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INSTALATION AVAILABLE Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window
First Added - February 27 2022
Last Updated - August 4 2022 - 10 Data Points Updated - 3 Data Points Added
Reviewed & curated by a panel of garden building experts. Using methodology 1.1
Product ID: SKU: 157107
Size: 8' x 8'
Merchants Checked: 12
Available From: 1
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Our verdict on the Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window
The Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window comes with an apex style roof, fit with single doors, and makes use of fsc® certified materials. The windows window used on this particular 8′ x 8′ use a toughened glass glazing material (Thickness was not specified).
Base material: european softwood
Certifications this product meets:
FSC certified timber[1]
Our experts say this has 4 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 toughened glass window installation is known to be a great choice, and our data shows us that 93% of the top 10% of summer houses make use of this kind of glazing.
2. The interlocking log cladding used on this summer house is one the best available for summer houses rated by our experts.
3. A 19mm thick cladding like the one used on walls of this summer house is one of the best rated by our experts.
4. 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 interlocking log cladding(walls) used here is the best form of construction for summer house walls out of the 3 types [2] we’ve identified on same-size summer houses, that you’ll also see getting used on 1% (3 of 741) of all summer houses analysed [3], and sadly not present at all on any of the 74 summer houses that make up the top 10% of summer houses [4]. In fact this is the only 8′ x 8′ summer house you’ll find that uses an interlocking log wall [5].
The walls are 19mm thick and we rate this one of the best thicknesses out of the 5 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. 2% of 8′ x 8′ summer houses (2 in total) use 19mm thick walls [9], and when taking the average Expert Score of those 8′ x 8′ summer houses (85), the Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window is the same with an Expert Score of 85.
Read full analysis for cladding.
Roofing
Mineral felt is used as the roof covering, and out of 4 types identified on same-size summer houses [10], is said to be one of the best roof covering materials. It comes fitted on 26% of summer houses and used on 43% of the top 10% of 8′ x 8′ summer houses. 30% of 8′ x 8′ summer houses (39 in total) make use of a mineral felt material as a roof covering, with this product having an Expert Score of 7% higher than the average.
Read full analysis for roofing.
Window
Toughened glass windows come installed on this summer house. As a glazing option, we rate it the best out of the 3 glazing types found on 8′ x 8′ summer houses [11]. This particular type of glazing is used on 20% of all windowed summer houses and 93% of the top 10% of summer houses with windows we analysed. While you may not find a toughened glass of this kind on many of the 8′ x 8’s (only 13% use it), with it being on 93% of the top 10%, it’s quality can generally be assured, even though the Expert Score of this 8′ x 8′ is 3% lower when compared to the average 8′ x 8′ summer house that uses toughened glass windows.
Read full analysis for window.
Height
The height of this summer house is 2290.0mm (8′) which is 6% more than the average 8′ x 8′ summer house, giving you 130.0mm (0.4′) extra headroom.
Read full analysis for height.
You Might Also Consider
We found 123 8′ x 8′ summer houses with comparable specifications. The Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window has an Expert Score that is 5% higher than average and is £120 less expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring summer houses out of the 123 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 £1,219 with this Optional extra – Add top coat Barclay 8′ x 8′ Double Door with Two Fixed Windows Summerhouse Top Coat. It is priced at £161, this is 759% less than this and has an Expert Score of 77, 7 points less than the Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window.
Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 90 vs 85 for this product, the Oren 10′ x 8′ Shiplap Contemporary Poolside Summer House is the best 8′ x 8′ summer house with comparable specifications, and is priced at £1,709, that’s £329 more than the Shire Avesbury 8 x 8ft Traditional Garden Summer House including Opening Window.
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 8′ x 8′ Shiplap Henley Summer House
Oren 10′ x 6′ Shiplap Poolside Summer House
Oren 10′ x 6′ Shiplap Contemporary Poolside Summer House
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.
Forest 8×8 Arlington Premium Tongue And Groove Corner Summerhouse
10′ x 6′ Forest Oakley Double Door Pent Summer House
8′ x 8′ Forest Oakley Double Door Apex Summer House
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.
