Dunster House Ltd. is dedicated to your total satisfaction. If you have any suggestions or comments please contact us.

Dunster House Ltd.
Caxton Road
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK41 0LF
Phone: 01234 272445
Fax: 01234 272588

CATALOGUES: OUR WEBSITE CARRIES THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION.
PLEASE DOWNLOAD YOUR PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS.

VAT Registration Number: 623 8011 69

You can easily and safely place an order and purchase goods through our online service. Just browse our online shop, and click on any items that you wish to buy and add them to your shopping cart. After you have finished your selection continue to the checkout and follow the instructions provided for the online ordering process.

Alternatively, you can telephone us on 01234 272445, fax us on 01234 272588, or post your order to us. Please leave your telephone number and state a convenient time for us to contact you to confirm details and arrange delivery. Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday 08.30am – 20.00pm, Saturdays 09.00am – 17.00pm and Sunday 10am – 17.00pm (These hours are subject to seasonal demand)

Upon receipt of your order, confirmation will be forwarded to you.

We accept VISA, MasterCard, Debit Cards, and Personal cheques. We can also take payment via bank transfer. Please allow up to 8 working days for any cheques to clear and 3 to 5 working days for bank transfers. With card payments, due to our method of Address Verification, we are only able to deliver to the cardholder's address. Full payment must be made before any items will be delivered.

This site delivers to Mainland England and Wales only. With regard to ordering if you are in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland please phone us as we may have a supplier in your area or may be able to deliver at extra cost. For delivery to Mainland England and Wales, orders of less than £300 will require a £30 delivery charge. Please contact us for a quote for delivery on all items outside this area. As we operate throughout England and Wales, we cannot give timed deliveries. We will contact you to advise and arrange a suitable delivery date. Please Note: Kerbside delivery only. Time shall not be of the essence in this contract. Please ensure that someone is available all day on the day of delivery and that they are capable of assisting the driver in off loading the goods when they arrive and with the authority to accept the goods. They will need to be capable of lifting heavy items of up to 25kg as we only send out one driver and some items weigh up to 50kg. Log Cabins are delivered on a flat bed van (no crane) so will need to be unloaded by hand. In the event that an able bodied person (capable of lifting up to 25kg) is not present to help the driver unload a delivery, goods will be returned to our premises and a reasonable charge for redelivery will apply. The redelivery fee would represent the true cost of a delivery, please note: the delivery cost noted on an order/invoice does not show the true cost of delivery in the vast majority of cases so it is highly likely that the redelivery cost will be significantly higher.

You must advise us if there are access difficulties, we generally deliver with a 7.5 ton HGV flat bed truck. Depending upon size of cabin and the wall thickness the cabins can weigh between 1.0 ton and 4.0+ ton. We need an access route/road capable of taking a vehicle 8metres long and 2.6metres wide. Damage to lawns, flower beds, driveways adjacent to a narrow or difficult access route will be the responsibility of the customer. If we try to deliver, using this vehicle, and cannot do so due to foreseeable problems such as access restrictions, width of road etc. then we will charge you for that delivery unless you have given us prior written notice that this size of vehicle will not be capable of delivering to your site. Any broken (into separate pieces*) parts must be returned with the driver at point of delivery. Please retain any packaging associated with the delivery. Please note; If we have attempted delivery and an order is subsequently cancelled, the cost of delivery will be deducted from any refund given. If items are missing, then we will deliver them within a reasonable timeframe & this is not grounds for refusing delivery or cancelling an order. Please ensure that any goods delivered to you are checked before assembly. Should you wish to return the Order then care has to be exercised to protect the standard of goods delivered and any Kiln Dried timbers need to be protected against any weather influences on the moisture content in the timber, 18% plus or minus 2%. Should we collect any Kiln Dried timbers that have not been protected and we subsequently have to send them away to a Kiln then any reasonable costs can be passed on to you, the customer.

(*If the glass for a Log Cabin window or door is noted as broken on delivery then if you wish to have a new piece cut locally we will credit you up to £15 against a receipt – alternatively please return the window or door with the driver at point of delivery).

Our Drivers are not authorised to accept changes to our Delivery Notes or our Terms & Conditions or give technical help. Every attempt will be made to ensure delivery is upon the promised date, however unexpected delays can occur. In the unlikely event that these effect your delivery, we will reorganise your delivery date within a reasonable period of time.

