“Smooth ordering and delivery which was timely and well communicated. We paid for a 7x7 Dutch barn shed and also paid for it to be treated in preservative at a total cost of more than £1200, good value but certainly still a lot of money to us. The shed arrived and the first thing we noticed was that the preservative was still tacky as we unloaded the shed sections. The driver said that this was because it was still being painted as it was being loaded for delivery. Some pieces were well stuck together and pulled the preservative off of some of the pieces when we pulled them apart. I had to purchase more preservative at additional cost to rectify. During assembly we had a big issue with the corner sections not pulling together as they were very bowed even though we assembled the shed within 24 hours of delivery. We ended up bolting the sections together as their was no way the supplied screws were ever going to achieve this. We had two roof bearers missing (one was broken through a knot in the wood but had still been painted in preservative and sent even though it was in two pieces??) I had to go to my local timber yard and get replacements at my own cost. The roofing felt was like paper and tore when you moved it, I ended up replacing this along with the supplied glass which was again very thin and brittle. (I didn’t feel happy leaving in the supplied glass as the kids go into the shed and I was concerned about safety) All in all, not a great product or assembly experience, in my opinion the quality is best described as cheap. A shame because with better quality materials and a few more quid on the asking price it could have been so much better. I did not feedback to elbec at the time and have only been prompted to leave this review after receiving a follow up email from elbec asking me to leave feedback some 3 months after delivery. I did not contact elbec as be honest I didn’t want to have to wait for redelivery of faulty parts mid build and to be honest if a company is happy to send out such a poor quality product, I don’t really want anything further to do with them as they will not be getting any further business from me.”
“Quite disappointed really. The fence panels i purchased at £40 each so not ridiculously cheap we’re not of the best standard. I don’t expect them to last for any length of time at all Quite flimsy wothout much structure and with lots of mould and spores growing out of them. The top battens were also warped andnot tacked properly The gravel boards they sent were warped so unusable. Overall a disappointing experience showing the value of seeing the items in the flesh as opposed to purchasing on line”
“3 pieces were split the window didnt fit and the door needed planning and the roll of roofing felt was flat not round I think some compo would be a good idea”
“Delivery ok but a few bits of the sheds were loose on my inspection and broke of at the bottom. I'll have to glue a couple of bits on. Sheds were easy enough to assemble for the novices that we were. I was a little disappointed with the quality. The floor needed a few more batons of wood underneath it to make it more sturdy as it felt like it could split. On one side of the shed there is a bit of a gap where the wood has not been fitted properly. The tongue and groove shed i had seemed a little more robust whereas the wood overlaps the next bit as I knew on these. It has rained and so far so good and no leaks. Would look for tongue and groove next time rather than this sort. One more 10x8 shed to replace but I will shop around for this. Couldn't send back for replacement as we only had that period to do the work in. Some big gaps where daylight can clearly been seen which is disappointing.”
“Initially I was happy with the purchase of a shed from you. What I am not happy about is the lack of communication about when the large product package would be delivered! During a phone conversation with Elbec, I was told that I would be contacted and informed when the product would be delivered and that contact would probably be by Friday 18th March and delivery would follow after communication with me. Well today I received a phone call from my daughter's mother at the delivery address telling me that the order had already been dropped off today 17th March, and left against the front bay window of the property. There was no communication with me at all and as no-one was at the property, because of work commitment, it was left exposed to public view and the weather without protection. If I had been informed predelivery, as promised, I would have been there to receive it and put it where it was meant to go, out of site and protected!! As it was so late when I was able to move it, I was unable to check the contents, but will do so tomorrow. If there is any problem at all with the contents, I will be in contact with you at my earliest convenience. I will also give a true review of the product when it has been assembled and installed. I very much hope all will be as good as I expect so that my review can be as positive as possible and there will be no need to get back to you for anything other than a good report and satisfactory review. Yours respectfully, William Robinson.”
“Arrived as advised, however left on an enormous ‘pallet’ the size of a double bed that was very difficult for me to cut and dispose of. The product was inferior but maybe naively I expected it to at least fulfil the requirements of a greenhouse. In this area it failed until a family member intervened to resolve the numerous issues. On a positive note the prompt and efficient service I received from Elbec customer services has been excellent and appreciated. I’d recommend the company but not that product at all. Not worth the money.”
“The summerhouse arrived intact (all parts present) delivered by a very helpful driver. The quality of the materials is not great - softwood that despite application of the recommended treatment is already swelling in the rain. The resulting structure is not completely square, to the extent that I have had to bring in a joiner to make doors fit. This has been caused by a lack of clarity in the instructions - to make the building square the first corner post would have to overhang the base, which didn't seem right and isn't part of the instructions.”
