Frequently Asked Questions
About us
Who are you?
A UK online retailer of garden buildings and outdoor products — sheds, summerhouses, log cabins, greenhouses, garden furniture and outdoor cooking. We're a small, VAT-registered UK business, and you'll generally deal with the same person from first enquiry to delivery. Our full company and registration details are on our contact page.
Do you have a showroom?
No. Many of our manufacturers have their own display sites, and if you'd like to see a particular range in person, tell us which one and we'll find out where your nearest one is.
Can I speak to a real person?
Yes, and we'd encourage it on a larger purchase. WhatsApp 0333 050 4282 is the quickest — it's also the easiest way to send us a photo of your access or your base. Phone the same number Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, or email info@heavenlygardenstore.com and we aim to come back to you within one working day.
Ordering and payment
Is it safe to pay on your site?
Payments are handled by Shopify Payments, which is PCI-DSS compliant. We never see or store your card details. We accept all major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. All prices include VAT and a VAT invoice is issued automatically with your order.
When am I charged?
At the point of order. We pay the manufacturer up front to put your building into production, which is what secures your place in their build queue.
What happens after I place my order?
Four steps:
1. We confirm it with the manufacturer, usually within one working day and within three at the latest. If there's a problem with availability we contact you immediately with your options, including a full refund.
2. You get a confirmation naming the manufacturer and the lead time.
3. The manufacturer contacts you directly to book a delivery date.
4. Delivery. Someone needs to be there to receive it.
Can I change my order after placing it?
Tell us as soon as you can. Before we've placed it with the manufacturer, changes and cancellations are free and immediate. Once it's with them we'll always ask on your behalf, and most will accommodate a change before the build starts.
Can I order by phone?
Yes. On a larger building some people would rather talk it through, and that's often the sensible way to do it — we can check access, base and lead time with you before anything is taken.
What if the price on your site is wrong?
We work hard to price correctly, but if we find an error on something you've ordered we'll contact you before processing it. You can then confirm at the correct price or cancel for a full refund. We won't quietly charge you more.
Delivery and lead times
How long will my building take?
It varies enormously by manufacturer — from a few working days on stocked furniture to around nine weeks on a made-to-order steel building. Our product page shows the lead time for that exact item, and it's the figure to go by.
Lead times start when your order is confirmed with the manufacturer, not when you place it.
All lead times and delivery dates are estimates. They depend on production schedules, materials and weather, and they can move. We give you the most accurate figure we have and we tell you as soon as we know if it changes — but we can't treat an estimate as a guaranteed date, and we'd rather say so than promise something that isn't ours to promise. Please don't book an installer, a skip or time off work against an estimated date before your delivery is confirmed.
Is delivery free?
Delivery to UK mainland is included in the price on most products. Where a surcharge applies to your postcode it's shown on the product page. Scottish islands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly are price on application, and some manufacturers won't deliver to them at all — send us your postcode and the product and we'll confirm before you order.
Can I choose my delivery date?
The manufacturer contacts you directly to arrange it, and most will work around you within their delivery window for your area. What we can't do is promise a specific date at the point of order, because we'd be promising something that isn't ours to give.
Will they bring it into my garden?
No — delivery is kerbside unless our product page says otherwise. The driver unloads at the nearest safe hard-standing point and leaves. They won't carry sections through a property, round the back, or up steps.
Garden buildings are heavy. Please plan how you'll move it from the drop point before it arrives, and line up help for the day.
Do I need to be there?
Yes. Deliveries can't be left unattended, and a missed delivery has to be rebooked and recharged. Please also check the delivery over before you sign for it.
What access do you need?
Access is the single most common reason a delivery fails, so it's worth two minutes before you order.
You'll need room for a long-wheelbase vehicle or lorry to reach the drop point, and a firm, level route from there — a driveway or paving. A loaded pallet truck can't cross soft ground, loose gravel, steps or a steep slope.
Narrow lanes, low bridges, weight limits, permit parking — tell us before you order and we'll check it with the manufacturer for free. A failed delivery is charged back to you, so that two-minute message is the cheapest thing on this page.
Do you deliver to Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Most manufacturers do, usually with a surcharge in the Highlands and Northern Ireland. It varies by manufacturer and by product, so the amount is shown on the product page. If in doubt, send us your postcode first.
