What is a summer house?
In the Dutch building tradition a summer house (zomerhuis) is a small outbuilding behind or beside a farmhouse that was used in summer for living, cooking or working. It often also served as a workroom, for example for cheesemaking or laundry. In a broader sense a summer house is a retreat that is only lived in during the summer months.
Meanings
- Farm outbuilding: in summer part of the farming family’s daily life moved into this smaller building. This kept the main house cool and clean, and dirty or hot work such as cooking, cheesemaking and washing took place outside it.
- Summer retreat: a house outside the city or by the sea that is only lived in during summer. The Russian word dacha has the same meaning.
- Garden pavilion: the gardens of country estates sometimes have a small pavilion that is also called a summer house. In British usage this is the most common meaning.
Features of a farm summer house
- Simple, single-storey construction, often in brick with a tiled roof.
- A hearth or chimney for cooking or heating water.
- A position close to the back door of the farmhouse or near the dairy.
Tips for restoration and conversion
- Listed status: on a listed farm the outbuilding may also be protected. Talk to the local authority before making changes.
- Damp: old outbuildings often have solid walls without a cavity and shallow foundations. Watch out for rising damp and make sure rainwater is drained away properly.
- Habitation: if you want to live in a summer house permanently or let it, requirements for insulation, ventilation and fire safety apply, and planning or building consent is usually needed.
Related terms
- Farmhouse
- Bakehouse
- Carré farmhouse
- Head-neck-body farmhouse
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