customer service team who will help you throughout the order process, and will be on-hand to help with any questions post-installation as well. Find out more about our 10-year guarantee.

Yes. We have an optional electric pack available on all bespoke summer houses that are lined & insulated. It’s important that if you would like to have electricity in your luxury summer house that you also choose to have it lined & insulated as this will help to protect the power supply from damage caused by damp and mould, preventing a potential fire hazard. 

 

Our electric pack extra includes 4 double sockets, 1 external double socket, 1 8-way consumer unit, spotlights, and the chance to add in exterior spotlights (Holt and Salthouse only) as well as a wall heater and/or air conditioning unit. 

We offer a unique experience where you have the option to customise every aspect of your dream garden summer house so that it is exactly what you want. We firmly believe that we are able to produce summer houses that are of superior quality in the market as we have over 50 years of experience allowing us to perfect the way we build as well as using only the highest quality materials like our FSC® certified timber and tried and tested paint systems. Quality goes into everything we do, which is also why we offer a 10-year guarantee on all garden buildings in our core range.

Maintenance is minimal. It’s recommended that the roof is kept clean from any build up of leaves, debris, and moss especially over the winter months. The same applies to the windows, they should be cleaned regularly to prevent any decaying debris eating away at the paint and woodwork. Always check for any damage to the roof or cladding which could potentially let damp in. It’s also good practice to open the windows every now and then to ensure there is sufficient ventilation inside which will also help to prevent any mould from developing.

Reviews


The 2 member fitting team were very impressive, both in their friendliness and efficiency of building the shed.


Mr D - Hertfordshire - March 2024

The two men who delivered and installed were fantastic. The members of staff spoken to on the phone were also great. Thanks to all. Just want that Shepherds Hut now!


Mr S - East Sussex - March 2024

Very impressed with the sales team, contact from customer services and the greenhouse building team.


Mrs G - Gloucestershire - March 2024