Dunster House products are designed for competent DIY assembly by two or more adults. Before you assemble your delivered Timber products please ensure that you have read the instructions and familiarise yourself with the project that you are about to undertake. The assembly process will vary according to individual abilities and complexity of the project. Any indication given in our website or literature as to time required to assemble a product must be deemed as approximate as wood is a natural product and may require manipulation prior to assembly. If it is your intention to organise for a third party to assemble the products you order please ensure that the products have been physically delivered and that you have all parts of sufficient quality for the product. Check that all parts are present and correct so that in the unlikely event that parts may be missing, wrong or damaged you ensure we have reasonable time* to arrange for delivery of new parts before confirming an assembly date or prior to engaging a third party to carry out the installation. (*Please note that reasonable time would typically be within one to two weeks assuming replacement parts are in stock, however if we have to back order or manufacture parts then the time frame will be longer). Should you use a third party to carry out the installation please ensure that you give them sufficient time to familiarise themselves with and check the materials and instructions supplied before committing to an installation date.

All our Timber products are batch manufactured, sometimes weeks before delivery. Please note we do not manufacture any play frames to order on an individual basis as each type of 'kit' has to be tested to comply with CE regulations. All timbers are checked for the standards we have set before we band the various packs. Between the assembly time and the despatch/delivery time timbers will continue to adjust, sometimes more in evidence in pressure treated sections, to their natural properties. This can be seen in any timber yard supplying Spruce or Pine. Timber products once assembled on site will continue to react to weather conditions due to the fibrous nature of the material Wood is a natural product and all trees are different with different properties. These properties can include colour differences, warping, shakes, splits, knots and knot holes and varying surface finishes and are part of the natural properties of this type of material. If you require a smoother finish you may wish to sand some of the timbers, but this is an individual choice. Shakes/Splits and similar are allowed for in the integrity of the timber and cannot be guaranteed against. Minor adjustments may have to be undertaken due to the nature of timber. Any machine work on sections will have been carried out whilst the timber sections are Kiln Dried to approximately 18% moisture content. Where holes have been predrilled they may require onsite adjustment if the timber has absorbed more moisture. NB Except for the floor bearers, Log Cabins are not pressure treated and will have a planed finished surface consequently there is less movement in the materials, post manufacture. Pressure treated timber is for above ground application. Minor adjustments to sections of timber may still have to be undertaken on site. In the event that some of the timbers are warped and prove difficult to assemble competent manipulation, e.g. light wetting, sensible weight application and slowly (over a few days if necessary) heating or cooling can overcome the majority of warping. Competent manipulation during assembly can also overcome the majority of warping. The development and appearance of the natural properties of timber are not a reason for the return of goods and are not reasonable stating they are faulty in claiming a refund. We supply timber products designed for external garden use and such designs take into account the structural integrity of timber's natural properties. We supply many thousands of our products each year to many satisfied customers who understand the beauty of handling and working with a natural material, please read some of Testimonials on our website home page, you can also view our products at our display sites. Please contact us prior to your delivery if you have any queries or if you do not understand the beauty and individuality of each unique piece of timber that we supply

Before you purchase please ensure that you have read and fully understood these Terms and Conditions and that you are satisfied with the description of our products and the project that any competent DIY person can undertake that will save them many pounds and give them the immense satisfaction of saying 'See what I have made'

Orders made by telephone, mail order or on-line customers have the right to cancel any order for Log Cabins, Playsystems or Deckings (excluding any bespoke made to order items). This right to cancel extends for 7 days after the items have been delivered. Any notification of cancellation must be made in writing, either by post to: Dunster House Ltd. Caxton Road, Bedford, MK41 0LF, fax 01234 224497 or email to cs@dunsterhouse.co.uk. Assuming that the Goods were as described and not faulty a refund will take place less any reasonable charges for the costs Dunster House Ltd has incurred. Refunds will take place within a reasonable period of time after the items have been returned and inspected. Any collections will take place from Kerbside with reasonable access granted to the Company. Please note that due to insurance ramifications we do not enter onto customers' property. You can also make your own arrangements, should you wish, to return the Goods, A 'Goods Return Note' must be issued for this method of return. Your statutory rights are not affected. Refunds may be subject to a fee covering any costs incurred by the Company, such as Administration fees, card fees, etc. If the goods are not as advertised then ask the delivery driver to bring the whole product back at point of delivery and we will refund your money, without any delivery or return charge. We will not supply a replacement or replacement parts as we are unable to guarantee that these will be any different. In the unlikely event that we leave the Goods and you subsequently request that they are returned, unused, unassembled and in the condition they were delivered in, we can arrange to collect the items and make a reasonable charge for that facility, providing that you notify us of your wish to cancel the order in writing within seven working days from the delivery date and provided that you are entitled to do this under the Distance Selling Regulations. These rights do not apply if you have ordered at any of our display sites.

Although we hold large stocks of items, if the particular item/s you have ordered are not in stock, we will back order for you. You will always be telephoned with the option to cancel your order if you would rather not wait.

Our form pages are secured using High Level 128-bit SSL Encryption. Credit card payments are processed by Protx using secure servers. All credit card numbers are encrypted in the software when the order is placed and are only decrypted after they reach our computer. They are not held in clear text on any web site. We will seek to verify all card transactions against the delivery address. We cannot process any payments from cards not registered to the delivery address.

