Important Information About Your Delivery

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
• THE DELIVERY VEHICLE
• ACCESS FOR LARGE PANELS
• CHECKING THE ROUTE
• HELPFUL ADVICE

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 to your chosen storage place. If the glass is supplied loose the driver will carry it to your storage space and stack it neatly for you. Our greenhouses are packaged in two different ways:

Flat-packed Kits: All of our aluminium greenhouses and many of our cedar greenhouses are delivered as flat-packed kits in long thin boxes. The boxes are normally around 12"x12" in area (300x300mm), at least 6'' long (1.8m) and up to 12' long (3.6m). Each box contains bundles of pre-cut framing components, including the cills, eaves beams, ridge, glazing bars, door framing and vent framing. Bags of fixings, rolls of gaskets and other small components are also packed in the boxes. The glass is supplied separately, either as loose sheets or in cardboard packs and sometimes in a wooden crate. The sheets of glass are normally no wider than 24" (600mm) and up to around 8' long (2.4m). The cardboard packs are approximately the same size as the glass sheets, just an inch or two wider all round (25-50mm). The drivers carry the frame boxes and the glass to your chosen storage place. Flat-packed kits can normally be delivered even if access is restricted. All packages are designed to pass through a normal single door. However, the length of the boxes can sometimes be a problem at sites with sharp corners.

PICTURE: The first 2 prefabricated panels being fixed together.

Prefabricated Panels: Some of our wooden greenhouses are made in prefabricated panels, which makes installation easier. However, the panels are heavy, awkward to carry and difficult to deliver. The size of the panels may be a problem at some sites, if the access for large panels is restricted. The doors, vents and glass are sometimes factory fitted, which makes installation even easier. If not, the glass may be supplied loose or in cardboard packs. The driver will carry the panels and glass to your chosen storage place, providing there is a suitable access.

We recommend that you check the access as soon as possible using the detailed guidance within this document.

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

ACCESS FOR LARGE PANELS

We recommend that you walk through the access route from the point of delivery, normally at the roadside, to the site of the building, normally in the back garden. Look for possible access problems such as height restrictions or narrow passageways with sharp corners.

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.

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CHECKING THE ACCESS ROUTE

If you have any concerns about the delivery of your building and access for large panels at your property please contact us without delay. Our expert advisers can help you to check the route carefully.

• We normally ask you to send us images showing the route to the site, starting at the point of delivery and ending somewhere near the site of your building. At most properties this normally requires only 3 or 4 images.
• We also need the clear opening sizes of any small doors or gates on the route (minimum internal height and width) and the width of any narrow passageways.
• There are no simple rules regarding the panel sizes, which may vary from one building to another. The largest panel size may not be confirmed until the building is about to be made.
• Our expert advisers can accurately estimate panel sizes initially, which helps us to answer queries sooner.

Please warn the delivery company about any restrictions when they contact you, as a precaution, because people do not always read notes. You should also warn the fitter if installation is arranged separately.

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.

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HELPFUL ADVICE

This advice could be helpful whether you plan to install your building yourself or if you plan to have your building professionally installed:

• You should do what you can to ensure that delivery companies and installers do not make unproductive trips to the site. For example, if the base is still being built later than expected you may need to postpone the delivery or if the building is delivered late you may need to warn the fitter not to visit.
• The best time to discuss possible access restrictions is well in advance of delivery. The worst time is when a lorry is parked nearby, waiting to be unloaded.
• The company responsible for delivery assumes that there is good access at your property and normally asks you to confirm this, so if it is not possible to complete your delivery at the first attempt you may be liable to pay for a second delivery. You should not allow the delivery to proceed unless it can be successfully completed.
• Any installer normally assumes a clear site with ample working space and good access from the point of delivery with no restrictions, so if it is not possible to carry out the installation at the first attempt you may be liable to pay for a second visit. You should not allow the installer to visit unless the work can be successfully completed.
• Some delivery companies and installers choose not to carry long or heavy components through the house, due to the risk of damage to the product or your property.
• Most delivery companies and installers choose not to lift long or heavy components over obstructions such as a wall, a fence or a garage roof, due to the risk of product damage or personal injury.
• If you need any long or heavy components to be carried through the house or lifted over an obstruction, we recommend discussing it when the delivery is booked in and with your installer if this work is arranged separately. If there is no other option you may need to carry those components yourself or find somebody who can help.
• Our expert advisers can help you with advice so please contact us with any queries.

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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.