A wooden summer house with a great design can quickly become your favorite place to hang out in the warm season. It’s a small, perfect structure where you can work away from the bustle of the main house, you can relax while reading a good book or listening to your favorite music or where you can work out and get ready for the beach.

Therefore, independently of what you plan on doing in there this summer, we thought we’d help you out with a set of dos and don’ts when it comes to designing your perfect wooden summer house.

Let’s get cracking with the dos.

1. Do – Find the perfect secluded location for your wooden summer house

You already know what they say in real estate – location, location, location! That doesn’t change one bit because this is a small, wooden house. You still need to take a good look at your back yard and find the sweet spot where your oasis will go. The idea is that the location will have a big impact on its quality.

Let’s look at an example. If you choose to plant it smack down in the middle of your lawn, you might find that this is not such a fantastic plan. The wooden summer house could end up looking lost or smaller in your yard. It could also block sunlight and warmth away from the house itself.

On the other hand, you won’t want to place it at the far end of the yard either. This will make it very difficult to run electric light and internet lines all the way to it. Plus you and your eventual guests will have to walk a long way to and from it all the time.

2. Do – Pick a great theme for your wooden summer house

Just like you did with your main house, you need to replicate the same idea with your little nook in the back yard. That is to say, you must give it some personality by adopting a customized design or theme for it.

Needless to say, the choices are endless. You can start by going for a traditional manly or feminine theme. Or you can choose a unisex approach that will satisfy the century we are living in as well as your whole family.

Then you can select between classic styles or modern ones that are more minimalist. Next come the colors and patterns along with the textures you would like to surround you on a daily basis.

Or you can choose a preexisting theme for your wooden summer house. This can mean a beach theme, a movie theme, a log cabin one, a woodsy feel, French cottage, Italian villa, Manhattan apartment, baroque, and the list could go on forever. It’s really up to you.

3. Do – Pick the appropriate color for the house’s exterior

When it comes to exterior paint for your wooden summer house, you have two options. You can make it look like a continuation of the main house by using the exact same shades. Or you can take advantage of the fact that it’s located all the way at the back of the yard and get a little creative.

Since this is a summer house after all, we suggest light colors that will give it a fresh and airy feel. You can try light blue that matches the summer sky on a bright day. Or lavender for a pastel sensation.

You can also go for a combination of warmer colors such as pale yellows and oranges that will truly give it a summer glow. Another great option is painting it in tons of turquoise, aqua, and nude to resemble sea water and sand. In this way, it will feel like your own little escape corner to the ocean.

How about the don’ts?

1. Don’t – Choose a concrete floor

A wooden summer house is already perfect the way it is. Some people might advise you to set the foundation or replace the floor with a concrete one. They are wrong. Wood is much more comfortable and warmer than concrete.

Apart from that, one of your main concerns when you are putting up a wooden summer house is the moisture in your garden. Drainage is of the utmost importance and concrete simply will not do the job. The reason is that it cannot protect you against moisture the same way wood can.

2. Don’t – Ignore the building regulations in your area

Before you make any installation or erection of a wooden summer house, you need to check with your local planning office. You area or neighborhood might have some rules about the height or width of such additions to your backyard.

They might ask you to provide some details as to the exact structure of the summer house, how tall it will be, what design it will have, and what colors you plan on painting it in. The committee could also need to know what you will use it for. As a result, you may or may not be issued a permit to place it next to your main house.

3. Don’t – go for the cheapest prices on the market

Yes, we know, it’s a very attractive thing to do. But cutting corners when it comes to quality may have disastrous effects in the long run. Your wooden summer house will be at the mercy of moisture, insects, rot, and mold if it’s not of the best quality. Remember that it’s made entirely of wood and this is not something you want to skimp on.

Apart from that, a cheap summer house will suffer when it comes to the natural elements. If it’s cheap, that means the manufacturer used low-quality wood that will behave poorly when met with heavy rain, snow, ice or strong winds.

What about you? What would your perfect wooden summer house look like? Let us know in the comment section below which of these ideas were your favorite, and if you’re planning on using any of them!