Five Reasons Why Bespoke Wooden Garden Gazebos Are A Great Investment
There are many great reasons why people have chosen to install bespoke wooden garden buildings (or gazebos) in their gardens these past few years, but perhaps the overriding recent reason has been the need to stay home and make the most of the British summertime, be that due to the global pandemic, or - more recently - the cost of living crisis hitting the UK and Europe.
A Julian Christian Winchester Gazebo with thatched roof
While family holidays have had to be shelved in recent years the popularity of ‘staycations’ has soared, with a run on motor homes, campervans, and home and garden improvements across the UK. But it’s not just for this reason that people are adding custom-built wooden garden buildings and thatched huts to their properties.
Why do bespoke wooden gazebos last longer than flat-pack alternatives?
Here, we’ve put together the top five reasons why adding a thatched or cedar shingle-roofed luxury wooden building to your garden is a great investment:
A garden building will add value to your home. Providing that ‘wow’ factor to any garden, our beautifully hand-crafted wooden garden buildings will increase demand for your property if and when you come to sell up and move on.
Bespoke garden buildings provide a place to relax and unwind, right on your doorstep. Increasing your personal mental and physical well-being should certainly be seen as an investment. Many reputable studies have shown a direct link between health and the time we spend in nature. Our wooden garden huts are also the perfect place to set up a hot tub, bar, or barbeque!
Wooden garden gazebos last for years and years. Properly maintained and re-thatched, our handmade wooden garden buildings will last many years. Our Canadian cedar wood structures and cedar roof shingles will last for decades.
A place to entertain and party! Having your own custom-built entertainment space right in your back garden means less time and money spent on traveling and eating out. And, you get to host your friends and family for some great barbeques and parties!
An investment in ‘bricks and mortar’. While our bespoke thatched and cedar roofed garden buildings may not be built from bricks and mortar, they do resemble the same safe investment in time and materials that houses do. Rather than ‘losing’ money on a one-off holiday, a garden hut will provide years and years of enjoyment, ensuring that your hard-earned money really goes a long way.
Does a bespoke gazebo require planning permission?
Whether a bespoke gazebo requires planning permission depends on its size, position, and how it is installed. In most cases, a garden gazebo falls under Permitted Development rights, meaning no formal planning application is needed, provided it meets the standard conditions: it must not exceed 2.5 metres in height if positioned within 2 metres of your boundary, must not cover more than 50% of the surrounding garden land, and must not be used as living accommodation. Homeowners in conservation areas, on designated land, or within the curtilage of a listed building will face additional restrictions and should check with their local planning authority before proceeding. If you are ever uncertain, applying for a Lawful Development Certificate gives you formal written confirmation that your structure is compliant, which is particularly useful when selling your property.
What materials make a garden gazebo last 20+ years?
The longevity of a garden gazebo comes down to the quality of materials chosen at the outset, and the difference between a structure that lasts a decade and one that lasts twenty years or more is almost always decided at this stage. Redwood and western red cedar are the timber species most suited to outdoor garden buildings in the UK climate: both are naturally resistant to moisture, rot, and insect damage, and they hold preservative treatments well when properly finished.
The joinery matters just as much as the timber species; mortise and tenon joints, properly cut and fitted, will outlast bolted or screwed connections that are vulnerable to movement and corrosion over time. For the roof, water reed thatching and cedar shingles are the two materials that combine genuine longevity with the aesthetic quality expected of a premium garden structure. Galvanised or stainless steel fixings throughout are non-negotiable: standard steel screws and brackets will begin to corrode within a few years, staining the timber and weakening the connections.
A quality preservative treatment applied at installation, and reapplied periodically, forms the final layer of protection against the British weather. Cutting corners on any one of these elements rarely saves money in the long run; it simply shifts the cost to an earlier and more disruptive refurbishment.