“The elbec garden buildings website was easy to navigate and the ordering process was simple. However, there was an extremely long delivery time for my building. Additionally, when it arrived, it was partly damaged, and some ready-assembled parts were badly constructed and I had to contact the company for replacement, etc. This was passed onto the manufacturer, and indeed most of the problem is with the product itself rather than elbec, It was not made clear in advance that to validate the anti-rot guarantee, the wood, although dipped in a preservative, needed to have a waterproof anti-rot treatment on top of this before it was painted. The anti-rot guarantee is about as useful as a chocolate teapot because the manufacturer can't guarantee something they haven't done. It's like guaranteeing a waterproof watch but only if the wearer seals it before use. I would suggest that elbec requires the manufacturer to perform this process prior to delivery. The instructions, according to my landscapers, were terrible. They were trying to make sense of four sets of instructions that they had to cobble together to make this hybrid building. Certain fixtures weren't even explained and they had to back-track on what they'd done several times to add them in. It wasn't clear that we would be left with an extra end panel and window panes. I'm annoyed that I paid for something I didn't order. I was left with a shed, that although made of tongue and groove, had holes in it where knots had popped out of the wood and required filling, gaps around the windows and in particular the roof window of the greenhouse part is badly designed and leaks when closed. I note I'm not the first to complain about the window leak. Whilst the design is suitable for my needs, I'm disappointed that I didn't receive a better-built product for the cost.”
“Bought my garden arbour from them because it was cheaper than similar products elsewhere. The assembly instructions say it is a 'garden technology' product from Estonia which probably explains the delay in delivery, which was communicated to me. There was a piece missing which took 2 phone calls to sort out, but the staff were very friendly. I knew it was self assembly but it took 2 people 2 days to put together as there were no pre-drilled pilot holes for the screws & I didn't know this initially. We did manage it but it was not easy. One of the pieces was out of shape but it hasn't affected the finished product. Great value for money but not sure I would do it again.”
“This is an update of a 1-star review complaining partly about late delivery, but also what seemed an unfair system of rescheduling and a lack of communication or hints about how much longer it would take. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to be told it would arrive only a week after the date first promised. Fingers were crossed and it did indeed arrived on the promised day (today), and only 30 minutes after the end of the promised 4-hour time slot. The shed is not up yet, but the quality of materials is actually better than some other reviews led me to expect. It's a shiplap 6x4 from Shire, with an opening window that is - surprisingly - real glass, not perspex. The instructions are comprehensive and thorough, although the printing is not too good (it looks like cheap photocopying, most of the images being too black to see all the details). So I'm taking two stars off, partly for the instructions, but mainly for what seems a rather chaotic delivery system. I suspect this is because they offer faster delivery times than competitors, and are then not prepared for the flood of sales they get as a result (I understand covid has played a part in short staffing too). I'm happy to recommend their sheds (this one anyway), but don't bank on receiving it exactly when promised.”
“Ordered a Tuscany shed and arbour which was delivered on the 14th may put the arbour up which looks superb but when I started erecting my shed there was a part broken that screwed into the base I have been trying now to contact them for 10 days for a replacement but getting nowhere I’ve sent the image but they never get back to me so the shed is still not started I’m at my wits end what to do I feel like driving to kings lynn about 100 mile away to try and get it, so frustrating and such a shame”
“Bought a 6ft X 5ft) Palram Skylight Plastic Apex Shed in grey. It was delivered on time and took about 4 hours to erect with two people. The instructions were very helpful and could easily be understood. The shed is very flimsy and must be secured by bolts to the floor. You should not lay anything against the sides as they will buckle outwards; if items stood upright then ok. It would have been better for the air-vents top at front and rear to have been adjustable to stop rain entering.”
“Having decided on which summerhouse we wanted, we searched for a supplier with availability. Elbec offered the chance to select a delivery date so we chose one at the end of April, ordered and paid. Only subsequently did we find our order was now being handled by the manufacturer, Shire. They then gave us the earliest possible delivery date which was six weeks later. They told us that a delivery date should not be offered by retailers. So, a disappointing delay. Quality is pretty good although several panels had nails sticking out inside where they'd missed the frame. These needed to be ground off before children could go inside. The door bolts were very poor and fell apart right away. Some instructions a little awry but manageable. Allow time for painting all panels and buy in mastic for joints before assembly. Suggest ignore instructions and hang doors after roof is on as it slightly distorted the opening. Plan for some method to hold doors open - in a light breeze they risk flying back straining hinges. I use a batten fitted across the door tops. One panel was poorly made leaving a gap which needed filler.”
“The delivery time of the plastic shed was acceptable considering the issues caused by Corona virus. Husband managed to erect the shed on his own with just a bit of help from myself holding panels together while he screwed. The shed is a bit flimsy but adequate for our needs and looks good from the outside. I would have scored an extra star but there are some screws missing and we are concerned that should we get windy weather the shed could blow down and possibly blow away. I have emailed elbec several times and phoned them but no sign of the screws. I was told they were despatched 6 days ago. I appreciate corona virus is causing issues but I am only waiting for 10 screws that could be sent in normal post”
“2 of the panels were poorly finished,some of the battens panels were nailed to thinned out half way up and 1 capping I had to replace as was broken off half way along costing me more expensive,where it's better to pay more I not so sure,years ago panels were made with 2inch battens and now made with roofing batten”
“Pleased with delivery and driver, the roof felting looks very bad quality , it's made the shed look old , not pleased about that. The door doesn't close very well.Apart from that I like the shed..”
“Not bad bought shire 8ft corner summerhouse.. Better then some smaller low eaves height and doorways so this was perfect.. Went together quite easy only thing I'm disappointed with is the hinge quality / door latch and roof felt ... Both poor quality.. Hinges to weak for doors.. Hang the doors perfect come back day later all dropped.. And door latch same again poor quality latch flopping all over place... Still I will buy upgrades for these in time... But roof felt is very thin maybe I should of got the upgrade at time of purchase but didn't want to spend over 700 quid... So good points and bad points 6.5/10”
