What happens on delivery day?

It varies by manufacturer, and the difference matters. Here's what to expect and what to have ready.

Kerbside is the standard

Most garden buildings are delivered kerbside — the driver brings it to the nearest safe point a vehicle can reach, which is not necessarily the back of your garden, or even through your gate.

Some ranges are different. A few manufacturers deliver with their own crews and will place the building where it's going and assemble it. If that applies to what you're buying, it's stated on the product page — and if it matters to you, ask us before you order, because it varies by range as well as by brand.

Have these ready

Two people, minimum. Panels are heavy and awkward. Some items are flagged as two-person lifts for good reason.

Clear access. Measure the narrowest point between the road and where it's going. Panels are rigid and don't go round tight corners. Overhanging branches and low gates cause more failed deliveries than anything else.

Somewhere to put it. If the base isn't ready, you need somewhere dry and flat to stack panels in the meantime. They can stand outside wrapped for a reasonable time, but not indefinitely.

Someone at home. Deliveries usually come with a window rather than a time.

Before you sign

Count the packages against the delivery note. Missing parts are far easier to resolve before the driver leaves.

Photograph anything damaged before unwrapping further. Photos taken at the point of delivery are worth a great deal more than photos taken three days later.

Note any damage on the delivery note itself before signing.

Two things that go wrong

Access. If the lorry can't reach you, or the building can't reach the garden, the delivery fails — and a failed delivery usually means a return-to-depot charge. We ask about access on every order for exactly this reason. Please tell us the awkward truth rather than the hopeful version.

Booking a fitter too early. Lead times are estimates, and delays happen. Don't book anyone against an estimated date. Book them once the building has physically arrived and you've checked it's all there.

If you're unsure whether a lorry can get to you, send us a photo of the access before you order. We'd rather sort it now than on the day.