Yes, we have six branches throughout mainland England, situated in Bedford, Warminster, Faversham, Flixborough, Basingstoke and Liverpool. Each branch has a display garden with a wide range of products available for viewing. Please see our visit us page for contact information and opening times of each branch.
Of course, our payment pages are secured using high level encryption. Credit card payments are processed using SagePay, a secure server. All credit card numbers are encrypted in the software when the order is placed and are only decrypted after they reach us. They are not held in clear text on any web site. We will seek to verify all card transactions against the cardholder's address to avoid any payment problems and fraud. For more information about payment methods click here.
No, it is not necessary to have an account with us when ordering. This means there's not another log in, for another website, that you will need to remember.
Once your payment details have been verified and your order is successful you will receive confirmation of your order. If you order online the confirmation will be in the form of an email, offline orders will receive confirmation via email and post.
We accept VISA, Master card, Debit Cards and Personal cheques. We can also accept payment via bank transfer.
Please allow up to 10 working days for any cheques or bank transfers to clear. With card payments over the phone, due to our strict method of Address Verification, used to minimise the risk of fraud, we are only able to deliver to the cardholder's address.
Online orders may be placed to alternative delivery addresses, but only if the online card payment is in full and the card passes a 3D Secure check such as Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode.
If you prefer, the payment can be made via bank transfer or cheque when ordering over the phone with one of our friendly sales advisors. Alternatively you can pay via chip and pin or cash by visiting one of our six branches. If paying by cheque we advise paying the whole order amount to avoid delaying your delivery date due to clearance timescales, however this is not required.
No, full payment must be made before any items will be delivered.
Yes, a 25% deposit can be paid on all of our products. The remainder of your payment is then made before your delivery.
No, there are no additional charges when paying by card.
VAT is paid on all purchases from Dunster House Ltd. The VAT is charged at the current UK rate.
We provide an assisted delivery service on all products. This is to ensure that your products are carried safely and securely.
Please note that goods will be delivered to the first point of contact at the front of your property e.g. on your driveway. This must be within 20m from the delivery vehicle (Safely Parked at Kerbside). Our team will be responsible for assessing the risk of carrying out an assisted delivery upon arrival at the property. If they feel that there is no clear access as stated above, they will have to leave the items at the kerbside.
We offer this service on all items that are delivered (except Scotland), we do not offer this on our couriered products. Prices for this service can be found on individual products.
Help us to help you.
At Dunster House, our formula is uncommon – we supply an unrivalled range of quality products at startlingly low-end prices. Our niche lies in creating excellently crafted products at affordable prices. All of our products are delivered using our own fleet of vehicles, not sub-contractors. That is unless you are being delivered a smaller item such as some accessories for a climbing frame; in this case we will use a third party courier service to delivery these. Sometimes, we will also use Royal Mail. We have a large number of vehicles dedicated to delivering our quality products so we can guarantee maximum care is taken during the delivery process. We offer a simple yet sufficient delivery service that unites you with your excellent purchase on the specified date.
We rely upon somebody being at home between 8.30am and 7.00pm on the day of delivery.
We personally arrange a delivery date that is convenient for you. We will not able to guarantee a specific time slot for the delivery, due to the fact that the driver, who will be delivering several times that day, must allow for delays. Such delays can occur due to traffic or hold-ups during a delivery. Please bear in mind that each delivery can take up to two hours as each part is offloaded individually! Therefore, giving time frames is not possible,
In order to provide as much information as possible, we do give you the opportunity to monitor the progress of delivery vehicles live on the day of delivery, via the internet, on our website's customer sign-in area, if you have your order details.
When the delivery vehicle is unloaded, it is important that you check to make sure all of the items and instructions have arrived and are correct. You will also receive a component list to check your items against. If anything is missing or damaged, it is essential that you note this on your paper work when you hand it back to the delivery driver.
