Important Information About Your Delivery - Greenhouses

This useful guide contains information and advice about all aspects of your delivery. Please take a few minutes to read it. Also, please print it or save it on your computer for future reference. You should also have received our Important Product Information with comprehensive advice and useful tips to help you enjoy your purchase to the full. Please contact us if you have not received it.

CONTENTS

Scroll down or click on the links below:

• GLASS - IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
• YOUR GREENHOUSE DELIVERY
• GLASS STORAGE
• FRAME STORAGE
• ACCESS FOR LARGE PANELS
• THE DELIVERY VEHICLE

PICTURE: An unopened glass crate.

GLASS - IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Glass is potentially a major safety hazard so if your order includes glass please read this information carefully before any glass is delivered.

• Please consider the safety of you and anybody who helps you while handling glass at your property.
• If possible you should ask your greenhouse installer to handle the glass for you. Greenhouse installers are normally experienced at handling glass.
• If you need to handle the glass yourself you should be extremely careful.
• Wear strong and thick cut resistant gloves at all times when handling glass.
• Ensure that your wrists are fully protected with long sleeves in thick and strong cut resistant fabrics.
• Wear thick and strong cut resistant footwear and trousers to protect your legs and feet.
• Carry only one piece of glass at a time.
• Always concentrate fully when handling glass from before you pick it up until after you have put it down.

Please also consider the location where the glass will be stored within your property and consider whether it is safe.

• Is it possible that you, your family or a visitor could be injured by the glass?
• Could pets or children have access to the glass?
• Is it possible to restrict access to the area, for example by locking a door or gate?
• Do any sharp edges need covering?

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PICTURE: Safe glass storage inside a garage, re-using the original glass crate.

YOUR GREENHOUSE DELIVERY

Your order includes delivery by specialist trained staff in dedicated vehicles. The benefits of a specialist delivery service include less damage and helpful drivers who will carry your greenhouse and the glass to your chosen storage place, where the driver will stack it neatly for you. This greenhouse can normally be delivered even if access is restricted. All packages are designed to pass through a normal single door.

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PICTURE: The glass is often delivered in cardboard packs, which require careful handling.

GLASS STORAGE

• We recommend that glass is stored in a safe place.
• The glass is normally delivered in individual panes which are supplied loose.
• The largest pieces of glass are up to 5ft tall and 2ft wide and only a few millimetres thick.
• There are also a number of smaller pieces of glass.
• Most of the glass panes are rectangular in shape but a few are square and a few are triangular to suit the angle of the roof pitch.

PICTURE: Individual panes of glass in a wooden crate.

• A typical 6'x6' (1.8x1.8m) greenhouse includes around 40 pieces of glass, which occupies a space up to 5ft wide x 2ft tall x 10" deep (1500x600x250mm)
• A typical 8'x10' (2.5x3.0m) greenhouse includes around 80 pieces of glass and occupies a space up to 5ft wide x 2ft tall x 18" deep (1500x600x450mm)
• Choose a storage area where children and pets rarely go and make sure they are kept away while the glass is there.
• At most properties the best glass storage area is a corner of the garage, in the shed or under the carport.
• It is also possible to store glass in a conservatory, a utility room or a spare bedroom but you may need to restrict access.
• We recommend storing glass undercover. If it gets wet the individual panes of glass may stick together and members of the public struggle to prise them apart without breaking the glass.
• If possible store glass undercover. If the glass is stored outside it should be protected with a waterproof cover such as a tarpaulin.

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FRAME STORAGE

PICTURE: An 8' long (2.4m) greenhouse frame box with the base plinth packed separately in a smaller box.

• The frame components are normally delivered in one or two long thin boxes up to 12" wide and 6" deep (300x150mm).
• The base plinth is sometimes packed in the main box and sometimes packed separately in a second box.
• A small greenhouse includes a frame box 7' long (2000mm) and the largest are up to 13' long (4000mm)
• We recommend storing the frame box undercover. If it is stored outside, unless it is covered with a tarpaulin, the box, the components and the instructions may get wet.

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ACCESS FOR LARGE PANELS

All of our aluminium greenhouses and many of our wooden greenhouses are not made in large panels. Instead they are delivered as smaller components which can be carried through a house or a garage if required.

However, a few of our wooden greenhouses are made in prefabricated panels which may be large. Although it makes installation easier it can be awkward to carry large panels into the garden.

PICTURE: The first 2 prefabricated panels being fixed together.

You need to be sure that you have access from the point of delivery, normally at the roadside, to the site of the building, which is often in the back garden.

• The panels can normally be carried into most gardens, even if the access is narrow.
• Although the panels may be large in area they are normally no more than a few inches thick.
• At most properties there is a side passage typically around 900mm or 3' wide, which is sufficient for most large panels.
• A sharp bend in a passageway can occasionally be a problem for the largest panels.
• The longest panels can be carried upright around an acute corner in a narrow passage.

PICTURE: A narrow passage with no height restrictions. With the recycling bin and storage chest moved, it is suitable for large panels.

• It may not be possible to carry the panels into the back garden if there is a height restriction along the route, such as a gate with an arch. Some height restrictions such as a single piece of wood or a timber arch can often be removed, but more permanent obstructions such as a brick arch cannot be avoided.
• Carrying large panels through an existing house or garage is often difficult, especially if the route is not straight or if there is not a clear flat area outside at each end of the route.

PICTURE: A gate with a height restriction, a piece of wood which could probably be removed if required to make it suitable for large panels.

If you are concerned about the delivery of your building and access for large panels at your property please contact us without delay.

• The easiest way to resolve any access restrictions is to check the route carefully, allowing for the size of the largest panel.
• We can normally help you to check your delivery route. We normally ask you to send us images and the opening sizes of doors or gates.
• We can often advise the largest panel size for your building and help you plan the delivery.
• Unfortunately there are no simple rules regarding the largest panel sizes, which vary greatly from one building to another.

Always remember to repeat any concerns directly to whoever contacts you to arrange the delivery, just to be sure that they are aware of any access restrictions.

PICTURE: A gate with a solid brick arch, which cannot be moved so the access for large panels is limited to the size of the opening.

THE DELIVERY VEHICLE

• We cannot always control which vehicle will be used for your delivery.
• The smaller vans are rare and not available in all areas

PICTURE: A large van.

• Please advise if access for a large rigid lorry is difficult.
• Reasonable access to your property and parking directly outside is assumed.

PICTURE: A large rigid lorry.

• Please contact us if there are any low bridges, narrow bridges, weight limits, width limits, parking restrictions, unloading restrictions or narrow lanes at or near your property.
• Please advise if a large bin lorry cannot easily park outside your property.

PICTURE: A large bin lorry.

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THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH SUMMER GARDEN BUILDINGS

We produced these guidance notes in order to inform and reassure our customers, with detailed advice about many aspects of the delivery. However, despite our best efforts to provide comprehensive and accurate information and to update the details as required it is not always possible to describe in advance every situation which may arise. We apologise if your specific circumstances or queries are not adequately covered. All timescales are approximate and any procedures described may be subject to change. Please contact us if you have any queries.