When buying an office for the garden it seems to be very straight forward to – just click on the ‘web’ find the building in the size you want and then search for the best price. ‘Piece of Cake YES? Well not really as there are so many different buildings available from the ‘cheap and possibly nasty’ right up to ones which would feel at home in a posh country home. To ensure you make the right decision you need to do your homework to ensure you make the right choice and buy the right one for YOUR needs.
To ensure you make the right decision you need to do your homework to ensure you make the right choice and buy the right one for YOUR needs. Ten more reasons to buy a garden office.
By deciding to buy from an established business you will find this is the best option as you can be sure that their expertise in the home office industry is key to their success. Also, normally this will only happen when they have been selling the right buildings to their customers at the right price and this normally follows after listening to them.
By choosing a business with a fixed ‘brick and mortar’ address’ is always good as you can actually be sure there is somewhere to contact if you need to.
If the business is only available on the internet then how can you be sure who they are and whether they will be here today, tomorrow and in the future. If you need to contact them in the future then having a fixed address is always a good thing to have and is reassuring . Sure – emails are great but you are dependent on these being responded to, and quickly.
The ‘internet’ is an amazing thing (thanks Sir Tim Berners-Lee) but the flashiest of web pages and glossy brochure can never show a REAL feel for what you are buying. This is not a problem with many standard items but when selecting YOUR new office or garden room it’s important to know that your expectations will be met with the same as what you ordered.
By being able to view your proposed building you can be reassured of the quality and see how well constructed it is, you can check the height to ensure you won’t bang your head and can see if the doors and windows are made from stern stuff.
This will help you to distinguish the ‘wheat from the chaff’ – i.e. the made down to a price cheap and nasty ones, which are readily available on the internet, and the well constructed, properly made buildings which are designed to last a long time. The claims by the retailers, who only sell online, that it’s good to buy online and that you can save money may be true to a certain degree BUT there is only one way to be sure you won’t end up with that ‘cheap and nasty’ building in your garden.
By viewing beforehand you can save yourself from the stress and potential heartache. And it VITAL to remember that the cheapest price is not always the best value.
Standard sizes and designs have certain advantages as these can help keep the costs down a little however why not consider a building to suit YOU and YOUR garden. This will enable you to utilise your new garden office and allow it to have the best use and to fit in the space that you have available. By deciding on a company which can make a garden building in the size and design for you then this is what can happen.
This might be a little more expensive but this small extra cost can be the difference between being 100% satisfied or ‘making do’. Well worth considering surely? At 1st Choice we know that your needs are the most important so that all our garden buildings are made to suit the customers requirements in every way. There are no compromises on this so just let us know what you would like and give us the opportunity to deliver.
- 1/ Measure the size of your summer building. Check the height of the walls, measure the roof area, and take the dimensions of the floor if you want to insulate it
- 2/ There are several methods of insulating the building – i.e. fibreglass type, insulating it with polystyrene, or foam insulation sheets – so decide which one will be best for you.
- 3/ Contact your local builder’s merchants or maybe B&Q and order the required insulation
- 4/ To insulate the garden building walls you will need to cut the insulation to size. And this will fit in between the walls, and you then need to tack it into place. More …..
It can be cheaper to use inferior grades of wood or whitewood and can be OK, to a certain degree, if you only want a building to last a year or two. But by insisting on the better redwood timber you can ensure a long life for your new ‘pride and joy’ for your home.
Redwood by its very nature grows slower than white wood so the grain is more tightly compacted and will last longer. It also tends to retain more of the resin within the wood which gives it a waxy feeling which further enhances the virtues.
Whitewood because it grows so quickly is prone to having little knots dropping out. So redwood, even though it can be a little more expensive, is the best option for a long term building. The timber on these buildings are pressure treated as standard for even longer life. As a bonus, not seen on many other buildings. On top of the roof boards are batons which allow air to circulate under the roof covering.
It amazes me that many of the cheap buildings, besides being made of chipboard etc and other nasty materials, are delivered in pieces which you have to build some of the panels yourself. Absolutely Bonkers!
If you are buying a cheap office building then always double check what you are getting. And why even consider one which is not delivered and erected for you. Save a lot of worry and you can just get on with your life in your new building. Finally ensure you know about the type of treatment used on your proposed building.
To cut costs the cheaper buildings will use horticultural glass (which is in essence – seconds) or worse still, plastic. This is actually ‘second-grade’ glass and you will normally be able to see defects in it. Away from the busy activity, it can be just about OK but on buildings which are being used regularly is it not better not to take any chances?
If horticultural glass smashes it breaks into jagged pieces and you certainly would not want your children or grandchildren getting hurt. Horticultural glass does reduce the cost of the building but is it worth the risk?
However, the better summerhouse manufacturers will, as standard, use toughened glass. A very good choice as well as peace of mind.
We, being a family business, have been involved in the manufacture of quality timber buildings for sale since 1979 when Robin started his first production unit. Craig, Robin’s son, joined in 1990 and trained at Guildford College in joinery. For over 20 years we ran one of the largest UK wooden building companies in the south of England.
We made the conscious decision to only deal with quality materials which we knew would last the test of time. This ethos probably comes from our upbringing. Robin’s father and grandfather were Master Butchers in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire and Quality and Customer Service was always key in their businesses.
Craig is a key member of the business and is helping 1st Choice to embrace the challenges of the 21st century. With his two children Daniel and Rebecca, the future looks very promising. As you can see we are not just salespeople selling a range of products we know nothing about. We have the history behind us to ensure that when you choose ‘1st Choice’ then your summer houses will be ‘1st Choice.