We’re not asking you to check through every single component whilst the driver is still on site (even we agree that would be absurd!), simply that you check that the number of packs to be delivered on the vehicle matches accurately to the number of packs detailed on your delivery note.
Please Note: * If there is not someone there present to receive the goods a re-delivery charge will be applied.
Should you require further information on our assisted delivery services, please click here to read our Terms and Conditions, alternatively you can contact a member of our Sales Team.
Scottish areas may be subjected to slightly longer delivery turnarounds, please contact us for details.
As soon as stock is available for delivery a member of our despatch team will contact you to arrange a delivery date. For more information please see our delivery page.
The turnaround times on our website are all approximate. This is because your delivery depends on stock levels, driver availability and, the most uncontrollable of all, the weather.
We do not offer timed deliveries, which is why we ask that somebody is at home and available between 8:30am and 7:00pm on the day of the delivery. This is in case our driver meets unexpected traffic and has to change the route, you've then possibly gone from first on the route to third.
On the day of your delivery you can track your order on our website, just click here. Simply type in your order number and postcode and you will get an update on your driver’s location. This means that if you need to pop out on the day of delivery, you can check where your driver is and do what you need to do without worrying about missing your delivery.
On the day of your delivery you can track your order on our website, just click here. Simply type in your order number and postcode and you will get an update on your driver’s location. This means that if you need to pop out on the day of delivery, you can check where your driver is and do what you need to do without worrying about missing your delivery.
We ask that somebody is at home and available from 8:30am to 7:00pm to accept the delivery. If, for whatever reason, you need to go out then please make sure that somebody else is at home and able to accept amd sign for your delivery.
If there is nobody available to accept your delivery you will be charged a redelivery fee and be given a new delivery date. For more information on redelivery fees see our terms and conditions.
All of our products are delivered using our own fleet of vehicles, not sub-contractors. We have a large number of vehicles dedicated to delivering our quality products so we can guarantee maximum care is taken during the delivery process. Our products come flat packed, as shown in our delivery section
With our Assisted Delivery Service, goods will be delivered to the first point of contact at the front of your property e.g. on your driveway. This must be within 20m from the delivery vehicle (Safely Parked at Kerbside). Our team will be responsible for assessing the risk of carrying out an assisted delivery upon arrival at the property. If they feel that there is no clear access as stated above, they will have to leave the items at the kerbside.
We will not carry items through a house or any decorated property. The drop point will be the first external location met between the vehicle and the property. There must be suitable road access to the drop location, with no parking restrictions e.g. double red/yellow lines, parking bays, bus stops etc.
Yes, it is possible for customers to collect their order from one of our depots/branches. However, this must be arranged during the sales process. Further information about appropriate collection vehicles and collections in general can be found here
Yes, upon delivery, it is important that you check each item you receive carefully. Your instructions and components list will be packed inside the product pack.
It's important you check that all parts delivered are in excellent condition. Any missing or broken parts must be noted on a delivery discrepancy note and returned with the delivery driver. Please check our Returns Policy for more information.
No, we do not deliver over the weekends or public holidays. All deliveries are Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 7:00pm unless a public holiday falls on one of these days.
Yes, it is possible to have your order delivered to a different address than your billing address.
You can order over the phone with a member of our Sales Team who will take payment via a bank transfer or cheque sent by post to Dunster House Ltd. Alternatively, you can order online and use your credit or debit card to pay for the transaction providing that you have signed up to 3D Secure which is a system that your bank will run that requires you to enter a separate password with them when making online purchases, such as Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. For more information on payments please refer to our Payments section.
We do not ship goods outside of the mainland United Kingdom. However, we will deliver to ports and your designated agent. Additional charges may apply for additional costs for packaging the goods. Please speak to a member of our Sales Team for more information.
You can cancel your order with us either by email to cs@dunsterhouse.co.uk or by post: Customer Services, Dunster House Ltd. Caxton Road, Bedford, MK41 0LF.