Bases, assembly and installation
Do I need a base?
Yes, and it matters more than almost anything else. It must be level, firm, and the full footprint of the building — concrete, paving slabs on a compacted sub-base, or a properly supported timber frame. Not soil, not grass, not loose gravel, and not a few slabs under the corners.
A building erected on a poor base will rack out of square. The symptoms are doors that won't close, gaps at the corners and a roof that won't sit down, and none of it is covered by a guarantee. Get the base right and most other problems never happen.
Do you build it for me?
Assembly isn't included unless the product page says so. A small number of our ranges are delivered and installed by the manufacturer's own team — those pages say "installation included" clearly. Everything else arrives flat-packed for you or your installer.
How hard is it to put up?
A standard shed is a straightforward two-person afternoon. A large log cabin is a serious job and we'd recommend a competent installer. The product page gives the panel count and dimensions — if you're unsure, message us with the model and we'll tell you honestly what you're taking on.
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not. Most garden buildings fall under permitted development, but there are real limits on height, proximity to boundaries, how much of the garden is covered, and what you use it for — and the rules are different for listed buildings, conservation areas and some new-build estates. Check with your local planning authority before you order. We can't advise on it and we'd be wrong to try.
Your building, once it's up
Is it already treated?
Depends on the product, and this is the most important thing on this page.
Dip-treated timber has a factory base coat to protect it in storage and transit. It is not weatherproofing. It must be coated with a proper exterior preservative as soon as it's built, then maintained — usually annually. Left through a winter untreated, it will deteriorate, and that isn't covered.
Pressure-treated timber is protected against rot from the outset and doesn't need annual preservative, though a water-repellent finish keeps it looking right.
Our product page says which you have, and our care guide covers both in full.
My timber has knots, splits and uneven colour. Is that a fault?
No. Timber is a natural material. Colour and grain vary board to board and against the product photograph, knots can loosen, resin can bleed for a year, and boards shrink and swell with the seasons — gaps will open in summer and close again in winter. Surface splits along the grain are normal. So is a door that binds in damp weather and eases in dry.
Does the building look exactly like the photo?
The specification will match. The timber won't look identical, because no two pieces of timber do. Buildings are often photographed treated or stained and will arrive in their standard finish, and photographs may show furniture, planting, paving, lighting or shelving that isn't included. The written specification on the product page is what you're buying — if anything in an image matters to you, ask us and we'll confirm it in writing first.
What guarantee do I get?
Most products carry a manufacturer's guarantee against rot, corrosion or component failure, and the term is stated on the product page. Guarantees are conditional on the building being properly based and properly maintained — so keep your preservative receipts and take a dated photo after each coat. A guarantee sits on top of your legal rights; it never replaces them.
How long does roofing felt last?
Standard mineral felt is a consumable, typically two to five years depending on exposure, and it isn't covered by the building guarantee. If you upgrade one thing on a timber building, upgrade this — heavy-duty felt, shingles or an EPDM membrane will outlast it several times over.
If something goes wrong
It arrived damaged, or parts are missing.
Check your delivery before you start building. Note any visible damage on the delivery paperwork while the driver is still there, and tell us within 48 hours with photographs of the damage, the packaging and the delivery note.
We arrange replacement parts with the manufacturer at no cost to you. Manufacturers work to short reporting windows, so please don't leave it — a late report can invalidate the claim entirely.
Who do I contact — you or the manufacturer?
Us. You bought from us, so chasing the manufacturer is our job, not yours. The only thing they'll contact you about directly is booking your delivery.
Can I return it if I change my mind?
Yes — you have 14 days from delivery to cancel, and a further 14 days to return it. Two things to know before you do:
You pay the return carriage, and on a large building that can exceed £300. We get a written collection quote and send it to you before anything is booked, so you always decide with the real number in front of you.
Once you start building it, it's yours. You're entitled to unpack and inspect your building as you would in a shop — but a building that's been started, cut, drilled, painted or treated can't be sold to anyone else, and the refund is reduced to nil. Our returns policy sets out exactly where the line sits.
What if it's faulty?
Different situation entirely, and it costs you nothing. Within 30 days you can reject it for a full refund and we pay to collect. Between 30 days and six months you're entitled to a repair or replacement, and a refund if neither resolves it.