We live quite far away; is it really worth visiting our show rooms?
Absolutely! We strongly urge anyone who is looking for a new building – whether it be a new garden shed, summerhouse, workshop, garage or a full garden room – to visit and inspect the quality in advance of committing to anyone.
Whilst we cannot display everything that we can offer we have carefully selected around 80 different buildings which allow us to demonstrate almost every feature in one form or another. So, yes, it is absolutely worth visiting.
If you are unsure, or unable to visit, then why not walk through our site virtually using our walk through tour below (or click here to open in a new full screen window).
Buying A Summer House For Crawley? | 14 Questions To Ask Beforehand
1/ Will It Suit You?
It’s important, before you buy a new summerhouse or timber cabin, that you do a little legwork to ensure that your new garden building will suit you and your needs. This is because there are so many companies selling online, which can make it confusing and hard to make the right choice.
By following this guide, you can ask the right questions. It does involve a little work, but it will be well worth your time. You will find that most companies are open, upfront, and totally transparent about their products. Unfortunately, many try to mislead or hide information from potential customers and rely on you buying on price alone. I think we’ve all been warned: ‘If it sounds too good to be true, then it normally is so.’ Caveat emptor, or buyer beware. A comparison would be like comparing a bottom-of-the-range car with a Mercedes, which is two different things. Both are cars, but wildly different in specification. The same applies to summer buildings.
2/ Can You See The Building Beforehand?
It’s vitally important to have the opportunity to view any potential building before buying, and by doing so, you can decide whether the price you are paying reflects your expectation of what you feel you will be getting for your Crawley home. This will let you know the quality is right and give you the reassurance that you are not dealing with a ‘fly-by-night’ or ‘rogue trader’. Even if you are unable to get to a display site to view the fact that a company has their buildings on view to be scrutinised by customers, it should be reassuring to you. Hopefully, this will give you the confidence to deal with them. When you are expected to rely on just a leaflet, a brochure, or a website, it can be a little risky.
3/ What Quality Timber is Used?
The grade of timber used in many summer houses or timber buildings accounts for a large share of the cost;; however, this cost is well worth paying if you can buy a building that will stand the test of time. A building made from good-quality timber will have a much longer life than one made from the cheapest timber (or made DOWN to a price). You will normally find that cheaper timber is used for indoor furniture, where it is out of sight and away from any damp. It’s not a good idea to use cheap timber outside if you want a reasonable lifespan.
4/ Is Redwood or Whitewood Used?
Essentially, most summerbuildings and summer houses are made from softwood timber, either redwood or whitewood deal. You will find that decent garden buildings are made from redwood deal, as it is a slower-growing species. This ensures the timber has a much tighter grain and retains some of the sap, giving it a slightly waxy feel. Cheaper buildings are normally made from whitewood, which grows very quickly, so the grain is more open. It is also prone to dryness and the possibility of little knots dropping out. Redwood is more expensive to buy but much better in the long term. Surely it’s best to be wary before ordering your new summerhouse for delivery to Crawley.
5/ Are the floors and Roofs Made from ‘Proper’ Timber?
You will find that in most cheap summer buildings, the floors and roofs are made from OSB (oriented strand board), waferboard, chipboard, or cheap plywood, and this is entirely down to cost. However, all of these materials are unsuitable for any areas where they may get wet, and outdoors, there is a great chance of this happening. As soon as the boards get wet, they will absorb moisture, swelling and disintegrating. Which is no good at all for you, as your building will come to a premature end. You will also find that most of these cheap companies describe their floors and roofs as ‘solid sheet material’ as they don’t want you to know what they are using. Sounds far better than chipboard, but all they are doing is hiding (misleading) the facts, and that they are using these cheap, unsuitable materials.
6/ Do You Have The Choice of Size or Style?
You will find that most garden building companies offer a range of set sizes and styles, and whilst you may find one which ‘will do’, surely it’s better to have a building to suit YOUR needs and your location in Crawley. A building where the door and windows can go where you would like, the size to suit and a style which will appeal to you. Most web-based companies don’t offer this option to you and only supply in a few set sizes and styles. A company such as 1st Choice Leisure Buildings offers any size to suit and any style as well. So the question is – why compromise?