Your right to cancel your order extends for 14 days after the items have been delivered unless you have altered the items in any form. Refunds are within 14 days with returns at the cost and risk of the customer. There are some exceptions, so please read carefully our Returns Policy
If any of the items delivered are broken or damaged then please make sure you ask the delivery driver to bring the damaged parts back and we will arrange replacement parts to be delivered, without any delivery or returns charge. If a part is damaged and you would like to return the whole order, or if you are unsatisfied with the product, simply send the whole order back with the driver and you will receive a full refund. There are some exceptions, so please read our Returns Policy carefully.
In the unlikely event that we leave the goods and you subsequently cancel an order, then you will need to make suitable arrangements to return such Goods, unused and unassembled, at your own cost and risk. Your statutory rights are not affected. Please read our Terms and Conditions.
Returned goods will be inspected and refunds will take place within 14 days after the items have been returned.
Refunds may be subject to deductions, so please refer to our Returns Policy page for further details.
You should always contact us in writing with a detailed explanation of the situation or your query. That way you can be sure that there aren’t any mistakes or misinterpretations and it will allow us to answer you appropriately and professionally.
Please contact our Customer Service team either by email to cs@dunsterhouse.co.uk or by post: Customer Services, Dunster House Ltd. Elms Farm Industrial Estate, Caxton Road, Bedford, MK41 0LF. Alternatively you can use our Web Form
Dunster House products are designed for competent DIY assembly by two or more adults. Please remember to allow time to understand and check the instructions, parts and nature of the materials that you will be using. This may take hours to days depending on the size of the project that you are undertaking.
The assembly process will vary according to individual abilities and complexity of the project. Any indication given as to time required to assemble a product must be deemed as approximate as wood is a natural product and may require manipulation prior to assembly.
That is why on each products page you will find a wealth of Information by clicking on various links within those pages. Try clicking on the words that are next to the tick boxes for the various different options and you will get a pop-up explanation of what those options are, you can also look at the various articles in the ‘Additional Information’ section on each product page as well as browsing through previous customers photos and reviews
Alternatively, please contact our sales team if you have any further queries or cannot find the answer you are looking for on our website.
If you have already received your goods and have any further questions please contact our customer service team.
Building regulations can be complicated but are normally defined by use, so depending upon what you want to use your garden building for, you may not need to worry about them.
Please check our Building Regulations section for full details.
So you’ve found a beautiful Dunster House Garden Building and you’re wondering if planning permission is required to put it up.
Well we’ve made up a simple guide for you to see if your building is going to be considered to be Permitted Development and therefore not need Planning Permission. Please be aware this guide is intended for Dunster House Buildings Only.
All pressure treated wooden components carry a 10-year guarantee against damage by insects and fungal decay, including our pressure treated bearers which are featured in all of our garden buildings. This does not include other parts such as nuts, bolts, screws, door locks, mechanisms and Climbing Frame accessories, which are covered for 1 year against manufacturing faults.
Our guarantee is subject to proper installation and normal domestic use. No guarantee is offered on products subjected to abuse, negligence, improper use, modifications or attachment to equipment other than our own. Dunster House reserves the right to examine photographs of items claimed to be defective. Products returned to our factory for examination or recovery must be sent freight prepaid unless a Goods Returned Note is issued.
Please remember that all of our play systems are designed for residential use only. Non-residential use is prohibited and will void the guarantee. Also, timber is a natural product that will change and adapt to various weather conditions and therefore these natural changes are not covered by the guarantee. Full details of our guarantees are available here.
A strong foundation is important when siting a garden building.
Dunster House would recommend a flat, level concrete base. If you are unsure about building your concrete base we would recommend that you consult an experienced tradesman. Please note that the base needs to be level with no run-off, the building will provide this.
If you prefer not to construct a concrete base, we have designed an excellent foundation system that works well with our garden buildings: RapidGrid foundations.
