For the more practical members, please excuse my soft-handed office working lack of knowledge.

I have a garage, I hate it, it’s a prefab concreate thing that’s seemingly impossible to keep dry so from Sept/Oct it’s a cold, dark, wet / damp / mould factory.

I want to replace it with a log cabin, because I’ve always wanted one and they a dam sight cheaper than having a builder, build a brick and mortar garage and anyway, why do I want a garage, when I really want a big shed cum summer house / occasional office.

Here’s the plan:

1) advertise my current garage on Gumtree and, I’m told I’ll be inundated with offers from enterprising scamps to come around, dismantle and take it away without any money changing hands?

2) It sits an a lovely, flat, smooth concreate base that just over 2.7m wide and 5m long, clean off the broken filet that failing to keep my shit garage watertight.

3) Using all my skills gained in 2 decades of Finance and IT sales to beg and bribe my Bestie who actually has practical skills to help me build a ‘shed’ that’s just a little smaller than the concreate base on it. I haven’t mentioned this to him yet, but he’ll probably read this.

I’m thinking of this, it’s £5k or so.

https://dunsterhouse.co.uk/premiumplus-severn-w5-0m-x-d2-5m

So, STW’ers with practical skills / experience, what have I missed?

Anyone used Dunster House, good / bad experiences, am I paying too much? Are there other suppliers that offer a more ‘turnkey’ option, should I find someone local?

I’ll check with my insurers of course, but I assuming my bikes will be just as well insured in a ‘shed’ as they would be a garage.

I’ll want to run power and data out to it, but that sort of thing is right in my wheelhouse, aka I have subbies that will do it for me for a backhander.

I had a custom unit made & installed by this lot https://www.logcabins.lv/logcabins/

It was based on an existing design cost me £8000 for a 10m x 4.5m with an extra meter porch style roof.

Will post some pictures up later but am busy at work for now

Sounds like a reasonable plan. They go up pretty easily. Its worth looking at insulation and finishes as these things can be harder once its up. Same for power and internet. Normally you try to get a shed to just overhang the base so any water dripping from the walls doesn’t pool. Not a huge issue but you might need to think about the base detail a bit. On more thing is planning. If it is under 2.5m high then you should be fine but there are restrictions (eg permitted development rights removed, national parks, listed buildings, etc), also some things aren’t allowed, such as verandas, but all of this isn’t usually an issue unless you have nosey, busy-body neighbours.

I’ll check with my insurers of course, but I assuming my bikes will be just as well insured in a ‘shed’ as they would be a garage.

It should be, but its definitely not always the case.

Edit: Just to add, you should be OK getting someone to take the existing garage away. Depends on the area and what state it is in. Also it becomes way more complicated if it has an asbestos roof, while I’d want that gone I wouldn’t want some cowboys rocking up with the angle grinders in my garden

P-Jay. I bought a slightly smaller log cabin from Dunster House last Spring. No issues at all. (https://dunsterhouse.co.uk/terminator-log-cabin-w4-0m-x-d3-0m simple design, thicker timber in the walls)
Our previous summer house/kids play hours had been up for 18 years and had just rotted through at one point. It was at a point where I couldn’t get to it to treat the timber…too close to a wall so not made that mistake again….coupled with nearly double the thickness of wood. It should see me out.
I insulated under the floor and also the ceiling with 40mm Kingspan. It warms up very quickly with just a small fan heater on a low setting.
I went to town on the best wood stain/preserver and made sure I took my time doing it all (Took about 2 days to build, 2 further days to put 3 coats of stain on it.)
Cheap roller blinds fitted and I use it as a bike store/workshop/winter TT room/Youtube zone etc. Man cave without the beer fridge

The Dunster House ones look ok but be under no illusion you’re getting anything more than a big shed, everything as thin as they can get away with. Need to pay more for the thicker walls to be able to get any worthwhile insulation in there and I’d sack off any felt option and buy some EPDM rubber instead.

Worth looking up Ali Dymock on YouTube, he has a great series on building a (posher) garden room but lots of good stuff there to consider, particularly if you’ll want a warmer, dryer space than a shed.

These plans are good too – and whatever route you go I’d do the couple of courses of bricks below to keep the timber up off the wet floor. https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/build-a-shed-mikes-way.39389/

We bought a Tuin one last year, and I’ve been happily working in it for over 12 months.

We did add some insulation to floor and ceiling, we bought the thickest walls (58mm from memory) and an oil-filled radiator on a timer sorts the winters out.

This one: https://www.tuin.co.uk/Riina-corner-log-cabin.html

Just finished one from Tuin – this one: https://www.tuin.co.uk/Lukas-Log-Cabin-4.5x3m.html

When it turned up I had to open it and move it into the garden and then do my best to rewrap. That took something like 4 hours…then it proceeded to piss with rain for 5 weeks and I was unable to get cracking. despite loads of tarps and the orginial packing some of the timbers warped which made building a bit of a pain.

