You need a workshop space for your garden – somewhere to dedicate to your hobbies, restore motorbikes, or even run your business from. With so many garden building companies on the market, it can be difficult to know who to buy from – and especially hard to know which workshop will actually stand the test of time.
At Gillies & Mackay, we’ve been constructing timber buildings for over 35 years. In that time, we’ve developed our unique 3-Tier specification. This is a layered wall system featuring an air cavity that keeps our Workshops and Garages completely watertight.
This is your guide to buying a timber workshop, and today we’ll compare Dunster House’s EvilGenius Workshop with G&M’s 3-Tier Workshop. You’ll learn how these products differ in terms of price, specifications, and service. Allowing you to select the workshop that best suits your needs.
What types of workshop specifications can I have?
First, we’ll look at how each workshop is built and how they compare in terms of specifications.
How does wall construction impact a workshop’s performance?
The G&M 3-Tier Workshop is built with our unique 3-Tier specification, which includes:
- 19mm tanalised tongue and groove Scandinavian redwood weatherboard
- 22mm breather cavity & damp proof membrane
- 9mm OSB internal structural board
- 70mm x 45mm pressure-treated C24-Graded framing
The breather cavity and membrane create a barrier that stops any moisture from outside from getting into your Workshop. This layered system creates a strong and watertight building that’s ideal for year-round use.
The Dunster House EvilGenius Workshop features interlocking log construction. The logs have notches in the end so that they can slot together at each corner; however, an interlocking log is a single-skinned system, which has its limitations.
There is no internal framing, making it easier for the building to move out of square, especially if it hasn’t been put together well, causing issues with windows and doors. Plus, the lack of layered protection means water ingress is always a possibility.
How does cladding effect the quality of a workshop?
The G&M 3-Tier Workshop is clad in 19mm tanalised tongue and groove Scandinavian redwood weatherboard as standard, with the choice to upgrade to Close Board & Strap cladding, or Radiata Pine ThermoWood cladding.
Dunster House’s Workshop features 45mm slow-grown spruce tongue and groove interlocking log. On their website, Dunster House emphasise that they only use “slow-grown spruce, not cheap pine”.
Spruce is a whitewood, and although Dunster House assures us that the spruce they use is slow-grown, it would be useful to know exactly where it is grown. This would give us a better idea of the quality of the timber they’re using.
For example, at G&M, we use Scandinavian redwood in our 3-Tier Workshops, which is pine. Our redwood comes from cold countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland, where it grows slowly (which is a good thing). This timber is very dense, making it sturdy, durable and perfect for use in our Workshops.
Spruce is generally more prone to absorbing and retaining moisture, as the grain of the timber is less tightly packed than slow-grown pine. This is particularly problematic in a single-skinned building, as water can seep from the outside wall to the inside of the building, causing staining and eventually leading to rot and mould.
While Dunster House are getting close with slow-grown spruce, which has a tighter grain than spruce grown in milder countries like the UK, without telling you where the wood is grown, they’re not actually giving you any useful information to base your buying decision on.
Further reading: Whitewood vs Redwood: Which wood is best for a garden shed?
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What kind of roofing can a workshop have?
The G&M 3-Tier Workshop comes with a steel box profile roof, which has a 20-year manufacturer’s guarantee. Even beyond 20 years, you won’t need to replace the steel; at most, it will need a new layer of polyester sprayed.
The Dunster House Workshop has the option of no roof covering or SuperFelt. While felt will provide a good level of protection to the workshop, it’s not going to keep water out as well as steel, and will likely need to be replaced in 10 years.
Further Reading: Why Gillies & Mackay Don’t Use Roofing Felt
What window & door options can a workshop have?
G&M’s 3-Tier Workshop comes with a uPVC Fully Clad Door and a uPVC Opening Horizontal Window. The uPVC door features a 5-lever locking system offering increased security for your workshop.
The Dunster House Workshop features timber barn double doors that come with a four-point lock. The Workshop also comes with one timber-framed opening double-glazed window. The large timber doors could be problematic because they are prone to movement, and if they become out of square, they can stick and be hard to open.
While the Dunster House Workshop windows and doors contribute to the lower price point of the Workshop, they also don’t offer as much security or durability as G&M’s uPVC choices.
What kind of base does a workshop need?
