Dunster House started over two decades ago in 1994 when founders Chris and Pam Murphy opened a little factory. Since the very first day, we have strived to make the best products on the market that are affordable, high quality and built to last. The primary focus: first class materials.
When looking for a product, it can be easy to get confused with technical jargon that many companies put on their website and to figure out what is the best product for you and your needs. Over the years of development, research and experience, we are confident that we are providing you with the best materials.
Spruce
We proudly tell you that we use Slow Grown Spruce timber in our Garden Buildings, because we have developed a process of growing the spruce slowly and in colder climates. Why? This is because the growing conditions of your timber vastly affects the quality of the timber when it is cut.
Spruce is frequently used for the manufacturing of fences, boards and even musical instruments. This is due to its neutral tonal quality, often a pale white colour which is idyllic on its own but can be customised easier than Pine which starts off with a pink tinge before growing darker over time.
By growing the spruce slowly, and in colder climates, you will find densely condensed rings. These tend to have less knots (although we can not eliminate them fully) than other timbers. We put all of our materials through quality control to get rid of any pieces of timber that we feel have too many knots.
This gives an overall cleaner look to your Log Cabin and reduces the possibility of loose knots falling out and leaving your cabin exposed to the elements.
We chose what we believe to be the best naturally grown material available. Whilst it can still be susceptible to cracks and warping, it is a lot less than other materials offered by our competitors.
Find out more about our Timber Sustainability Policy.
Pressure treatment
Throughout our website, and our Garden Building range, you will see the words ‘pressure treated’ used a lot in regards to our Garden Offices, Garden Sheds, Garden Structures and Climbing Frames. This describes the process of forcing treatment deep within the timber to protect it against rot and fungal decay. This is done to ensure your Garden Office doesn’t become weakened over time by absorbing moisture.
All pressure treated timbers, including our bearers, have a 10 year guarantee against rot and fungal decay. While opting for a pressure treated product may initially appear to be more expensive, it stops you having to dismantle and treat your product each year to ensure it is protected.
Glass
Dunster House started as a windows and doors company, and it is something we continue to do today. This equates to over twenty years experience manufacturing glass. The same glass we use in your Log Cabins and Garden Offices.
Many companies use Perspex or acrylic. Plastic alternatives to glass. Even those competitors that use glass, typically only use 3mm glass. We rigorously tested these, placing various window materials in a greenhouse against our 4mm toughened glass before hitting them with bricks.
Whilst the other materials scratched to the point you couldn’t see through them or dangerously shattered, ours stayed firm. See how our glass fares against our competitors in this video on the Dunster House YouTube page.
The materials science is important to note as all of our windows and doors comply with BS EN 1279 standards. This covers the standards for insulated glass units including thermal and sound insulation. These standard regulations are open access, meaning it will only take a quick google search to find them.
Galvanised Steel
We take pride in thinking about the finer details. For example purposes, the following is about the Climbing Frame. Our Climbing Frames come with ground anchors to secure it to the ground. This, in itself, is not particularly surprising as our competitors will offer pegs as well. However, they will commonly use plastic material.
These are not strong enough to withstand years of hard playing by your child and their friends. Our Climbing Frames have ‘pegs’ but they are 530mm and made of galvanised steel with large circular disks. These disks are dug deep into the ground to create a stable, solid structure. The galvanisation process protects the steel underneath from the elements, preventing rust and decay.
We guarantee our galvanised steel products for ten years against oxidation (read more about the terms and conditions).
We are proud of the experience and knowledge that we have built over the past twenty five plus years, but we are always learning and researching new ways to make your buying process easier. One thing that will not change is our transparency throughout the entire buying journey.
Our friendly sales team is always on hand to answer any questions you may have about your Garden Building and find the right one for you. Give them a call on 01234 272 445 or, alternatively, fill in a callback request form and we will call you back at a time more convenient for you.
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