“Ordered a corner summerhouse on line during lockdown. Unable to actually view before buying but managed to find someone locally who had purchased one a few years ago. (We knew what we wanted and how much we were willing to pay.) Original delivery date was selected some 6 weeks later but this extended almost immediately to twelve weeks. Around the original DD I E-mailed Elbec and said we were able to accept an earlier delivery if available and two days later I received a phone call saying could we take it on Friday of that week. Delivered as notified on the dot of 0730 by one man who refused (very politely) any assistance. All parts checked and found OK apart from a few lengths of trim which were hopelessly warped due to rain ingress. The roof and floor panels were extra-waterproofed before assembly and the wife and I built it over a very hot weekend, with a neighbour to assist in lifting the roof panel. Apart from some creative thinking needed to screw the wall panels and door assembly together, it all came together. Painted with two coats of wood preservative within a couple of days and we are very pleased with the result. We didn't need to contact Elbec for anything, B&Q are very close by and we were able to replace the warped trim quite easily. Overall, good value for money and we didn't need to contact customer services at all. Limited construction information given, but it was fairly straightforward (apart from the front corners). It has been rained on heavily and frequently since building and it appears to be water tight. I would suggest any purchaser buys the optional floor "boot" pack to raise the assembly from the base and with hindsight, a more heavy duty roof felt.”
“Fabulous kit - had a couple of problems with doors but Elbec sorted them for us. The Shire building was of great quality and looks fantastic now it is up!”
“I bought a summer house from Elbec and when it was delivered I was disappointed by the quality of it - it was manufactured by one of Elbec’s suppliers and the finishing and quality control left a lot to be desired. I decided I wanted it returned, and this option plus a full refund was available. Elbec arranged an uplift and subsequently refunded me in full. At all times their communication was polite and extremely professional. They kept me informed, , promptly answered any queries by email and smoothed out a potentially awkward situation. I will make sure I avoid the manufacture in question in future, but was extremely impressed and satisfied with the way Elbec dealt with the situation. Incidentally, Elbec assured me that they would take the quality control issues up with the manufacturer.”
“Good service, had to wait a while to receive my summer house because of Covid, couldn’t be helped..Two guys turned up bang on time, put the summer house together in under a couple of hours, great workers who knew what they were doing, would highly recommend this company..”
“The furniture is great, just a couple of niggles which is that one of the bars underneath was bent which meant we had to bash it straight or we couldn't put it together and the hooks that hold the two corners together are very difficult to attach. But its still a beautiful looking corner sofa and definitely worth what we paid.”
“The Trellis was a well finished product which replaced old fencing and enhanced the garden it was delivered on time and ready for improving during the lockdown .”
“Having decided on which summerhouse we wanted, we searched for a supplier with availability. Elbec offered the chance to select a delivery date so we chose one at the end of April, ordered and paid. Only subsequently did we find our order was now being handled by the manufacturer, Shire. They then gave us the earliest possible delivery date which was six weeks later. They told us that a delivery date should not be offered by retailers. So, a disappointing delay. Quality is pretty good although several panels had nails sticking out inside where they'd missed the frame. These needed to be ground off before children could go inside. The door bolts were very poor and fell apart right away. Some instructions a little awry but manageable. Allow time for painting all panels and buy in mastic for joints before assembly. Suggest ignore instructions and hang doors after roof is on as it slightly distorted the opening. Plan for some method to hold doors open - in a light breeze they risk flying back straining hinges. I use a batten fitted across the door tops. One panel was poorly made leaving a gap which needed filler.”
“Shire log cabin arrived without the double doors but Elbec took my call and sorted the issue immediately. Since the log cabin construction I have also purchased wood preservative. All goods have arrived correct and on time.”
“Ordered a 44mm logs tunstall 10' by 10' from Elbec. Had a couple of issues regarding delivery date due to Covid but they worked hard to resolve and we ended up only waiting a further 2 weeks which was acceptable to us. The build took 4 of us a day to get it up, and watertight with me finishing the floor and treating it twice the following day. Top Tip- During the build, keep measuring corner to corner to ensure it remains square or else the logs start to not sit correctly. We have had loads of comments on how nice it is, instructions were ok, needed to read them a few times to make sure we got it right. The only issue I have is the actual delivery. I wrongly thought it would come off the lorry in a single pallet, however the driver had to handball it off and in turn I had to move it into my garage until we were ready to build it. Just something to be aware of. Plenty of spares were included in case of issues with parts, very good.”
“Mercia 7x7 Summer House Arrived on time by a very delightful man. unloaded piece by piece and laid on the front lawn. Then he went on his merry way. Once transported round the back the work began. We noticed the base was bouncy so went and bought some timber to strengthen it some more which worked out fine the timber cost twenty quid. Erecting it took around 6 hours the instruction Manuel/sheets was a challenge to follow but we got there in the end. As this is a corner house I would recommend painting the back panels then moving into preferred place and not built in preferred place then moved for painting then moved back. ie: someone could be painting the back panels while the roof is being sorted with timber and felt. Also paint if that's your choosing before temptation wills you to remove the green protective covering on the windows and doors. Not saying you're going to turn dumb or anything its just suggestions lol. I have painted mine Cornflower Blue by Ronseal and Cottage Cream by Cuprinol and installed lighting. I'm really pleased with it. For the price you cannot grumble. Would recommend Shame I cannot add a pic”
“Ordered the Shire 8x8 corner summerhouse in April 2020 and were given a 4 week delivery time which gave us plenty time to prepare the slab base. This was a task in itself during lockdown as open merchants were few and far between. Delivery came as promised on the day and was offloaded by a very courteous and polite driver leaving us to get on with the project. Took 2 full days to get it up and wind and watertight but the weather window was very kind with a warm dry spell for the whole week.Great quality materials, I elected to replace some of the facings with better timber but overall a high quality product. We love our new summerhouse and can highly recommend it to any prospective buyers thinking about using Elbec Garden Buildings or the Shire Barclay corner in particular. Oh,and buy the Protek exterior paint that is offered when buying your garden building, it's a good price and is a brilliant product.”
