Tips for laying the foundation of your summerhouse

It’s important to take a number of things into consideration when carefully laying the foundation. So what is required for a good foundation? In order to build your summerhouse, the foundation needs to be level. The foundation can be laid using either concrete or paving stones. Laying a good foundation gives you the best base for your summerhouse, meaning that you can enjoy it for many years to come.

Why is a good foundation important?

The foundation forms the base of every summerhouse. A correctly laid foundation has many advantages for your summerhouse. For example, the foundation protects the house against water. A good foundation also keeps the house straight, which in turn prevents cracks from forming between the planks. The doors and windows in a straight summerhouse also open and close with no resistance.

What are the most important things to look for?

Below you will find some tips on laying a foundation.

Foundation – the most solid surface possible

To give your summerhouse optimum support, it’s important that the foundation is 100% level. If the foundation is not level, the wooden parts of the summerhouse may react with each other and warp.  

Which material is appropriate?

Pouring concrete makes it possible to lay a foundation that is 100% level. Concrete can be used to achieve an optimum result. A foundation made from paving stones can also provide a good solution if you do not want to pour concrete.

Foundation measurements:

The foundation does not need to be considerably larger than the summerhouse that will be placed on top of it. However, it is important that the foundation is not smaller than the summerhouse. But how much bigger does the foundation need to be than the perimeter of the house? A foundation that extends 5-10cm longer than the wall of the summerhouse is ideal.

Why have a foundation that is slightly larger than the perimeter of the summerhouse? When it rains, the raindrops will land on the foundation. When rain falls on a stone or concrete surface, this creates splashes. If the foundation extends more than 10cm from the outside wall of the summerhouse, the rainwater will splash from the ground against the wooden wall. Over a long period of time, the water from the splashes will cause the wood to begin to rot or develop mould.

Important information for laying a foundation

When laying a foundation using paving stones, it is important that the soil underneath is level. This prevents the ground from sinking later. Level soil is also essential when laying a concrete foundation. The process begins with a stable formwork. Levelling the soil is a good way of ensuring that the ground is flat. To prevent the concrete from cracking, concrete reinforcement mesh or grit can be added. The foundation of a summerhouse should always be bigger than the measurements of the outer walls. Otherwise, foundation beams or poles are placed alongside the foundation to support the house. These wooden parts will then warp. As a result, cracks will form in the walls of the wooden summerhouse. This will lead to the doors and windows not being able to close probably.

Slope in the foundation:

If the foundation does not have a slight incline but stands completely straight, pools of water can form on the concrete surface. This will cause long-term damage to the wooden parts of your summerhouse and mould will form. To ensure that rainwater can run off easily, creating a slight incline in the foundation is the perfect solution.

More hints and tips

Laying a good foundation is just the first step. If you want to buy a summerhouse, there will be even more important decisions to make. About paint treatments, construction systems or a customized summerhouse, for example. A short summary of practical information about summerhouses is available here: https://www.lugarde.nl/info.