7/ Do You Have To Pay Extra For Assembly?
It can be quite hard work erecting a garden house, and it’s not everybody’s ‘cup of tea’. And you will find that the cheap building companies claim that it’s easy to build it yourself. But it’s not. You will be involved in moving large, heavy timber panels and in making your new building watertight against the elements. It is true that a good DIY’er can assemble a building and may enjoy doing so, but it’s vital that it be done correctly. For an instant, if the roof leaks, that is down to you, not the company you bought it from. All of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings’ Royal, Platinum and Diamond summerhouses are assembled free (that is, the price includes assembly) in Crawley, and to me, it is the best option.
8/ How Thick is the Framing?
Crucial to the strength of your new garden building is the size of the timber framing,, so ensure it’s of a good size. In an ideal world, you should go for an internal vertical frame size of at least 2in x 2in (47mm x 47mm). This will ensure your new building can stand up to the worst of what ‘Mother Nature’ throws at it. Many cheap building manufacturers use timber frames that are only 1in x 1in (25mm x 25mm), which is one-quarter of the recommended size. Do you want to take that risk when winter storms hit Crawley?
9/ How Tall is Your Proposed New Building?
Before buying, always check the height of any building you are interested in and confirm whether the sizes are INTERNAL or EXTERNAL, as they can vary by up to 6in (150mm), and some companies can be a little misleading about this. Decent summerhouse or workshop manufacturers will always supply buildings with a good internal height. So don’t risk becoming ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ – check beforehand.
10/ What Conditions are Attached to Guarantees?
Normally, with a summerhouse, as well as garden sheds or garden workshops, there will be a standard warranty of at least 12 months; however, some web companies offer 10-year warranties, which sound great. Peace of mind included – that’s got to be good. But like most things, if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is. And it’s in the detail where these 10-year warranties fall down. You will find that you have to treat your new building as a condition each year. Any garden building treated every year will last more or less indefinitely, so treat these 10-year warranties with a ‘pinch of salt’. And where will you find these conditions on their websites? Your guess is as good as mine, because they don’t want you to see them.
11/ Are The Buildings Made in the UK or Stockpiled?
When wooden buildings are made in the UK for each customer, quality can be controlled, but if they are shipped in from abroad or stockpiled in open yards, they could be damaged during transport before delivery to you in Crawley. This may keep the price a little lower, but surely it’s good to know the building has been made for YOU and will arrive in perfect condition.
12/ Previous customers’ views are so important, so always take a look at what they are saying. Take a look at the feedback from our customers from Google, Trust Pilot and WhiteSpark. Sometimes we don’t get it 100% right the first time (but we try the very best to ensure we do), but we always follow through to ensure the best outcome for our customers.
13/ This brings us back to why you should be choosing a new summer house for your Crawley home. Keeping your home life and work in balance is key, as well as saving time and money. But there is nothing which beats owning your little world and sitting with nature in your garden. This is why you should consider the features that are important to you, the size of your new contemporary sun room, and the general layout that suits you. Do not rush this decision – talk to the experts and go view some examples of the building. Only by doing this can you appreciate the quality (or otherwise) and what your expectations should be. Don’t lower your expectations – only buy the building which is right for you. Or choose a bespoke summer room just for you.
14/ Conclusion and Advice?
It can be quite exciting to buy a new garden summer house to share with your family or a timber workshop for your hobby; however, it’s important to ask questions beforehand. By using this guide, you can ask the right questions and, by doing so, are likely to be happy with your new building and not regret it, thinking, ‘Why did I not check?’
Call us now on 01483 237550, contact us or visit our showroom and view examples of our garden room offices. I promise you won’t get the ‘hard sell’, just honest, unbiased advice from a family business established for over 47 years. We look forward to seeing you.
Horsham, East Grinstead, Reigate, Redhill, Haywards Heath in Sussex are just a few of the areas covered for our summer houses.
From £2,114