Are you looking to make a purchase, and unsure whether you are capable of building the product. Throughout our website and conversations with our sales or customer services team, you may have come across the term “competent DIYer”.
In this article we answer what is a competent DIY person and What am I buying.
Firstly, what does competent mean? According to Oxford Languages, competent is “having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully”.
It is very difficult for us to make a judgement on whether you are able to assemble one of our products. There are so many factors that have to be considered such as:
Who will be available to assist you
It is important to take into consideration how many people there are to assist you. However, the overall project and job at hand does not require a large group of people. Feedback from competent DIY customers suggests two people is an adequate number.
Instructions & YouTube Tutorials
To ensure the assembly process is as simple and efficient as possible, all our products come with detailed comprehensive instructions which you can access via our customer login area prior to the delivery. On delivery, you will receive a paper copy too. Alongside the instructions, there are a number of videos on our Dunster House YouTube page showing how to install the log cabin, roof tiles and more!
We want you to be able to start constructing your product on the day of delivery so you can start enjoying it immediately. Therefore, the majority of the fittings and fixtures come as standard meaning you don’t need to source much yourself.
Toolkit Checklist
In order to put the timber garden building or climbing frame together, you do require a moderately equipped tool kit.
Example tools required:
This is to facilitate drilling, nailing, sawing and screwing.
Prior to installing a garden building, a flat, level and square base will need to be in place.
If you are outsourcing the installation then we suggest giving the person the most amount of information possible. Provide them with the instructions, inform them of the type of base you want or discuss your options. This will allow the installer(s) to understand the product as best as they can before erecting it.
Whether you are constructing the product or someone else is you want to ensure that it has been put together correctly. It is a long term investment, therefore allocate time to understand the instructions, parts and nature of the materials.
During this, if you come across anything that you do not quite understand please feel free to contact our friendly customer service team. Simply drop them an email with your query, alongside your name and order number. All customer service enquiries are made through writing at cs@dunsterhouse.co.uk.
For more information on how to contact customer service.
As mentioned in the beginning this article will answer what is a competent DIY person and What am I buying.
Any of the softwood timbers supplied are organic naturals which do change with time and different seasons. The timbers provided have been planned before any type of cutting, drilling or shaping.
Timber has many natural characteristics which are important to understand before purchasing a timber garden building or climbing frame. It is very different to plastic, aluminium and other metals. We do not supply metal quality finished surfaces in any of our timber products.
Characteristics of Timber
The timber we use is of high quality, but regardless of that it can be unpredictable with how it splits, warps and shells. There are many factors that can be the result of this happening to the timber, the main one being the weather. Living in the UK, a nation known for unpredictable weather, it is difficult to say how often or what time frame this will occur within.
Timber naturally contracts and expands due to the stresses in the fibres of the material. Occasionally, deep, wide shakes and cracks can begin to appear but this has been taken into consideration when our products have been designed.
Delivery Day
On the day of delivery, please assure your product is intact and in pristine condition. If you are not satisfied with your goods please return the entire order with the driver, as any additional visits required to your property to collect the other goods will incur a charge.
If you require additional replacement parts or individual bits of timber then please get in touch with our Parts Department.
Our Drivers are not authorised to accept changes to our Delivery Notes or our pre-advised Terms of Trading.
Touching on Aftercare
As an added bonus to answering what is a competent DIY person and what am I buying, here is some information on aftercare and maintenance.
Maintaining the product periodically is compulsory, and if not complete will result in your product deteriorating. As a company we do not provide any physical maintenance services, however we have a variety of detailed product specific maintenance articles available.
For any additional questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 01234 272445 or email enquiries@dunsterhouse.co.uk.