All orders delivered within mainland England and Wales include 15% VAT, with the exception of wood fuel products which are retailed with 5% VAT – Please let us know if you intend to resell this fuel as VAT would then be at 15% VAT prices stated on our website are at 5% VAT as we primarily supply retail.

If you need to reach us, prior to delivery please contact us, on 01234 272 445 or fax us on 01234 272 588 or write to us at Caxton Road Bedford Bedfordshire England MK41 0LF United Kingdom or call in to our show room.

Our Customer Services Department is open Monday to Friday 09.00am 17.00pm

For all post delivery enquires please write to us detailing your query and giving your name and order number through either: E-Mail at cs@dunsterhouse.co.uk, fax to 01234 272588 or post your enquiry to Dunster House Ltd, Caxton Road, Bedford. MK41 0LF. This will enable us to comprehend your query and respond appropriately and professionally.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully (in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998). We do not disclose buyers’ information to third parties. We will give you the chance to refuse any marketing email from us in the future, if you wish to do so please e-mail with the subject line ‘STOP’ to marketing@dunsterhouse.co.uk The type of information we will collect about you will include:

• your name
• address
• phone number
• email address
• credit/debit card details in some but not all cases and always in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

The personal information which we hold will be held securely in accordance with our internal security policy and the law. We will not transfer your data outside of the EEA (European Economic Area). Cookies are used on this shopping site to keep track of the contents of your shopping cart once you have selected an item, to store delivery addresses if the address book is used and to store your details if you select the ‘Remember Me’ option. You can usually modify your browser to prevent this happening however this will mean you will not be able to use the shop element of the site. The information collected in this way can be used to identify you if you do not modify your browser settings. If you have any questions/comments about privacy, you should contact us.

Please be reminded that timber is a natural product, it will have imperfections, cracks, warping and knot holes and knots. Also these products are supplied flat-packed for adult assembly (typically needing 2 people). Sizes shown throughout this website are approximations and should be interpreted as such.

A definition by the Concise Oxford Dictionary of the word ‘Competent’ is to be ‘Adequately qualified or capable’ to carry out a task.

WHAT AM I BUYING?

The softwood timbers supplied are an Organic Natural material and will change with time and weather conditions. The timbers used have been planed prior to any cutting drilling or shaping and in the case of Log cabins these are then packaged for delivery, in the case of pressure treated timbers they are then assembled and batch packaged for delivery to our distribution units in the UK.

The characteristics of timber are not those of extruded plastics, aluminium or other metals. Please be aware that we do not supply metal quality finished surfaces in Log Cabins, climbing frames, deck kits or other of our timber products. If you are not competent in understanding the nature of these types of timbers for use in an external environment, as we do not supply internal finish timbers, please do not purchase our products.

Timber can be totally unpredictable with how splits or shelling or development of other properties can take place depending on a multitude of internal and external weather factors, sometimes in a very short space of time. In common with contemporary suppliers of these types of products, timber will contract and expand with resultant stresses in the fibres of the timber. Sometimes deep and wide shakes and cracks can appear unsightly but we have calculated for these in our designs. In some cases customers have contacted us about perceived surface problems which can be easily resolved by simply sanding the affected area – in such cases we advise and would expect a customer to do so.

MAINTENANCE: It is expected that Climbing Frames are regularly checked post assembly for splintering or movement in the timber fibres and all play should be adult supervised. See assembly instructions for further details.

All our timber products are manufactured to the same standards as similar products throughout Europe where they have been in use for many years. Samples of our products can be viewed at our premises before purchasing, unlike ’Internet Only’ companies with no facility to view before purchase.

All our Climbing Frames have been independently tested to comply with EN71 Parts 1, 3, 8, and 9.

Many 1000’s of our products have been happily supplied and assembled over the years by customers that understand the nature of timber. It is also true to say that we do have some service queries from customers who subsequently try to change our Trading Terms and apply standards and conditions that we do not offer or supply. If you do not understand the nature of timber, with its advantages and disadvantages, and have read and understood our Trading Terms and Conditions please do not purchase our timber products.

To assemble our timber products you will need a reasonable variety of DIY tools, socket set, saw, hammer, drills level, etc to facilitate drilling, nailing, sawing, screwing and checking for square level and plumb assembly and you will have to understand the concept of ensuring that bases for cabins and buildings are level and square.

Remember that should you choose to use an external person or persons to assemble your products then allow time for them to understand the instructions and the parts delivered to your home. You are embarking on a journey of constructing a long term product for your home and you should allow time to understand and check the instructions, parts and nature of the materials that you will be using, this may take hours to days depending on the size of the project that you are undertaking. As our descriptions, product details and Terms and Conditions are published on our website please take the time to read and understand them.

