When buying a summer building, you may think it’s very straight forward. Open up a browser on your computer and type in the size you need and then look for the lowest price. Seems easy? But, unfortunately, it’s not if you want the best value building to meet your needs.
With many different grades of buildings available, a bit like all the other cars available. You need to decide what is important to you. All will do a job, but they won’t all do everything, so you need give it some thought.
If you want the very cheapest building then look just on price but if you want it to last then research what it is made from. What type of wood it is made from, does it include a proper floor, toughened glass and free assembly as not everybody wants to struggle to build a large building and how tall it is. One of the questions is what type of treatment to go for. A standard treatment will do the job, but more people considering pre-painted summerhouse as they are looking for a little more colour.
Many people see this as a good investment for their garden and to their well being and accept it will more expensive than plain treatment. These bright colours will cheer up the dark days of winter so is well worth thinking about.
All our summerhouses available in more or less in any size to suit you. All of these include free assembly saving you loads of money and making life just a little easier. They can be made bespoke to suit your needs in a range of styles, sizes and finishes. So could you pop in to see us or give us a call? We will be happy to advise you on the options available to you.
All wooden building have toughened glass as standard for safety and feature good height, strong doors and are complete with ‘proper’ timber roofs (no chipboard or OSB boards used).
Try to find the time to see it before going ahead with a pre-painted building. That way you can be sure it will meet your expectations and won’t be an expensive flop. Don’t regret not doing so.
By taking a little time and writing down what is important to you and how long you are hoping the building to last, you will then be able to shortlist suitable models. And the best bit of advice is to visit a show site and see examples of buildings so you can make your judgement as to how good they are – or NOT.
Our Platinum Buildings have three choice of products:
- Valtti Kesto Plus – a lacquer which protects the building from the weather. Most all our show buildings had this applied and they look as good as new.
- Valtti Colour – a translucent stain. We don’t display these as yet but will add a couple next year.
- Valtti Opaque – a full paint finish. We have a number of these on our site. We also add a VPL vapour barrier to these.
- Photos here: Painted Garden Building Colours Available
- Prices will be on the relevant product pages or contact us and we can talk through your options for you.
You may feel you want to put it off, but your garden building does need treating from time to time to ensure a long life. By following our advice, you won’t need to do this more than every 2 or 3 years. This action will ensure your outside building can be protected against everything the weather can throw at it.
Treating a building can be a messy affair, indeed, if I am doing it, so the advice is to wear old clothes which can be thrown away if too severely stained. Always bear in mind that many treatments can irritate the skin due to the chemicals in them which help to preserve the wood. But try not to splash the treatment and always take your time. If you do get any treatment on your hands, face or skin ensure you wash this off straight away.
Try to treat your new building, if you have the opportunity before it is erected, certainly, if it is one on the cheaper ones obtainable on the web or at your local DIY superstore. You will find the treatment they use is just like coloured water and does not give any protection to your building. You can ensure that all parts of the building are treated by doing this before assembly. Whilst, when assembled these parts won’t get any weather, it will not do any harm if you can do so. Stop moisture getting into the wood by always applying the treatment liberally.
You will find that PAR (prepared all round) timber such as shiplap or T&G wooden buildings will have a smooth finish, and you can paint the treatment on very quickly. However, it is best to use at least two coats, as the treatment will not soak in too well. If your building is a feather edge or made from sawn finished timber, you will find the treatment will soak into the wood and will take longer to do. However, you will know that this treatment will last the longest due to the treatment soaking into your timbers.
You can choose to use a spray to apply preservative but, if you do, it is vital that you wear a face mask and, ideally, goggles to ensure that the fine spray does not get down your throat or on your eyes. It some instances where it is awkward to get to, such as between the building and a fence or wall a spray is a good idea. By getting on the roof, you can reach down into the gap and liberally spray the treatment onto all exposed areas.
After you have finished treating you can take a break from these duties for, generally at least 2 or 3 years. You will find that the sides of your summer building facing into the weather, i.e. the sides which get the sun shining onto it or the rain splashing against it will need treating more often. It will become apparent by the sides fading in colour. Never wait until signs of damp start getting into the wood as this will be the beginning of the end for your garden building.
Some manufacturers claim to offer a 10-year guarantee, even with the water-based treatment; however, like most things in life, this is not as good an offer as it seems. There are very severe conditions stating that if your building is not treated EVERY year, then the guarantee would be null and void. This means that the treatment they are applying only last for ONE year and any further protection is only coming from the treatment YOU have to use every year. A WORTHLESS warranty so DON’T be taken in by them. The best thing (or worse) is that you will be fortunate to find any details of the conditions on those sites.
With the benefit of my 40 years in the timber buildings business, I hope that the above advice is useful for you to understand how to get the best out of your new acquisition. Over the years there have been many improvements and changes to the treatments available, some good and some bad, however, if you look after your building, they will last many many years.
Regularly oil any moving parts such as locks and door or opening window hinges.
Keep an eye on the condition of the roofing felt. If it starts to deteriorate, replace it with a good quality replacement – if water starts to seep into the roof, this is the beginning of the end for your garden building. If you are in any doubt, or would like any advice, please telephone or CONTACT US for further assistance.