I built in the pouring rain as I needed to get cracking – on a concrete pad with a 1cm drop in the corner – and yes this did make a difference to the build, and I have a small gap at roof level and was slightly out of square. Check you pad properly before you start. I thought it was level, but the fencepost i was using to check with a level wasn’t straight! doh!

Building took about 2 days on my own. I put DPM under the first logs and then a vapour barrier on the concrete, followed by 30mm kingspan and loft board with carpet tiles on top.

Preserving and painting took forever, and cost way more than I expected – think I spent nearly £400 on sandolin superdec. You have to wait between coats or stuff sticks together – doors and windows needed 3 coats.

I didn’t bother with roof insulation as I don’t plan to use in winter – the floor insulation was to stop damp. I was concerned adding roof insulation on top of the roof boards would have taken it above 2.5m

They say you don’t need to seal around windows, you do. First biblical storm and I had a wet cabin by the windows and doors – took me ages to find the leak as it was coming through the door at the windows

Had a broken handle and a bit of the storm kit missing Tuin sorted it within a couple of days. I would definitely use them again.

So – definitely check your pad is flat, proper flat. if I was to do it again, I would probably have a course of bricks put down to give a level and square base.

Oh and definitely have guttering, amazing the amount of water that comes off the roof.

and finally buy some security screws the hinges just screw in on the outside, anyone with a screw driver can just remove the hinges and the doors will fall out, the same with the cladding around the doors and windows – they need security screws. I bought a bundle from screwfix. Sure they can still just smash a window if they really want but that is a lot noiser than unscrewing some hinges

Re point #1.
Being an enterprising scamp myself (and having done this twice) the big impact will be if you have an asbestos roof or not. This is expensive to get rid of. Deal with that and you will have more offers. There is a lot of labour and transport in taking one of these sheds down, the “free” shed is basically the payment for all that work.

I have a dunster 3mx3m shed office in my garden which I made in spring.

I went with the 45mm wall thickness, and paid for the underfloor and roof insulation. For the cold weather so far it’s been fine, takes 45 mins to heat up each morning with an electric radiator then holds the heat well. In the summer if its in direct sun then it does get hot.

Mine is on a deck, but as above you want to make sure its not sat in a puddle, either by raising an area just smaller than the shed, or you can add guttering to run the water away.

I took it easy and built it with a mate over a series of half days, its definitely a 2 man job, but at a push you could get the build done in one long day I would think.

There’s been some fairly rapid inflation on that Tuin Lukas log cabin. We paid 1800 5 years ago

There’s been some fairly rapid inflation on that Tuin Lukas log cabin

Timber prices, and other building materials, are way up in price. I expect demand for a home working space is at an all time high too.

There’s been some fairly rapid inflation on that Tuin Lukas log cabin

Hasn’t timber doubled in price in the last year?

Well, it’s definitely not fallen.

I built a Tuin one at my old place about 15 years ago – it is still going strong. Making sure it is on a suitable base and protecting the timber from damp is key to stop and rot. Dealing with rainwater, guttering and drainage is needed for something that size. May also be worth looking at more durable roof covering and fitting roofing grade boards rather than untreated OSB, fit a suitable membrane and then the roof covering. Maybe worth looking a better draught-proof windows and doors e.g. cheap double-glazed U-PVC?

Tuin + 1

I bought a Dunsterhouse cabin for my back garden last summer (at the beginning of lockdown), and it was then built by Mrs SR and SR jnr 4th ed.

It is NOT true to say that all you are getting is a shed, with thin boards, doors, windows, etc. We went for the 50mm boards together with floor and roof insulation. The door and window pack that came with it have proven to be of excellent quality, and overall we have been exceedingly pleased with the whole package.

What should you be aware of?

Dunsterhouse’s prices are lower because the lumber has not been dried or treated. This means that when you get it, there will almost certainly be some warped boards. We managed to use them in assembly anyway, as in some cases, we just soaked them and straightened them by laying weights on them overnight. We got there in the end, though.

You also have to be good at reading and following instructions. I am not, which is why Mrs SR took charge. But my God, when everything arrived did I ever think we would never figure it out. Imagine someone dropping off a gigantic Lego set with a tipper truck, and just driving away. Mrs SR likes those kinds of puzzles. I just want to go for a lie-down.

Hanging the doors was a bit of a challenge, and you need to be prepared to adjust them over the first weeks, and then again after the seasons change. Swelling and shifting can really have an effect.

We now use ours all the time: as a guest room in all weathers; as a reading room; as a retreat room; etc., etc.

Other than those things, I would strongly recommend them, and would buy one again given the chance. I hope that helps.

Not read other replies but that looks like a well cheap and nasty shed for £5k.
Did I read it right that some walls are 28mm thick?

Sounds horrible. My mum has a smaller similar looking thing and it just fell apart.

I too am looking at a corner gazebo or pergola for our new house and like the look of oak. Has anyone here used https://oaktimberstructures.co.uk/ before?? Cheers.

I built a DH alpine shed in the garden of our last house to use as a home office. I built it on shed grids over two layers of weed barrier and 20mm gravel infill.

Think I went for 45mm logs. Generally they were straight, the only issue being the doors and windows which I thought were really low quality. I used building paper and really high quality felt for the roof
(Not theirs which was crap).

Insulation wise I used superfoil and then lined the inside with 19mm t&g cladding. It was really cosy. The only issue being the superfoil killed all Wi-Fi and mobile signals. Good for surviving an EMP blast though!

At this house I went for a shepherd’s hut. It’s been an amazing bit of kit and will be coming with us when we move.

Neither take much heating – an 800w oil filled rad is more than powerful enough.

Check up in insurance. Pedalcover exclude timber outbuildings on their newer policies.

just a little smaller than the concreate base on it.

So, really, a shed build should be overhanging the concrete base by an inch or so. That way your slabs dry. But I’m coming at this from the POV of a diy shed builder, I built mine to fit the slab. The kit sheds your looking at should deal with this problem by isolating the timber shed from what will be a damp concrete base. I’m no expert in the kit type of build but thought I’d point out this issue. So long as the shed you buy has appropriate damp isolation of the shed from the base then you’re fine.

So long as the shed you buy has appropriate damp isolation of the shed from the base then you’re fine.

Dunster provide logs to sit the shed on. They’re the only pressure treated item in the shipment. I reckon they could do with putting on something plastic and a sheet of DPM sandwiching between the logs and the shed.

I took it easy and built it with a mate over a series of half days, its definitely a 2 man job, but at a push you could get the build done in one long day I would think.

Managed mine on my own.

Dunsterhouse’s prices are lower because the lumber has not been dried or treated. This means that when you get it, there will almost certainly be some warped boards. We managed to use them in assembly anyway, as in some cases, we just soaked them and straightened them by laying weights on them overnight. We got there in the end, though.

You also have to be good at reading and following instructions. I am not, which is why Mrs SR took charge. But my God, when everything arrived did I ever think we would never figure it out. Imagine someone dropping off a gigantic Lego set with a tipper truck, and just driving away. Mrs SR likes those kinds of puzzles. I just want to go for a lie-down.

Hanging the doors was a bit of a challenge, and you need to be prepared to adjust them over the first weeks, and then again after the seasons change. Swelling and shifting can really have an effect.

Haha, when I saw how many bits there were, jeez

Agree the instructions aren’t great and the doors are a pain.

Didn’t have any warped wood though, despite being delivered in winter

I’ve got a build thread somewhere, but the shonky forum won’t let me find threads I created.

How is this forum still almost as bad as it was 20 years ago? I suppose the hamsters really must be getting on a bit 🤣

I built one a few years ago. It was not a kit just had a “footprint” and had been gifted a set of folding doors. Here is the thread.

Summer house/office

Ah, my topic history is working now…

Dunster House Coronet build

Another dunster severn here. I think it is 4yrs old. 5m x 4m, 45mm, with insulation top and bottom.

Dead easy to put walls up – wife went shopping, they were 3/4 up by the time she came back.
Windows – follow the instructions…otherwise you will do it twice (or at least I did).
Straightness – I will really impressed with the consistency – apart from 1 log – that took some persuading.
I did not pay for the pressure treating, but did not want to paint it. Resorted to finding a sealant that does the job.
Power – the thing to realise is that the wiring is on display – difficult to do much about that.
Ours was placed in the shade, that was our only real option, heat from the sun would make a BIG difference. In an attempt to solve the sunlight issue – I put a rooflight in there.

Issues:
door – the frame is straight, but there is a slight misalignment that multiplies so that the door is not very well aligned, but the tolerance is so small that I cant redo the hinges because it is only a few mm needed.
temperature – when it is REALLY cold outside it takes sometime to get some heat in there (not helped by the door above).

Mine warms up really quickly with an oil filled rad

Thanks for the posts everyone. I’m giddy with excitement. 🙂

Good timing this thread as I’m looking to replace our summerhouse with a garden room/office. Has anyone here visited a Dunster showroom? Basingstoke is the only one near us and I don’t want to do the round trip unless its worthwhile. A few other forum peeps say the experience is underwhelming and very salesy.

Quite hard to find competitors’ showrooms around Surrey/Sussex, other than those looking for £15k+ starting prices.

Happy (ish) to do an Ali Dymock if I can convince myself of getting every element right and the cost is justifiable vs OTS.

Happy (ish) to do an Ali Dymock if I can convince myself of getting every element right and the cost is justifiable vs OTS.

Depends on what your wanting to use it for, how much you can flex your budget and how much time you have available.

If you’re only wanting a summer house / log cabin affair, the off the shelf jobs seem pretty good value. I wanted something more substantial for a workshop / bike & kit store with power running out there , effectively a full bore garden room but without the final internal finishes. The quotes I was getting were ridiculous so ended up doing myself (apart from power). Concrete and block plinths, C24 sun frame, 100mm insulated sips panels for floor & roof, 75mm for walls, nice larch cladding and a big ass security door all came in about £9k I reckon – would of been cheaper but timber prices spiralled. If your half way competent at DIY and have some half decent tools, it’s not difficult – just plenty of time & thought needed. The Ali Dymock videos are a great reference

My daughter and I built a Tuin Riho 3m square log cabin at the start of this year, which was the first time I’d built anything more sophisticated than IKEA furniture.
We built it on a timber base sitting on four concrete pads with 50mm foil backed insulation between the floor joists and on the roof.
The construction was super easy, we were floor to roof in a day. Another couple of weekends to do the floor and shingle the roof.
The main window has leaked, but I’ve spent some time adjusting it to make sure it sits really well into the frame and filling any gaps with sealant and draught excluder. That seems to have done the trick. Absolutely watertight everywhere else.
I think if I were to do it again I would get one with walls thicker than 40mm and I’d put thicker insulation in as despite an oil rad in there it is quite chilly. And we’ve not got to deep winter yet!
I use it as an office, so we have power and a network cable running down a trench from the house. This is spot on.
Can’t wait to build my next one!

Depends on what your wanting to use it for, how much you can flex your budget and how much time you have available.

We’re looking for a studio design for use as an office and space to chill. Have a sparky mate to do all leccy and don’t want/need other services. Concrete pad is already in situ – just need to remove existing summerhouse then build similar shell to Mr Dymock, ie 45mm+ timbers, Tyvek, insulation all round, plastering or T&G, UPVC windows/doors etc.

I’m confident enough to say I could take on the work, but like you say, it’s the research, planning and build time that spirals, but must remain feasible. Doesn’t help that prices have rocketed this year too.

Did you find it quicker using those 100mm SIPS panels?

Built a DH 3.5×3.5 a few of years ago.

We went for thinner walls which, although would’ve been better thicker, were fine in practice. Found their paint and shingles expensive but reasonable quality and longevity.

It housed bike with an insured value of over £10k value in Sheffield. Amazingly, in our 4 years there I had no need to claim! It’s going strong I believe

Did you find it quicker using those 100mm SIPS panels?

Yes, sips is an increadibly quick way of building. I took my time over the plinths and sub frame, so once the SIPS panels, splines and plate timbers turned up, we had the whole structure built in one day with three of us. If I was doing again and knew I had 2 days of good weather, I’d do it over a weekend more likely

Not the cheapest method, but deff one of the easiest and quickest

Tuin here, built it myself this summer, build went ok, most time was spent on the roof, shingles and painting.

For us it is a posh shed, we couldn’t find anything suitable that looked good in standard shed form to replace the old 10×8 that we had which had rotted.

I did upgrade to composite foundation beams for weather resistance.  As it’s not that big it’s built on a grid/shingle base which is on top of the compressed hardcore base on which the plastic grass is laid onto. I have then DPCed in line with the guidance on the Tuin website.

There is loads of build guidance on the Tuin website which is really useful.

May add some guttering when I get round to it.

Thanks for the posts everyone. I’m giddy with excitement

Great! It’s a good thing to do. The workshop I built is one of the best things I’ve done. Still makes me smile that I built it and have the space now, many years later.

Sat in mine now….

[url=https://www.flickr.com/gp/85252658@N05/DT265i]2021-11-20_05-06-25[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

In the interests of reinforcing my post, above, this is the result of our labours:

Logs- which arent really logs, but machined square(rectangle)sections at about a tenner per meter at about 2″ thick. They usually have some sort of tongue and groove to fit together and make themselves weatherproof.
So work out the total length each layers. say 4m long,by 3m wide which would be 14m total. I think the depth of each section is about 8″. So approximately for a 7′ high cabin, that would be 84″ or 10 layers high.
So if each layer is going to cost 14m x £10, or £140, multiply that by the approximate height in layers-10= £1400. Then you need a base and a roof. But the basic rectangular shape would be £1400, or a bit more or less dependent on exact measurements.