Further information is available in various sections of our website in order that you, the paying customer, understand what we have to offer before you purchase.

Please note that we have invested a lot of time and knowledge into training our installation teams to ensure a smooth installation of our Garden Buildings and this is always an option for most of our Garden Buildings, please see individual products for this service.

The full balance of the product and installation price shall be paid in advance of the work commencing on site. Due to the nature of “Building Works” we (the Company) are unable to guarantee any specific start or completion dates. Various delays can be caused by such things as road congestion, the impact of the weather or even strikes by third party facilitators, transport or shipping. Time shall not be of the essence in this contract and the company cannot accept any responsibility for consequential damage of any type.

You (the Customer) are responsible to ensure that the cabin is compliant with all relevant planning and building requirements.

You must advise us if there are access difficulties, we generally deliver with a 7.5 Ton HGV flat bed truck. Depending upon the size and wall thickness a cabin/office will weigh between 1.0 and 4.0 tonnes. We will generally off load at kerbside, and will need access to a clear working area for our installation staff adjacent to the installation position for the cabin. The maximum distance from the offload point to the installation site shall be no greater than 100metres. If you wish us to offload the cabin on your premises, we need an access route/road capable of safely and easily taking a vehicle 8 metres long and 2.6 metres wide. Please also ensure that there are no obstructions (e.g. sharp corners, gates and trees). Damage to lawns, flower beds, driveways adjacent to a narrow or difficult access route will be the responsibility of the customer. All reasonable care will be exercised in carrying out the delivery and installation, but we cannot carry out a survey of your site prior to installation, and it is your responsibility to risk assess and protect the site and access route. We strongly suggest you are insured for any potential damage that may be caused as a result of unreasonable difficulties experienced by our staff or vehicles whilst on your premises (the owner/occupier of the site is ultimately responsible for the Health and Safety of any contractors working on the premises).

We place great emphasis on Health and Safety and will carry out a Generic Risk Assessment upon arrival on the day of installation. We are unable to work where there is restricted access, obstructing cables and overhanging trees and bushes, or if the site is not reasonably clear of debris etc. We will require a minimum 1.5 metre of unobstructed space on the sides and front of the finished building and at least 600mm at the rear, up to the height of the roof ridge.

Prior to our commencing work on site, the base must be fully complete (see our Base preparation Guidelines). We shall confirm on site that the base is of the correct size and level before starting work. We cannot check if the base is capable of taking the weight of the cabin without subsidence, and so any subsidence, and subsequent problems with the cabin, is entirely the responsibility of the Customer. Reasonable access and use of water, electricity and toilet facilities is to be provided for our staff whilst on site. Storage of materials and equipment may be required during the installation process (insured by the Company).

If we are delayed or have to leave site for ANY reason not directly caused by Dunster House Ltd (including reasons such as re-delivery or delays due to inadequate access, insufficient/restricted storage or working space, health and safety concerns, cabin base problems etc) all reasonable costs incurred will be charged to and accepted by the Customer (including time, subsistence, distance and vehicle costs), and payment will be required before we re-commence work. We assess the weather conditions during the installation process. If, in our reasonable view, conditions do not allow installation to continue, we may leave site and return at a later date to complete the work. In these circumstances any additional time taken will be at our cost.

On completion of the installation the building must be inspected with our Senior Installer and the customer (or customer’s representative, acting as the Customer’s Agent). At the same time, and before our Installation Team leave the site, the Customer (or agent) will be given a Completion Certificate to sign for each building. Once this has been done the job is complete and deemed to have been finished to a satisfactory standard. Nails and screws will be secured so that they do not protrude, rubbish such as the plastic membrane that covers the top of the cabin, spare timbers, screws etc, will be removed from site, the windows, doors and optional shutters, skylights etc will open and close and operate normally at the time the installation is completed. Timber is a natural product and the building will ‘settle’. As a result splits, cracks and movement of timbers will always occur after installation, and also adjustments may become necessary (including adjustments to the doors and windows as they may drop, expand and contract warp etc). Such adjustments and/or repairs are not part of the installation service and should be carried out by the customer. Alternatively, Dunster House Ltd can carry out such work strictly on a chargeable basis. Please see our FAQ section on our website for properties of timber. Exposed timbers should be treated with an appropriate timber preservative finish immediately after installation (this is not part of our installation service). Should you request an inspection for alleged defects and these fall outside of our published descriptions and reasonable actions then we reserve the right to make reasonable charges for that service.

These terms and conditions are additional to our standard terms and conditions, and can only be amended in writing by a Director of the Company. IF IN DOUBT, CONTACT US FOR ADVICE PRIOR TO PLACING AN ORDER.

Should you request an inspection for alleged defects and these fall outside of our published descriptions and reasonable actions then we reserve the right to make reasonable charges for that service.

Customer or customer agent needs to be on site during installation. Your statutory rights are not affected by the above.