*Please note that the Rapid foundation systems are not available for all models. Please check they are available for the product you are interested in. This can be found in the foundation options section of your chosen product.
For more information on our foundations please click here.
If you have received your order but you can’t find the instructions or don’t remember where you’ve placed them, don’t worry. All you need to do is contact our Customer Service team, including your order number and they will gladly send you a PDF copy of your product’s instructions by email.
Wood is a natural product and all trees are different with different properties. These properties can include colour differences, warping, twisting, shakes, splits, knots, knot holes and varying surface finishes and are part of the natural properties of this type of material. These properties are normal for externally used timber, are allowed for in the integrity of our designs, and cannot be guaranteed against. Sometimes deep and wide shakes and cracks can appear unsightly but we have calculated for these in our designs. Minor adjustments may have to be undertaken on site due to the nature of timber.
Some of our products are supplied untreated, please ensure you have read the specification of your product carefully. A variety of treatments are available to purchase from us, which will help protect your product from the elements and will also give it an attractive finish.
Roofing felt is not supplied as standard. However, roof shingles and rolls of felt can be purchased as optional extras.
For more information on our products including general maintenance guides, see the maintenance guides for each product, which are available under the heading of ‘Additional Information’ on each products web-page.
The tools we recommend you use when erecting your garden building are:
All climbing frames and swing sets should be positioned on a level surface, which will provide a soft landing when falling or jumping. We advise that when planning where to place your climbing frame you measure the area carefully and allow enough room for swinging space. We recommend keeping your climbing frame 2m away from any structures.
Where ground anchors are supplied they should be used for safety reasons. The ground anchors provided do not usually need concreting into the ground, however if you find that they move when your children are playing on the equipment then we advise you to use concrete to secure them into the ground.
Children come in all shapes and sizes, luckily so do our climbing frames and play houses! We want to make sure that your children play safely, that's why our entire range is put through rigorous, independent, European safety tests (EN71) and are CE rated.
You may think that this testing is required by law for ALL climbing frames but sadly it is not, so if you are considering purchasing elsewhere it is always worth checking that the climbing frames are independently tested to EN71 regulations.
The meticulous testing ensures that our range minimises risks to your children as they play on the equipment. Whether this is to prevent heads, limbs and fingers being trapped in gaps, or clothing and toggles. We look to give your children the best possible equipment to act out their wildest adventures on!
Our climbing frames are made with non-toxic pressure treated timber. This has passed testing to EN71 part 8 which is a test for toxic substances should a child try to chew the toy.
Our playhouses come partly pressure treated. We offer a range of colourful treatments to help protect and personalise your playhouse, which have also been tested to EN71 part 8. Please see specific playhouses and optional extras for further information.
All of our climbing frames and play houses are designed to be built by competent DIYers with a basic set of tools and ideally a power screwdriver. They come complete with all the fixtures and fittings you need to build them and a full set of comprehensive, easy to follow instructions. All of the holes for parts, bolts and screws are pre-drilled so you don't need to worry about getting those wrong.
The tools we recommend you use when erecting your climbing frame are:
Yes, there are recommended age restrictions on our climbing frames. All of our products are designed for children of 3 years and older, however the maximum age varies depending on the product. Please read the product specification to see what ages the climbing frame is suitable for.
Our Branches and Our Opening Hours
We havve 6 branches across the UK.
Come and visit us to have a look around our Display Gardens and see our gorgeous garden products for yourself.
Find out where you can visit us here.
Welcome to the Spare Parts help page! Here we will help you understand what we can and cannot supply along with a few rules.
In the unlikely event that you need to replace components on your product, we should be able to help you! However, under no circumstances are we going to supply any item for customers to change & modify their products from the original design.
What spare parts we can and cannot sell.
