I asked what the width of the door was and then checked this against my Tom Senior mill and found there was plenty of clearance so the extra expense of double doors was not necessary.
Placing the order
I placed the order, paid a 25% deposit and waited for confirmation of the delivery date, which they agreed to do over a weekend. I dont think that they normally deliver on a weekend but as it was so far, the boss said he would bring it up himself if I could help him erect it. You could always ask if you need it done at a weekend. They may be happy to do this. Delivery was quoted at 4 weeks maximum but they said they would try and do it within 3 weeks, which they did.
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The Sunday of delivery arrived. We had driven up to Scotland overnight and waited for the shed to turn up. It arrived at about 10.45 and the boss had bought someone to help him put it up as they had erected another shed in Cumbria the previous day. The shed was erected and within an hour, they were gone.
The ground where the shed was to go was covered in gravel and this was not quite level, but the shed was erected anyway. I will have to level the shed when we finally move in. This will be fairly easy as we are taking another smaller shed with the furniture van and after we have settled in, we can erect the other shed, transfer most of the tools and stuff to into it, which will leave the large shed empty.
I would have levelled the ground in advance but did not have time, as we had not yet moved in, (also living 725 miles away did not help matters. Make sure your ground is level before the shed people arrive. They will not want to hang around. They will want to erect and be on their way.
Tanalised bearers
I purchased 9 off 3in. x 3in. tanalised bearers to go under the shed. This I feel, is better than putting the shed directly onto the ground. On my previous shed I have used wooden fence posts to do the same job, but because we did not have time to buy any, I bought from the building manufacturer and they delivered them with the shed.
Access to the garden is essential, as they will not lift the shed over fences or walls. If they cannot get access to the shed area, they will leave the shed as close to it as they can for you to erect. Erecting a shed yourself is not a major problem if you have someone to help you. It may be a bit heavy in the larger sizes. The worse bit is lifting on the roof, as the roofing felt is very heavy.
The roof came ready felted except for the join at the top. This was fitted after the roof was put on. The roof must be pretty strong as the erector walked all over the top while he was tacking the felt down. It did bend a bit but there were no ominous cracks. This was an apex roof but if you order a pent shed, I would expect the felt to be fitted all over prior to lifting the roof on.
The door fittings
The door is mounted on three substantial hinges and there is a strong bolt fitted that doubles as a padlock holder. There are also two toggle latches fitted. From a security point of view, at least some of the holes in the bolt and the hinges should be replaced with 6mm coach bolts so that they cant be unscrewed and access gained. I cant remember if I specified which side the door was to open but it opens the right way on my shed. It would be safest to specify which way it opens if you have a preference.
The windows
There arent any! When the shed arrived and they started erection, I saw there were no windows. I mentioned this and was told that I had not ordered windows. There was no way of checking this, as I had no Internet connection or computer available. I knew I had not ordered windows but had thought they were included. I could not risk them taking the shed away so I just let them get on with erecting.
When I got home, the nest day, I checked the Ebay auction to see why I had not ordered windows. The Ebay auction said the 12 x 8 shed had 3 windows as standard. Mystery solved, I had not ordered the windows, as they should have been included.
The problem is, I placed the order direct, not through Ebay, as the size I wanted was not listed. At the time of writing, I am waiting for this to be resolved. It is not the end of the world though. I can cut holes and fit some windows if necessary. At least if you are buying a shed, you now know to make sure windows are included. Despite the problem with the windows, I still consider the shed to be good value for money and would not hesitate to order from them again.
The shed was supplied by Himleys Garden Buildings
Himleys craftsmen produced highest quality garden sheds, summerhouses, playhouses, work buildings and home offices.
Himley buildings are manufactured using highest quality kiln dried 25 x 125mm Tanalised Log Lap Cladding on 50 x 50mm planed framing and are also available clad with 12mm Shiplap T&G cladding.
The tanalised log lap is available in either tanalised green or brown treatment and is guaranteed for 15 years.
The brown colour is sprayed over the green tanalised timber.
The 12mm Shiplap T&G cladding has a 5 year guarantee against rot. The 12mm shiplap is only available with a golden brown treatment.
The floors are tongue & groove with framing spaced every foot (300mm) and the tongued and grooved roof is finished with 40kg green mineral felt.
Himleys also offer a custom build service.
Himleys offer free delivery and erection on all direct orders within 200 miles of Stourbridge in the West Midlands. They will also deliver and erect anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales. Please ring for a quote.
To order direct or for all enquiries please contact Himleys on 0800 9961888 Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 8-1 or on 07835011439. Please mention Model Engineers Workshop
Himley are also one of only a few timber-building companies throughout Europe who are credited with F.S.C. certification. Basically, this means the forest products they produce come from a responsibly managed forest.
Himley Garden Buildings
HGB House
Maypole Hill
Halesowen
West Midlands
B63 2NZ
Telephone: 0800 996 1888
Email: enquiries@himleygardenbuildings.co.uk
