Established in 1995

DO YOU HAVE A SHOW SITE WHERE I CAN VIEW YOUR BUILDINGS?

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Yes, we have the Largest Showsite in the UK, with over 200 buildings on display, including:

• Over 60 Sheds

• Over 60 Summerhouses

• Over 35 Playhouses

• Over 35 Greenhouses

• Over 20 Garden Offices & Garden Rooms

• Over 8 Garages

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DO YOU HAVE FREE CUSTOMER PARKING AT YOUR SHOWSITE?

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Yes, we have a customer car park adjacent to our show site, and there are also a number of free car parks within walking distance.  Please see the about us page for more information.

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HELP - I CAN’T FIND YOUR CAR PARK!

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Our car park is a little tricky to find, as the turning to it is located immediately next to the Bourne Mill Antiques centre which is adjacent to our showsite. 

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The following information should help, but if you’re still stuck, please call us on 01252 718481 and one of our staff can guide you in.

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• We are located just opposite the very Large Shepherd & Flock roundabout in Farnham.

• When turning off of the Shepherd & Flock Roundabout, take the turning marked “Central Farnham” and then immediately indicate right.

• This takes you up a very small slope, and by keeping to the right-hand side, you will enter our car park through a big set of green gates.

• Once you have parked, you can walk up to our showsite using the steps, or via the concrete ramp.

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WHAT DAYS ARE YOU OPEN?

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We are open 5 days a week: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sundays

We are closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays all year round

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WILL I NEED PLANNING PERMISSION?

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In most cases, planning permission will not be required as long as you stay within certain parameters:

• All buildings must be under 4m in height for an Apex building, or 3m in height for a Pent building.

• Any building within 2m of a boundary will need to be under 2.5m in height

• No building can be put in your front garden

• Any building with a footprint exceeding 15 square metres must be at least 1m from any boundary

• Any building with a footprint exceeding 30 square metres must comply to building regulations

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For further information, please see the Governments Planning Portal website https://www.planningportal.co.uk/

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WHAT AREAS DO YOU DELIVER TO?

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We offer delivery to most of Mainland England on many of our products, and also to Mainland Wales & Scotland on a selected range.  Certain ranges have more restricted delivery areas, but please get in touch with your requirements, and where you would like the building delivered too, and we can advise what ranges will be suitable.

 

DO YOU OFFER AN INSTALLATION SERVICE?

Yes, we offer an installation service on most of our products.

 

HOW MUCH SPACE SHOULD I LEAVE AROUND MY BUILDING?

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Ideally you should leave about 18” all round your building, to allow for airflow, treating the building, and to carry out any maintenance required to walls, fences, hedges, etc.

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In situations where this is not possible, we would recommend leaving no less than 8”, for airflow, and also consider adding bearers underneath the building, to increase the airflow, and avoid potential problems with any moisture which could become trapped underneath the building.

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Despite our recommendations, if you want a building erected right up against a wall, fence, or other restriction, then this is usually possible, but please contact us for further information.

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DO YOU MAKE LEAN-TO SHEDS?

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Yes, we can make a shed without one of the sides, so that you can erect it up against a wall.  Please contact us for more information.

 

I HAVE A VERY NARROW GAP DOWN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE.  CAN YOU MAKE A SHED TO FIT?

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Yes we can.  Please measure the available space and take some pictures, and we can then advise further.

 

DO YOU MAKE NON-STANDARD SHAPED SHEDS?

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Yes we do.  We can make sheds to almost any size and shape, including tapering sheds or even triangular sheds. Please get in touch, or send us a sketch of what you want, and we can advise further.

 

DO YOU MAKE SHEDS IN NON-STANDARD SIZES?

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Yes we do.  We can make sheds to almost any size, whether its 4’ x 27’, or even 6’5 x 14’9, we can help.  Please get in touch for more information.

 

DO I NEED A BASE FOR MY GARDEN BUILDING?

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Some buildings can be erected onto flat, level & compact ground, but others will require a paving slab, or concrete base.

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WHAT IS THE BEST KIND OF BASE FOR A GARDEN BUILDING?

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A Concrete base is always best, but paving slabs are also good, and in some situations, such as a sloping garden, a raised timber decking can also be used.  You base should always be:

• Completely flat and level i.e. no drainage slope.

• Slightly above ground level, by about 2”, to avoid any surface water flowing underneath the building.

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A low cost alternative would be to erect the building onto flat, level and compact ground.  This will not be suitable for all buildings, and if choosing this option for a timber building, you will need to add a set of bearers to keep the building raised off the ground.

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DO YOU OFFER A BASE LAYING SERVICE?

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Yes we do, please see our base laying page for more information.

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENT BETWEEN REDWOOD PINE & WHITEWOOD PINE?

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Scandinavian Redwood Pine, grows more slowly, resulting in a denser timber.  Whitewood Pine, such as Spruce, is faster grown meaning it is less dense, more brittle, and more susceptible to seasonal movement (shrinking & expanding).  Redwood is the best timber for use in outdoor buildings, and Whitewood is a lower cost alternative. 

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TREAT MY TIMBER GARDEN BUILDING?

To protect against wood rot, and fungal disease, we recommend treating any Pine timber, with a good quality solvent-based preservative initially, and then once a year after that at the end of the Summer (when the wood is at its driest).  Lower maintenance timbers/treatment include Tanalised / Pressure treated, Thermowood, or Cedar, which only require maintenance every 6-8 years (as a minimum) after an intial treatment. If the building is installed in damp/winter months, please treat as soon as possible to avoid the building taking on moisture.