Throughout our trading years we have come a long way and so have our products. Dependant on the age of your product, it may mean we are unable to help or supply you with replacements you require. If your product is 7-10 years old, for example, we are more than likely unable to help you. As we have grown as a company our products have followed, we may find it hard to find you on our computer system or we no longer stock/ manufacture the items for your product. But it is always worth checking with us, so pop an email over!
If you have a play system, we are able to supply you with new components as long as the requested items are in your products component list. However, there are a few restrictions as we test our climbing frames to meet EN71 standards. EN71, which is also a part of the CE directive, has been put in place to ensure that all toys sold in the EU meet certain safety standards. We are therefore not able to sell additional items to you to add onto your climbing frames as they have only been tested on how we already supply them. (For example: we cannot supply customers with extra swing hooks so they can have additional swings on the frames). For other products, we are only able to supply parts from the products component list, if there is a component you require which is not on this list, unfortunately we are not allowed to sell this.
Examples of items we can supply:
Examples of items we cannot supply:
In order to have a fully documented clarification of parts that are required, we like to deal with spare parts via email. If you are dealing with our Parts Team over the phone, you will be asked for factual information to be put down in writing so that we make sure everything required is not missed and to make sure the price is correct. It is down to you, the customer, to provide us with the components and quantities you require. If you are finding this hard, we are able to send you a copy of your instruction manual for you to look through. Instructions are only available if you are our invoiced customer or you can provide proof of delivery, as we understand some people may be lucky enough to have inherited one of our products.
Email: parts@dunsterhouse.co.uk
Understanding Roof Insulation
What is roof insulation and what type of insulation do we use?
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Our roof insulation is supplied as panels of 25mm thick polyurethane sheets (30mm for Warmalog cabins) which are supplied already chemically bonded to MFP boarding. The roof insulation sheets are very easy to fit to the roof of your cabin, they simply need to be screwed down through the sheet into the roof board below (you don't need to locate purlins, as the roof boards are thick enough to screw into at any point without the screw protruding on the other side). Roof panels with 25mm insulation just need cutting to size around the edge of your roof, and any offcuts can be reused.
In the case of our Warmalog products the insulated roof panels are already pre-cut sandwich panels with 30mm insulation backed with 10mm MFP.
How will roof insulation improve the thermal efficiency of the building?
When installed, the roof insulation is a cost-effective way of lowering the U-Value of your roof from 3.49W/m2 K to a far more efficient 0.65 W/m2K, or 0.57 W/m2K.on a Warmalog Cabin.
As you can see from the image, the roof insulation sits on top of the roof boards you receive with your cabin. So, whatever roofing you decide upon, be it shingles or felt, will be laid on the MFP board. This means you still get a nice, attractive tongue and groove internal finish along with the extra heat gained from the impact of the insulation.
Roof insulation can be added to a log cabin at a later stage and can be purchased from our extras section.
Understanding Floor Insulation
What type of floor insulation do we use?
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Our standard log cabin floor insulation is supplied as a foil backed 25mm polyurethane board that is to be suspended below the floorboards with the use of insulation clips. Our unique insulation clip have been designed to enable insulation boards to be installed easily and rapidly between the bearers without the need for nails, screws, or battens.
In the case of Warmalog Cabins, we use pre-cut insulated sandwich panels with 30mm insulation between two sheets of 10mm MFP.
This will lower the U-Value of your floor from 2.81 W/m2 K to 0.77 W/m2 K, saving you money on heating and helping to keep your feet toasty warm.
Please note: If you have already built your product and wish to purchase log cabin floor insulation, you will need to take up the floor boards in order to fit it.
For more information on U-Values, please see the help page “Understanding U-Values"
Understanding U-Values
A U-Value is a measure of heat loss/gain found within building materials used for walls, floors and roofs. U-Values are always measured in W/m2K (Watts per Metres Squared Kelvin). Basically, the higher the U-Value of a material is, the worse it performs in relation to retaining heat. So materials with a lower U-Value have high levels of heat retention.
