Site Access: How To Make Sure We Can Deliver Your G&M Building

You’ve ordered your G&M building. Painstakingly waited months for it to be delivered.

And then… there is a problem delivering it. 

Don’t worry!

We’ve been in this game a while. We learned long ago, that there are some things we need to ask you before we deliver your G&M building to ensure that it can be delivered safely and on time. 

In this blog, we’ll go through what questions we ask you before we deliver your G&M building (and why), so that we don’t have any problems on the day. 

What happens if we can’t deliver your G&M building due to site restrictions

The last thing we want is for there to be problems on the day of the delivery. That’s not a great start to those #sheddie dreams is it?

Dinnae worry. There is very little that creates a problem for us. 

Although all our buildings are made to order, they are built in a way that ensures our team can safely handle them within manual handling regulations. 

Nine out of ten times, the site access isn’t a problem. We don’t need to charge anything extra, it’s included in the delivery. 

But if it’s a long walk-in, or massively restricted then it will take more time. And that time is something we need to account for, to make sure that we get all our #sheddie deliveries in and don’t let anyone down.

In some instances if the delivery is particularly complex then we may need to charge additional time and labour. We will tell you what this charge will be upfront.

If you don’t tell us about site access restriction then it will result in a delay and we may need to charge you extra.

That’s why it’s so important that we get a few things right…

What you need to tell us before your G&M building is delivered

Answering the following questions will make sure things on the day of delivery run as smoothly as possible. 

If you have already ordered a building you can fill out the Site access form here. 

1. Is there a place to park the delivery van?
2. What’s the walking distance from the parked van to the site of your building?
3. Are there any alleyways smaller than 1m wide?
4. Are there any tight corners less than 1m wide?
5. Are there any height restrictions?
6. Are there any steps up or down to the site?
7. Is there any steep up or downhill to your site?
8. Will there be a 400mm gap around each side of your building?
9. Do you require any additional work to your building?

1. Is there a place to park the delivery man?

Our drivers will turn up in a Fiat Ducato Flatbed Van.

Ideally our delivery team will get as close as possible to the site. The aim is to reduce the deliverer’s carrying distance and reduce the time of the delivery as they will need to take anywhere between 10-15 trips back and forth between your site and the van (which adds up in time and effort).

For most homes this won’t be an issue, but if there is limited parking then it might pose a problem. Some things to consider are:

• Can they park in your drive? 
• Could they park in a neighbor’s drive? 
• Will they be able to park on the street right outside your home? 
• Are there any restrictions on parking?

Information means that we can plan, and ensure the swift and safe delivery of your G&M building. 

2. What’s the walking distance from the parked van to the site of the building?

Remember the team will have to take multiple trips back and forth from the van to the site – which can add time onto the day. So we need to calculate roughly how many metres your site is from where the van will be parked. 

A large stride is roughly 1m. 

A walking distance of between 40m – 50m for a 10’ x 8’ building can add on up to 30 minutes for your delivery (you’ll already be scheduled in for roughly 2 and a half hours).

From where the guys can park their van, count how many large strides it takes you to get to the site of your building. This will give you the carrying distance.

30 large strides = approx. 30m

Again, distance isn’t usually a problem, but we need to account for the additional time, so please make sure that you are providing accurate information. 

3. Are there any alleyways that will be less than 1m wide?

Our guys need space to move, and one of the things that can present a problem is tight spaces and alleyways. If it’s really tight, we may need to think about an alternative route or way to get through which can add to delivery time.

For the deliverers to easily pass through an alleyway, they need 1m in width between one boundary and another. If there is a space of 1m or more then you’ll be grand. Anything less, we’ll need the measurements for this.

Some things you should take into consideration, is: 

• What’s the space between house and walls/fences
• What’s the width of the gates
• Are there any objects that can’t be moved that creates a boundary

If the only access is through a building you will need a site visit so please tell us if this is the case. 

Navigating tight spaces and corners can add up to 45 minutes to your delivery time.

4. Are there any tight corners less than 1m wide?

Have you ever seen the episode of Friends where they try to get a couch up the stairs… PIVOT! This is what it’s like if there are tight corners to navigate on your delivery. There’s a lot of ‘to me, to you’. And it adds time and difficulty to the job. 

This one is a bit tricky to measure.

Check out the diagram here to see what you need to measure. It’s usually the same as the alleyway measurement.

5. Are there any height restrictions?

Look up! It’s easy to miss, but you need to check that there are no height restrictions overhead. 

The delivery team will carry your panels by hand, so the panel will begin just about the deliverer’s knee, then will finish a couple of feet above their head height. 

Any height restrictions will cause them to do a bit of navigating around. Or, depending on the restriction, we may need to cut the panels smaller when building your shed to allow them to pass through. 

Things you need to take into consideration:

• Are there any bars across the top of the gates?
• Are there any archways/canopies?
• Anything the panels and delivery team will need to pass under?

Remember to look at this all the way from the van to the building site. 

You’ll also need to consider the actual building site – as they will be working on your roof. Common enemy number 1 is tree branches. Is there a way you can move or remove these before delivery day?

Simply, measure from the ground up to the restriction and take a note.

6. Are there any steps up or down to the building site?

A couple of steps are no problem, but we’d still like to know about them. 

What we don’t want is to be surprised by a flight of steps that they don’t know about. 

The panels the guys are carrying are heavy, altogether about 1.5 tonnes. That’s a lot of muscle strength and stamina needed. Steps add to the difficulty of carrying these and again can add time to delivery.

So it’s something we need to know about to make sure they are prepared and can safely maneuver the steps. 

7. Are there any steep slopes up or down to the building site?

Any change in elevation can add difficulty and time to the delivery. Especially given the weight of the panels that the team are delivering. 

A little bit of elevation is normal, but we need to know about it. Think about if you had to carry a heavy piece of furniture. Would the elevation of your site make this more difficult?

8. Will there be a 400mm gap around each side of your building?

All our buildings need a gap of 400mm around the building to ensure its longevity. 

We ask, and recommend that you have a gap of 400mm around the building to ensure that we can make any necessary checks, touch up the paint, for any repairs in the future, and to give your building some breathing room.

What you don’t want is your building sitting flesh against a boundary and moisture getting trapped with nowhere to go. 

Moisture + Timber = a sick building.

The gap also makes the joiner’s job way easier on delivery day as the guys can get in and out to put up your building.

IF you absolutely cannot have the gap, it is at your own risk. We’ll still need to know if there won’t be this gap, and at what side, as this complicates erecting your building and adds time.

9. Do you require any additional work to your building on the day?

Is there anything else you need us to do on the day?

This doesn’t include things like painting of electrics (we don’t do that). It’s in relation to very small jobs. 

The most common request we get is drilling a hole in the floor to allow electrical cables through. 

This takes time and something we need to account for. If you’d like this done, please let us know

What’s the next step?

If you’ve not yet ordered your G&M building then it’s time to get your order in. It’s worth thinking about all of the above things before you put your order in. But remember it’s very rarely a problem, we just need to know. 

If you have ordered then make sure you’ve filled out the Site Access form – we need everyone to fill in one of these before our delivery to ensure 

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