7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House

Our verdict on the 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House

The 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House comes with an apex style roof; holds a 10 Years guarantee; fit with double doors; and makes use of made in the uk, certified sustainable materials. The 5 windows used on this particular 13′ x 7′ use a glazing material (Thickness was not specified).

Certifications this product meets:

FSC certified timber^[1]

Our experts say this has 7 stand out features. A stand out feature is something found on over 70% of the top 10% of products in a particular category or is an exceptionally good feature as rated by our panel of experts.

1. The tongue & groove construction used for the roof is the same kind you’ll find used across 81% of the top 10% of summer houses.

2. The 12mm thick roof construction is as thick as the roofing used on 81% of the top 10% of summer houses.

3. The tongue & groove floor material is a great choice and is what we find being used by 86% of the top 10% of summer houses.

4. The 12mm thick floor boards are the same thickness we see being used on 82% of the top 10% of summer houses.

5. The shiplap tongue & groove cladding used on this summer house is one the best available for summer houses rated by our experts.

6. A 19mm thick cladding like the one used on walls of this summer house is one of the best rated by our experts.

7. The mineral felt roof covering found on this summer house is rated to be one of the best by our experts.

Below is a brief overview of how some of the key points of this summer house fairs across the market.

Cladding

Outstanding, our experts say most of the cladding options used are among the best.

The shiplap tongue & groove cladding(walls) used here is one of the best forms of construction for summer house walls out of the 2 types ^[2] we’ve identified on same-size summer houses, that you’ll also see getting used on 50% (368 of 741) of all summer houses analysed ^[3], as well as being used on 49% (36 of 74) of the top 10% of summer houses ^[4]. You’ll also find the shiplap tongue & groove cladding showing up on 47% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (65 in total) ^[5], and when taking the average Expert Score of those 13′ x 7′ summer houses (79), the 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House is just above the average with an Expert Score of 82.

The walls are 19mm thick and we rate this the best thickness out of the 3 found on same-size summer houses ^[6]. It is used on 1% of all summer houses ^[7] and after analysing the top 74 products that make up the top 10% of summer houses ^[8], we don’t find this thickness present on any of them. While you’ll find that the Expert Score of this summer house is 1 point lower than the average for 13′ x 7’s that use 19mm thick cladding (82 vs the average of 83) ^[9], you can be sure it’s not due to the cladding thickness as this one of the highest scoring thicknesses available on 13′ x 7′ summer houses. 1% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (2 in total) use 19mm thick walls.

Read full analysis for cladding.

Roofing

Tongue & groove is the cladding used for the roofing, our experts rate this the best form of roof material out of the 2 types we’ve found on same-size summer houses ^[10]. This roofing material is used on 69% of all summer houses analysed, and 81% of the top 10% of summer houses. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is 1 point below the average of 83 for 13′ x 7’s using a tongue & groove roofing, with it being on 81% of the top 10%, you can be assured that this is a quality roof material. 73% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (100 in total) use tongue & groove construction for the roof.

A 12mm thick roof boarding was used on this summer house which is one of the best thicknesses used for a roofing material out of 4 thicknesses identified on same-size summer houses ^[11]. It’s used on 66% of all summer houses and 81% of the top 10% of summer houses. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is 1 point below that of the average for 13′ x 7’s that use 12mm roofing (82 vs the average of 83), with it being on 81% of the top 10%, this should give you confidence in its quality. 71% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (97 in total) use a 12mm thick roof boarding.

Mineral felt is used as the roof covering. Our experts say it’s one of the best roof covering materials, and is also the only kind identified on same-size summer houses ^[12]. It comes fitted on 26% of summer houses and used on 43% of the top 10% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses. 18% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (24 in total) make use of a mineral felt material as a roof covering, with this product having an Expert Score of 5% higher than the average.

Read full analysis for roofing.

Flooring

Great, our experts say most of the flooring options used are among the best.