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WHAT IS WATER BASED TREATMENT?

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This is a basic timber treatment that protects against wood rot & fungal disease.  If you order a building with a water-based treatment, you should re-treat the outside with a solvent based treatment as soon as possible, and re-treat once a year at the end of the Summer (when the wood is at its driest).

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WHAT IS SOLVENT BASED TREATMENT?

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This is a better option than the water based treatment because as well as protecting against wood rot, and fungal disease, it also seals the timber against moisture ingress over the Winter months.  If you order a building with a solvent based treatment, then you need to re-treat the outside after 1 year, ideally at the end of the Summer when the timber is at its driest, and again annually after that (unless Tanalised/Pressure Treated - see below).  If the building is installed in damp/winter months, please treat as soon as possible to avoid the building taking on moisture.

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WHAT IS TANALISED / PRESSURE TREATED?

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Tanalised (or Pressure treated) is a low maintenance treatment injected into the timber under pressure to protect it against wood rot and fungal disease.  Tanalised/pressure treated models require an initial solvent-based treatment, then reapplication approximately every 6-8 years, as although the Tanalised upgrade protects very well against wood rot and fungal disease, you still need to seal the timber against moisture ingress over the Winter months. Every 6-8 years seems to be adequate for most buildings, but the more you treat a building, then the longer it is going to last. Treatment may need applying more regularly if your building is quite exposed to the elements such as direct sunlight or a particularly damp environment

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WHAT IS THERMOWOOD?

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This is Scandinavian Redwood Pine that has been through a special kilning process using kilns run in a vacuum and at very high temperatures, which removes all the sugars and resins from the timber.  This gives a service life in excess of 20 years with very little maintenance.  We recommend treating thermowood with a solvent based preservative at the end of the 1st summer, and again every 6-8 years after that to seal the building against moisture ingress over the winter months.

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WHAT IS CEDAR?

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All the Cedar buildings we supply are made from Western Red Canadian Cedar, which is used for its low maintenance, and long-lasting properties, as well as its lovely look.  It is low maintenance due to the oils that is naturally contains, which protect against wood rot and fungal disease.  We would recommend retreating Cedar at least every 6-8 years, with a good quality solvent-based treatment, which will help to seal the building against moisture ingress over the winter months.

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WHAT ARE BEARERS?

Bearers are pressure treated / tanalised timber, which can be used as a low cost alternative to laying a base.  On the Topwood, Albany & Breckland ranges, they are 3” x 3”, and can be laid directly onto flat, level, compact ground.  They can also be used on top of a paving slab, or concrete base to raise the building up, and increase the airflow.

On the Malvern range they are 2” x 2” and can only be used on top of a paving slab or concrete base, and not straight onto the ground.

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Bearers are also recommended when a garden building is being placed on an over-sized base, as it raises the building up, preventing any surface water sitting against the floor joists, which could potentially cause issues. 

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WHAT IS TOUGHENED GLASS?

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Toughened glass is about 5 times stronger than normal horticultural glass, and if broken, will shatter into small harmless pieces.

 

WHAT ACCESS DO YOU REQUIRE TO DELIVER MY BUILDING?

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Side access is always ideal, but if you have a doorway, archway, or other access restriction, please let us know so we can advise further.

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Many of our timber buildings can be made in smaller pieces so we can bring them through arches/doorways and even houses, without any problems, meaning that side/rear access is not always essential.

 

THE ONLY ACCESS TO MY GARDEN IS THROUGH MY HOUSE – CAN YOU STILL HELP?

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Yes, but we will need to know the width and height of any doorways that we need to pass through, and if it is a straight walk through, or if there are any turns, dog legs, etc.  Based on this information we can advise what ranges will be suitable.

 

WHY DON’T YOU RECOMMEND LOG CABINS?

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We do not recommend Log Cabins as they suffer from extensive issues caused by shrinking and expansion.  This is caused by the changing moisture levels in the timber which occur as the seasons change.  It is made worse due to the fact that log cabins are made using the cheaper Whitewood pine, which is less dense & therefore prone to seasonal movement caused by the changing moisture levels, and the fact that they are made from very thick timber, in which the amount of moisture that can be retained, and let out again, is much higher. 

 

All of this means you will likely experience significant vertical movement every year, resulting in gaps appearing where the tongue a groove, or double tongue and groove pops out. In addition to this, Log Cabins are not ideal for all year round use, as they are very different to the log cabins that you find in Ski resorts, which have much thicker walls than the 28mm, 44mm or 70mm log cabins that are generally for sale in the UK. 

 

Once you start to get over 100 – 200mm thick, then they can be used, but as Log Cabins do not have any moisture barriers, then you can suffer from issues with damp regardless. A better option for a building that you can us all year round, would be a lined, insulated & double glazed building, and this is something that we have an extensive range of.  Please get in touch for more information.

 

 

WHAT IS AN “INTERNET QUALITY SHED”?

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Many cheap “internet quality sheds” are made from very thin, low quality Whitewood timber, with very little framework (that is also usually very thin), Floors & roofs made from solid sheet (OSB), styrene windows which are thin, scratch easily, and discolour over time, insufficient bracing, and very little support on the door timbers, low quality roofing felt, sometimes only 2 hinges on the door, and various other compromises on quality, in order to achieve a cheaper price. 

 

All of this means that the product is very low quality, and will not last very long, meaning that although they can sometimes look cheap, they do not offer a good value for money.

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We would always recommend viewing a garden building before making a purchase, as the quality varies a lot depending on the range, and options that you select.

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We have been trading for over 28 years, and if we do not believe that a building is of a good enough quality, then we will not sell it.