Wendy Houses: Sizes, Prices and What to Ask

Wendy houses are small timber buildings: a treated pine frame clad in tongue and groove or shiplap boards, sometimes fibre cement, with a corrugated or IBR roof. South Africans use them as garden sheds, children's play rooms, home offices, backyard rooms to rent and, with the right plans, small homes. They are sold by size, board thickness and frame size, with extras like a floor, windows, a stoep and lining. This page covers sizes, how to choose, plans and wendy house prices. Send one free, no-obligation request and local makers quote you directly.

Wendy houses sizes and types

Makers build to almost any size, but common ones are 2 x 2 m and 2.4 x 2.4 m for a tool shed, 3 x 3 m and 3 x 4 m for a room or office, 3 x 6 m for two rooms with a partition, and 6 x 6 m or bigger for a small home.

Timber cladding: tongue and groove or shiplap pine, the classic wood wendy house.
Fibre cement: boards on a timber frame, see nutec houses.
Log-look: rounded boards that look like logs, see log homes.

How to choose a wendy house

The cheapest wendies use thin boards and a light frame, fine for garden tools but not for sleeping in. For a room someone lives or works in, ask for:

Thicker boards and a heavier frame, so walls don't flex or let in light at the joins;
A proper floor on treated bearers, or a slab;
Insulation and lining on walls and under the roof, because bare timber gets very hot and cold;
Treated timber: H3 for outside boards above ground, H4 for anything touching the soil;
a window you can open on two sides for air.

For a bigger backyard unit, compare a granny flat.

Plans, base and common mistakes

A garden shed may count as minor building work, but a wendy that someone lives in needs plans approved by the council. Check with your municipality before you buy, not after. Wiring needs a licensed electrician and a certificate of compliance.

Set the wendy on a level slab or on treated bearers on plinths, never on bare soil. Common mistakes: an uneven base so the door sticks, no gutters, no sealing in the first year, and a roof with no overhang so rain soaks the boards. Keep up with sealing and repairs.

Wendy house prices and what to ask

Published price lists put a plain wendy house shell at about R1,000 to R1,800 per m², so a 3 x 3 m wendy is roughly R9,500 to R16,000. Lining, insulation, a stoep, wiring and plumbing are extra. Ask each maker:

the board thickness and frame size;
whether the floor, door, windows and roof are included;
the delivery and erection charge to your address;
whether the timber is treated, and to which class.

What to put in your request

Give the size in metres
Say what it is for: shed, office, room or home
Ask for the board thickness and frame size
Say whether you need a floor or have a slab
Give the address and how a bakkie gets in

Wendy Houses for different clients

Homeowners: a garden office, play room or extra bedroom put up behind the house
Backyard landlords and families: a lined wendy room to rent out in the backyard, with its own door
Farms and smallholdings: a store, feed room or staff room near the farm sheds
Lodges, guest farms and resorts: a small timber room for staff, linen or a reception at a campsite
Schools and creches: a store room or a reading corner on the school or creche grounds
Contractors and mines: a lock-up store for tools and materials on a small building site
Shops, offices and small businesses: a spaza shop, salon or small workshop on a home business stand
Municipalities, churches and NGOs: a guard room or store at a community centre, church or sports ground

Frequently asked questions

What do wendy houses cost?

Price lists we found put a basic wendy shell at about R1,000 to R1,800 per m². That is roughly R9,500 to R16,000 for 3 x 3 m and R18,500 to R29,000 for 3 x 6 m. Thicker boards, a lined interior, insulation, a stoep and delivery to a far address all push the price up, so compare like with like.

What do 2 bedroom wendy houses cost?

A two bedroom wendy is usually 6 x 6 m or bigger. At about R1,000 to R1,800 per m² for a plain shell, 36 m² comes to roughly R36,000 to R65,000. A floor, lining, insulation, a bathroom and wiring add a good deal more, and a wendy people live in needs approved plans.

Do I need plans for a wendy house?

If anyone will live or sleep in it, yes: the council treats it as a building under SANS 10400. A small garden shed may count as minor building work, but the rules differ between municipalities, so ask yours first. A plan drawer can help, see prefab house plans.

Can a wendy house be moved?

Yes, most wendies are built in panels that bolt together, so they can be taken apart and put up again on a new base. Some makers offer this as a service. Expect to replace some screws and cover strips, and check the panels for rot or borer before you pay to move an old one.

A timber room in the garden, up in a day or two

Wendy houses sizes and types

How to choose a wendy house

Plans, base and common mistakes

Wendy house prices and what to ask

What to put in your request

Wendy Houses for different clients

Frequently asked questions

Wendy Houses by province and city

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Rooms, cabins & buildings

Supplies & services

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