Forest 8×8 Arlington Premium Tongue And Groove Corner Summerhouse
8’x8′ Tiger Vista Corner Summerhouse
6’x10′ Tiger 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 10′ x 6′ Shiplap Contemporary Poolside Summer House
Oren 10′ x 8′ Shiplap Contemporary Poolside Summer House
Forest 8×8 Arlington Premium Tongue And Groove Corner Summerhouse
Product Details
Comparisons of Similar Sheds
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Expert Score | 83 | 83 | 80 | 83 | 83 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,329.00 | £1,074.00 | £3,095.99 | £13,135.00 | £6,429.00 |
| Size | 12' x 8' | 7' x 5' | 20'x8' | 12' x 8' | 19' x 7' |
| Brand | Shire | Loxley | Tiger Sheds | Marlborough Insulated Buildings | Redlands |
| Material | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden |
| Cladding Thickness | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm | 16mm |
| Guarantee | 10 Years | 10 Years | 15 Years | ||
| Go | Go | Go | Go | Go |
Sources
Merchants Checked
12 different sources were used to research information on this product, and 1 contained information that we were able to use to compile the data used on this page.
The following merchants were checked on the 06 August, 2022 to see if they stocked this product.
Wickes – 19576 products checked, found 1 match.
Waltons – 231 products checked, found no matches.
B&Q – 78905 products checked, found no matches.
ManoMano UK – 922302 products checked, found no matches.
Wilko.com – 21232 products checked, found no matches.
Homebase – 35509 products checked, found no matches.
Buy Sheds Direct – 1635 products checked, found no matches.
sheds.co.uk – 1999 products checked, found no matches.
BillyOh – 1244 products checked, found no matches.
Garden Buildings Direct – 1284 products checked, found no matches.
Shedstore – 1373 products checked, found no matches.
Tiger Sheds – 635 products checked, found no matches.
1. Untreated: Any wooden structure that is left untreated will have its lifespan dramatically shortened. This is especially the case with Douglas fir or European softwoods such as Whitewood (spruce) or Redwood (Pine), most garden buildings sold in the UK are made from such wood.
The Wood Protection Association says that “the risk of attack increases significantly if the moisture content of wood, for any reason, rises above 20%” they also talk about how more lower durability cuts of wood (known as sapwood) are getting used to build with than in years gone by. They also say that “sapwood on the other hand is a source of food for many species of fungi and insects and is always vulnerable to attack.” This risk is particularly prevalent with European softwoods.
The BS 8417 code of practice (this advises on the choice of timber species and the use and application of wood preservatives) and BS EN 350:2016 (this advises on methods for determining and classifying the durability of wood and wood-based materials against biological wood-destroying agents) says the natural durability class of such European softwoods is between 3 and 5. With class 3 listed as moderately durable, class 4 listed as slightly durable and class 5 listed as not durable. All three classes have a service life of less than 15 years in a frequently wet environment (such as a UK garden). Yet the application of a preservative treatment or modification of lower durability species is designed according to BS8605 part1 (this is the British standards specifications for external timber cladding) to extend service life to 15/30 years or more.
Having a wooden garden structure supplied as untreated is relatively rare. The vast majority of wooden buildings are supplied with some form of basic treatment, usually a short term water based dip treatment. If you buy an untreated wooden building/structure then we strongly advise that you treat it annually with a solvent-based wood treatment. For full penetration it requires 2-3 coats. It is also recommended that you treat the inside of the structure as well.
If you are wanting something that will require much less maintenance throughout the products life cycle then we would strongly suggest looking at something that is pressure treated also known as tanalised timber.
By correctly treating timber you can take a sub 15 year service life for a not very durable European softwood and extend its service life to 15/30 years or more according to the Timber Decking and Cladding Association. ↩
2. FSC Certified Timber: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation that is “dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.” When you see the FSC certification it means the forest where this wood was sourced from is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. FSC certified timber is comparable to Certified Timber. ↩
3. Cladding types identified: interlocking log, shiplap tongue & groove, tongue & groove, wood ↩
4. Global cladding data sourced from: All interlocking log summer houses ↩
5. Top cladding data sourced from: Top 74 interlocking log summer houses ↩
6. 8′ x 8′ cladding data sourced from: 129 8′ x 8′ interlocking log summer houses ↩
8. Global cladding thickness data sourced from: All 19mm summer houses ↩
9. Top cladding thickness data sourced from: Top 74 19mm summer houses ↩
10. 8′ x 8′ cladding thickness data sourced from: 2 8′ x 8′ 19mm summer houses ↩
11. Roof covering types identified: mineral felt, osb, polyester felt, sand felt ↩
12. Glazing material types identified: horticultural glass, single glazed, styrene, toughened glass ↩