Summerhouse Maintenance: How to Keep Your Building in Great Condition

If you’ve recently bought a WTB Summerhouse, it’s important to think about the aftercare and how you’re going to look after it going forward.

The good news is that maintaining your summerhouse is fairly straightforward.

There are just a couple of key things to focus on:

• Treating the timber properly, and
• Keeping on top of general maintenance.

Looking after these two areas will help keep your summerhouse in good condition and ensure it continues to look great and perform well for many years.

The first thing you should make a priority for your summerhouse is treatment.

Every summerhouse that leaves our workshop has a coat of solvent-based treatment applied. This provides initial protection during transport and installation.

For maximum protection, we recommend applying another coat of treatment around 6–8 weeks after installation. After that, the building should be treated once a year to help maintain protection against the elements and keep the timber in good condition.

Maintenance and Ventilation

Another important part of looking after your summerhouse is making sure the building is properly aired.

Summerhouses are typically single-skinned, meaning there is no insulation between the inside and outside of the building. Because of this, changes in temperature - combined with the large amount of glass found in most summerhouses - can sometimes lead to condensation forming inside if the building isn’t ventilated.

During colder months, or when temperatures are changing quickly (particularly in autumn and spring), it’s a good idea to open the windows and doors regularly to allow fresh air to circulate through the building. This helps the summerhouse breathe and reduces the chance of condensation building up inside.

Allowing airflow through the building helps prevent moisture settling on the timber and glass, which in turn helps reduce the risk of damp or mould developing.

Some customers also choose to use moisture absorbers, which are small tablets or containers designed to draw moisture out of the air. These are widely available from most supermarkets and can be useful in particularly damp conditions.

Looking After the Doors

It’s also worth remembering that timber naturally reacts to changes in weather. Summerhouse doors may expand or contract slightly as temperatures and humidity levels change throughout the year.

To help reduce this movement, we recommend treating or painting the doors on the inside as well as the outside, including around the edges. By sealing the timber on all sides, you help limit the amount of moisture the wood can absorb.

Some natural movement may still occur - timber will always respond slightly to the environment - but treating the doors thoroughly will help keep this to a minimum.

In simple terms, good summerhouse aftercare comes down to three main things: regular treatment, proper ventilation, and protecting the doors. By keeping on top of these areas, your summerhouse will continue to look great and perform well for many years to come.