Good insulation will help protect you from paying large heating bills. For this reason, you should always look at the U-Value of the materials used within the construction of a garden building. As the majority of a building's heat is lost through the roof, walls and floor, insulating these areas is important.
We believe our excellent insulation provides you with a reliable garden building of superior quality at better value for money. Keeping your garden building insulated helps you to control its environment, which protects it from damage. This means you get a garden building which you can use all year round, that is built to last and one that represents a fantastic investment.
We have used our log cabins as a case study to help you understand U-Values a little bit more.
In the sections below, we have explained the significance of U-Value by comparing some of the options on our cabins for the walls/roof/floor, to other commonly available options, by the use of bar charts to hopefully give you a clear representation.
As a rule, timber isn't as good an insulator as materials like polyurethane, which are designed for insulation. For example, a log cabin with a 70mm wall has a U-Value of 1.41 W/m2K. But our best insulated walls, the 62mm Warmalog™ walls, have a significantly lower U-Value of just 0.69 W/m2K. The reason for this is that we fill the cavity of these walls with 30mm of polyurethane insulation.
In fact, to get the same level of heat retention from solid timber, you would need to have walls which are a staggering 140mm thick! Not only would this be relatively impractical, the weight of the entire log cabin would be so high it would increase delivery times because we wouldn’t be able to manufacture them as quickly as we already do. It would also push the cost up considerably; and this is something we really don’t want to do. Therefore, it makes more economical sense to insulate your walls with a sensible insulating material.
This first graph displays the U-Value of timber walls according to log cabins. Whereas the blue bars display other thicknesses that we don't use, for comparison purposes.
Heat rises, so a poorly insulated roof will let out a lot of heat. Although U-Values for roofing are typically higher, the method of measurement is the same. Our roof insulation includes an 10mm MFP/25mm Polyurethane sandwich panels on top of our 19mm T&G (tongue and groove) roof boards. This offers excellent roof insulation, compared to standard roof boards, and a U-value of 0.65 W/m2K.
When it comes to insulating a building, the floor is all too often forgotten. On our 28mm and 45mm wall log cabins, we offer a floor insulation option which is 25mm foil backed PUR insulation. On our 62mm Warmalog Cabins, they come with insulation in the floors as standard which is a sandwich structure – 10mm MFP / 30mm PUR insulation / 10mm MFP. The insulated floors give you a U-Value of 0.77 W/m2K. or 0.59 W/m2K. respectively, depending on which cabin you have.
Some of you might be thinking "how does the U-Value in the timber used by Dunster House compare to the brickwork of my home?" Well, as you can see our 62mm Warmalog Cabin, with a U-Value of 0.69 W/m2K is comparable to a house construction of brick / cavity / breezeblock. It may not be as good as the “Typical House Construction,” which is at 0.31 W/m2K, but even our 28mm wall logs are much better than a single skin brick wall.
Typical House Construction - 102mm Brick Wall / 50mm Air Cavity / 100mm AAC Blocks / Mineral Wool / 12mm Plasterboard
What is the best log cabin wall thickness?
If you intend to use your log cabin all-year-round - rather than seasonally - you should choose a log cabin wall thickness that is as thick as possible, to maximise the insulation. U-Values provide a measure of the heat transfer through different materials, to allow you to compare options.
We use interlocking tongue & groove timber in our walls to provide strength and stability, it also allows timber to naturally expand and contract.
Our 28mm walls are ideal for medium sized buildings for seasonal use (U-Value 2.59 W/m² K)
Our 45mm walls contain over 60% more wood than a 28mm wall and are ideal for use all-year round. (U-Value 1.93 W/m² K)
Our 62mm insulated walls are a sandwich of timber and polyurethane. An innovative concept which helps retain heat far better than Rockwool or polystyrene. It produces a U-Value equivalent to 140mm wall thickness. (U-Value 0.69 W/m2K)
