Pressure Treated Summer Houses

A pressure-treated summer house is a summerhouse made from pressure treated (in the case of BillyOh products) high-quality European sourced timber.

Before deciding on which garden summer house is best for you, you need to consider any planning regulations which may apply to your garden building. This is especially worth bearing in mind if you intend to use it as a home office or living quarters. Generally, garden buildings such as summer houses are classed as ‘permitted developments’, meaning you wouldn't need planning permission. 

Despite this, we’d strongly recommend contacting your local planning authority to discuss this. The larger your garden building and the closer it is to your property boundary, the greater the likelihood that permission for a summer house will be required. Pressure-treating your summerhouse won’t affect any planning permission.

A structurally sound base is essential in ensuring your summer house can last as long as possible. Your summer house base should be flat and level, so as to avoid cracking and breaking the timber or putting undue stress on window and door frames which could shatter glass. Your choices vary from a concrete base for your summer house to an ecobase or timber sub-floor. That’s why we offer many of these as add-ons upon purchasing your summer house.

If you’re not careful, condensation can rapidly build up in your garden summer house structure as a consequence of changing temperatures throughout the year. But with proper care and maintenance, you can stop damp in your summer house.

Make sure there is sufficient airflow through your summerhouse and be sure to aerate it even in the winter months. Leaving the doors and windows open will allow your garden building to breathe. To restrict the ability of moisture to penetrate the timber, and stop rot and mould:

• Don’t store damp items in your summer house
• Opt for pressure-treated timber or treat your summer house with wood treatment
• Think about installing a vapour membrane if need be
• Build your garden summer house on a raised base with no direct ground contact

Luckily, opting for a pressure-treated summer house will give you much better protection against water ingress and rot. Still, for more on how to damp proof and insulate your wooden summer house, check out our comprehensive guide.

• BillyOh Bella Tongue and Groove Pent Summerhouse

The long and plentiful windows that wrap around the front gives the Bella an ultra-modern and stylish look. Whilst the adaptable door placement means you have the ultimate say in how the summerhouse looks in your garden.

• BillyOh Picton Corner Summerhouse

Maximise your space with a building designed specifically for the corner of your garden. The large windows, fully glazed doors and tall roof offer an abundance of natural light while offering you a large space to relax or entertain in the comfort of your garden. 

• BillyOh Petra Tongue and Groove Reverse Apex Summerhouse

The Petra summerhouse is a great companion during the summer months and provides a cosy relaxing space throughout the rest of the year. The large windows and optional door placement allows you to get as much natural light as possible, great for entertaining.

• BillyOh Tessa Tongue and Groove Reverse Apex Summerhouse

The breathtaking long windows, multi-access doors and strong construction make this summerhouse stand out from the crowd and a great addition for any garden!

Our range of BillyOh summerhouses are all designed to be easy and simple to assemble. Using the digital assembly instructions included in your order confirmation and with a team of at least 2 people, the handy pre-assembled panels mean you will have your BillyOh building up in no time! You’ll just require some basic tools like a drill and bits, level, and hammer.

If you live in the UK, we’d advise it. Due to our temperate and often unpredictable climate, rain, damp air, and moisture are sometimes unavoidable. Various organisms, from tiny bacteria and fungi to woodlice and insects, are naturally attracted to wood, but never more so than when it’s wet.

That’s why when you lift up a tree trunk or old plank of wood that’s been left lying on the ground, you’ll find a whole crew of creepy crawlies that have made themselves a new home. So if you don’t want that to be your shed, we suggest going for the option to pressure treat timber. Pressure treatment repels insects and protects against rot and decay.

Pressure treated wood can prevent rotting and wood damage for fifteen years or even longer. During this time you shouldn’t need to treat your shed. That’s why our BillyOh pressure-treated summer houses come with a 15-year guarantee against rot, decay, and insect infestation.

While you can use wood treatment products on your garden summerhouse, pressure treatment at our plants is done by professionals through an industrial process. Opting for our pressure treatment will save you not only time but money in the long-run. With dip-treated summer houses, although a viable option, you’ll need to retreat your timber at least once a year. Moreover, the effects of pressure treatment cannot be achieved through shop-bought wood staining products.

Pressure treatment allows preservatives and chemicals to penetrate right into the grain of the wood, whereas dip-treatment refers to the practice of treating wood with a water-based product to give it short-term protection from rot and bug infestation. It protects it on the surface, but the impact will fade over a much shorter period of time. This means it’ll need re-treating at regular intervals.

Pressure treatment adds an extra layer of protection and a massive boost to help the wood fight off rot, but it won’t make it completely waterproof. In order to boost your wooden summer house’s water resistant qualities, fill any cracks or gaps with caulking or expanding foam. Any for more tips, check out our guide on how to damp proof your summer house.

Yes you can. But it’s important to make sure your pressure-treated summerhouse is completely dry before doing so. If your timber has been kiln-dried that’s fine, otherwise leave your shed out in dry conditions for a period of 2-4 months. Then make sure to use an appropriate primer and paint like latex.