At G&M, we recommend a slabbed or concrete base for our 3-Tier Workshops, depending on their size. We will organise your base construction with our accredited ground works team, and they will carry out a site visit to give you an exact quote for the work.
The Dunster House Workshop has the option of adding a RapidGrid foundation, which is a heavy-duty plastic grid. This is an additional cost of £504, and you have to install the foundation system yourself. That means you’re responsible for making sure that your base, and by extension your building, is level.
A solid, square and level base is essential to the performance and longevity of a timber building. Which is why at G&M, we chose level slabs or concrete. Even though it’s more costly than a plastic grid system used by suppliers like Dunster House.
Can I add electricity to a workshop?
The G&M Workshop comes with the option to add electricity to your space. If you do opt for electricity, we’ll set up the installation with our accredited electricians. Having electricity installed in your 3-Tier Workshop costs between £700 – £1200.
Dunster House don’t mention an electrical package for their Workshop. So, if you want to add electricity, you’ll need to arrange this yourself.
Be aware that a single-skinned timber building can always experience water ingress. This is something to keep in mind if you are adding electricity to the Dunster House Workshop. With the watertight environment of the G&M 3-Tier Workshop, you can rest assured that your electrical setup will always be safe.
How much does a workshop cost?
We’re going to compare the price for a workshop of around 4m x 3m in size.
The G&M 3-Tier Workshop costs £10,371 (4.2m x 3m), while the Dunster House EvilGenius Workshop comes in at £6,039.99 (4m x 3).
At first glance, this might seem like a significant price difference, until you consider what you’re actually getting. The Dunster House option is essentially a DIY Kit; you’ll need to assemble it yourself, and the specification is much simpler to accommodate for this. In contrast, G&M’s 3-Tier Workshop is a fully assembled, watertight building with uPVC features and has been specifically designed to withstand the Scottish weather for decades.
When you take these details into account, you can see that even though the Dunster House Workshop might be cheaper up front, the G&M 3-Tier Workshop is a much more reliable investment.
What kind of service will I get when I buy a workshop?
Finally, let’s compare the level of service you’re getting with your workshop purchase.
Is delivery & assembly included when I buy a workshop?
Dunster House provides delivery of their EvilGenius Workshop, but they don’t assemble the building. The workshop is supplied as a DIY kit and marketed as easy to assemble. I would be wary if you’re buying this workshop, as putting together a structure of this size isn’t always beginner-friendly. Poor assembly can lead to movement in the timber and water ingress.
At G&M, all of our buildings are made to order, and we manufacture them here at our factory in Errol. We also deliver and assemble our 3-Tier Workshops for free within 40 miles of Errol. Beyond that, a delivery fee applies. Our Delivery Team will expertly assemble your 3-Tier Workshop within a day.
Do workshops include project management?
With the Dunster House Workshop, there’s no project management service included, which makes sense due to the self-build nature of their product.
At G&M, we project manage all of our builds. Introducing and liaising with any third-party trades, so that everything is taken care of for you, and we can assure that everyone involved in your project is working to our standards.
We even offer a planning permission service for a fee of £696. Our planning permission expert, Grant, will get all your documents ready for your application and submit it for you.
What sort of aftercare and guarantee are included with a workshop?
Dunster House only guarantee the pressure-treated floor bearers in their workshop – with a 10-year guarantee against rot and insects. The rest of the workshop doesn’t have a guarantee, and there’s little advice on aftercare either. This means that if anything goes wrong with your workshop, it’s unlikely they’re going to do anything about it.
At Gillies and Mackay, we’ve been designing, creating and delivering timber buildings across Scotland for over 35 years. We’re professionals at what we do, and this gives us complete confidence in our product. For this reason, each of our buildings comes with a 30-Year Guarantee.
Alongside our guarantee, our website is stacked full of aftercare information to help you look after your building, so it looks and performs as if it’s brand new, for years to come.
How do these workshops compare?
The Dunster House EvilGenius Workshop is a good budget-friendly option for those who enjoy a bit of DIY; however, the specification isn’t best suited to the harsh weather of Scotland, and you’re compromising on the level of service you get.
Whereas the G&M 3-Tier Workshop is a more robust and long-lasting investment, with a high-end price tag, which reflects its superior specification and service.
If the 3-Tier Workshop sounds like it might be the right building for you, come and see one in person at our Show Area in Errol.
Or, book a no-obligation Consultation with our Sales Team to discuss your workshop plans.