The manufactures of this summer house chose tongue & groove for the floor construction, we rate this the best form of floor construction out of 2 types found on same-size summer houses ^[13]. This type of floor construction is used on 78% of all summer houses we analysed, and 86% of the top 10% of those summer houses. 79% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (108 in total) use tongue & groove construction for the floor. Additionally when taking the average Expert Score of those 13′ x 7′ summer houses (82), the 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House is the same with an Expert Score of 82.

A 12mm thick floor boarding is used here, this is one of the best floor board thicknesses according to our experts out of 3 found on same-size summer houses ^[14]. It’s found on 72% of all summer houses and used on 82% of the top 10% of summer houses. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is below the average 13′ x 7’s that use 12mm flooring (82 vs the average of 83), with it being on 82% of the top 10%, this should give you confidence in its quality. 74% of 13′ x 7′ summer houses (102 in total) use 12mm thick floor boarding.

Read full analysis for flooring.

Height

The height of this summer house is 2109mm (7′) which is 2% less than the average 13′ x 7′ summer house, giving you 50.0mm (0.2′) less headroom.

Read full analysis for height.

Doors

The door height is 1,710.00mm (6′) tall which is 4% or 65.91mm (0.2′) taller than the average 13′ x 7′.
The door width is 910.00mm (3′) wide which is 28% or 257.13mm (0.8′) narrower than the average 13′ x 7′.

Read full analysis for doors.

You Might Also Consider

We found 137 13′ x 7′ summer houses with comparable specifications. The 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House has an Expert Score that is 2% higher than average and is £207 less expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring summer houses out of the 137 with comparable specifications the following might be of interest.

Best value – If you are looking for something comparable that costs less, then you could save £1,159 with this Optional extra – Add top coat Barclay 10′ x 10′ Double Door with Two Fixed Windows Summerhouse Top Coat. It is priced at £190, this is 609% less than this and has an Expert Score of 77, 5 points less than the 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House.

Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 90 vs 82 for this product, the Oren 14′ x 8′ Shiplap Contemporary Long-Room Summer House is the best 13′ x 7′ summer house with comparable specifications, and is priced at £2,114, that’s £765 more than the 7′ x 13′ Shire Westminster Summer House.

High Wind Area – If you live in a particularly exposed or high wind area then having a summer house with a thicker cladding and higher than average frame thickness can be preferable. We found at least 3 summer houses that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Oren 14′ x 8′ Shiplap Contemporary Long-Room Summer House
Shire Hampton 10 x 10ft Double Door Corner Summer House
14’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse

Coastal Consideration – If you live in a particularly wet or harsher environment such as by the coast then you might want to consider something with a more robust pressure treatment or something made from metal or plastic, both materials that are particularly suited to such harsh environments. We’ve found at least 3 summer houses that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
8′ x 12′ Forest Oakley Double Door Apex Summer House
14 x 7 PENT Pressure Treated Tongue & Groove Pent Summerhouse with Higher Eaves and Ridge Height Toughened Safety Glass + Euro Lock with Key
7 x 12 REVERSE Pressure Treated Tongue & Groove Apex Summerhouse + LONG WINDOWS with Higher Eaves and Ridge Height + Toughened Safety Glass + Euro Lock with Key + SUPER STRENGTH FRAMING

Public-Facing – Extra security measures might be more of a concern if you’re placing your building in an area that is more public-facing than a garden. Features such as security windows or even having no windows at all, and the ability to lock all opening doors are usually much more important when you have something that is more public-facing. We found at least 3 summer houses that have options that you might find a better fit if this is a concern you have.
14’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
12’x8′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
12’x8′ Tiger Retreat Contemporary Summerhouse

More Child Friendly – If you have children and you are looking for something that has that little extra in terms of durability then tougher glazing options might be a better option. Here we have at least 3 other options that will fill those needs.
Oren 14′ x 8′ Shiplap Contemporary Long-Room Summer House
Shire Hampton 10 x 10ft Double Door Corner Summer House
12’x8′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse