Quick answer
On delivery day, a garden building either arrives as a kit at your kerbside, is lifted off the lorry by a HIAB crane, or is delivered and put up by the maker's own team. Kerbside means the driver unloads at the roadside and you move the parts into the garden. Which one you get depends on the range, so check the product page and make sure your access and base are ready first.
By Craig Davison, Director, Lichfield Garden Buildings · 14 years selling garden buildings and involved in more than 1,000 sales
Most delivery-day problems I've seen come from one thing: the customer expected a different kind of delivery from the one they'd ordered. A shed kit dropped at the kerb is a very different day from a team arriving to build it. Here's what to expect for each type, and how to prepare.
Before the day: we call you
Every building is made to order by the maker and delivered direct from them. After you order, we call you, usually within 24 hours, to confirm your layout, such as door and window positions, talk through any access problems and give you the current lead time. That call is the time to mention anything awkward about your road or garden.
The three kinds of delivery
1. Kerbside delivery (self-assembly kit)
The driver unloads at the roadside or the nearest point the lorry can safely reach. Exactly where is at the driver's discretion. Drivers can't carry heavy packs through your house or move pallets over gravel, grass or steps. You move the parts into the garden and build it, or book an installer.
2. HIAB crane delivery to the kerbside
A HIAB is a crane mounted on the lorry. Heavy kits, such as our Power Sheds log cabins, arrive on a pallet and are craned off and set down at your kerbside. You don't unload anything by hand, but moving the packs into the garden and building the cabin is still down to you. Power Sheds log cabins come with free delivery and are self-assembly.
3. Delivered and installed
On ranges where installation is included, the maker's team delivers and builds the building on your base. Your job is to have the base ready and clear access for the team.
What each range does
Delivery and installation are handled by each maker, and terms differ by range. This is the current picture, but the product page is always the final word.
| Range | What happens on the day |
|---|---|
| Power Sheds sheds and summerhouses | Free kerbside delivery, self-assembly kit. We can help you book an approved installer. Dates are estimates and no time slot is offered. |
| Power Sheds log cabins | Free delivery on a pallet, HIAB-craned to the kerbside, self-assembly. |
| Suresheds | Delivered and installed. Free within 50 miles of their Rotherham factory; beyond that delivery is charged per mile. |
| Sovereign and Shedlands | Installation included, booked once your base is ready. |
| Lifelong steel sheds and garages | Delivered and put up by Lifelong's own team on the same visit, arranged at least a week ahead. |
| Beeston concrete | Professional installation included on a concrete base. Free delivery within 20 miles of our Buzzards Valley site. |
| Shire | Flat-pack self-assembly, or choose Assembled by Shire. Delivery to their standard area included. |
| Sheds DIY | Free delivery, self-assembly, or add installation for a flat £500. |
| Greenhouses | Free delivery as a kit. Ask us about a local installer. |
Full details, including other ranges and postcode surcharges, are on our delivery and installation page.
Access: the bit people forget
For the lorry
- Garden buildings arrive on large lorries. Tell us about narrow lanes, low bridges, weight limits, steep drives or parking restrictions.
- A HIAB lorry needs room to park and swing the crane clear of overhead cables and trees.
From the kerb to the base
- Measure the narrowest point between the road and the base, including gates, side passages and corners.
- Remember that wall panels, roof sheets and logs are often longer than the building is wide.
- Plan a dry, clear route. Cover a lawn with boards if the ground is soft.
- Line up helpers. Log cabin packs and large panels are heavy and need at least two people.
Around the base
Leave enough space round the base for the building to be put up and for you to treat the walls later. Installation teams need working room on every side, so check with us if your base is tight to a fence or wall.
Your base must be ready
Whatever the range, the base must be firm, level and, if concrete, fully set before the building goes up. An installation team can't build on a base that isn't ready, and a kit built on an uneven base will have sticking doors. See what base do I need for a shed?
On the day
- Be in. Someone must be home to receive and sign for the delivery. Delivery windows can cover most of the working day.
- Don't book an installer the same day as a kit delivery, as the lorry could arrive late in the day.
- Check the packaging before you sign. If anything looks damaged, write it on the delivery note.
- Check the parts list as soon as you can, and before you start building or book an installer.
- Keep parts flat, dry and covered until you build. Timber left on wet grass or in the sun can twist.
If something is damaged or missing
Don't build with damaged parts, as it can make a replacement harder to arrange. Take clear photos of the parts and the packaging, note what's missing from the parts list, and contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 48 hours. Some makers have shorter deadlines. For Power Sheds orders, damage to uPVC doors or windows must be reported within 24 hours of delivery, and anything else within 7 days.
Building it yourself
Read the instructions all the way through before you start, sort the parts into groups, and build on a dry, still day. Get the floor and first wall level and square, and everything else follows. If planning or building regulations apply to your building, sort them before delivery, not after. See do I need planning permission?
See them in person: look at how buildings go together, panel by panel, at our Display Site at Buzzards Valley, between Lichfield and Tamworth (B78 3EQ). What's on show changes, so ring 01543 398778 before you come. Garden buildings in Lichfield, Tamworth and Staffordshire.
FAQs
What does kerbside delivery mean?
The driver unloads at the roadside, or the nearest point the lorry can safely reach. Carrying the parts to your garden is down to you, so have helpers ready.
What is HIAB delivery?
A HIAB is a crane fitted to the delivery lorry. It lifts heavy packs, such as log cabins on a pallet, off the lorry and sets them down at your kerbside, so nobody has to unload them by hand.
Will the driver carry my shed into the garden?
Not on a kerbside delivery. Drivers can't carry heavy packs through your house or move pallets over gravel, grass or steps. Where installation is included, the installation team moves the parts.
Do I need to be at home on delivery day?
Yes. Someone needs to be there to receive and sign for the delivery. Delivery windows can cover most of the working day.
What if something arrives damaged?
Don't build with it. Take clear photos of the parts and packaging, note it when you sign if the packaging looks damaged, and contact us as soon as possible. Some makers have short deadlines for reporting damage.