Site Access & Base Work for Your New G&M
Hey Sheddie,
This is the final part of completing your order form. Once you have sent over this information we can get you booked in for your delivery date.
But first, you and I have a wee job to do.
For us to be able to determine how long it’s going to take us to deliver your building on delivery day, we need accurate information to the questions on this page.
Although our buildings are made to order, they are made in a way that ensures their structure and weight are within our manual handling requirements.
We account for a 30m walk-in and manageable access for the panels we’re carrying.
If the access is massively restricted and/or the walk-in is further - we will need to account for additional time and/or labour. There may be a need to charge you for the cost of that time/labour – this is definitely for the few and 9 times out of 10, site access is not an issue.
We will also explain what we mean by site preparation and base work - this is just as important as the access so please make sure you understand and ask us if you don’t.
If we don’t have all the information we need, we can’t plan properly and it could result in us not being able to assemble your building.
So by filling out this form you will ensure everything is accounted for. That way on the day we know exactly what we’re coming to, we’re all prepared and your building goes up no bother at all.
Happy Sheddies all round 🥰
Read and watch the content we have put together for you that explains and guides you on how to find the correct information for the questions. Expect to spend around 15-20 minutes on this form.
Carry out the instructions explained in the content below and write down all the details and answers you need to the questions as well as taking the relevant photos.
Once you have the answers and images you need, head back to this page and complete the questions, and upload your images in the "SHOW FORM" section.
When we have received this, we’ll attach this to your order form and get you into place ready for scheduling your delivery date. The sooner you can get this over to us, the sooner we can get your delivery date secured.
Ready? Let’s do this 😘
You might need:
- A notepad
- A pencil
- A measuring tape.
You will definitely need:
- Your phone/camera to take pictures of your site.
This is dead important! However you send them, please include your name and order number so Ailsa can allocate your photos to your order.
By Email
Attach and email your photos to info@gilliesandmackay.com
By WhatsApp or SMS
Send your photos via message to: 07415444609
Please Note: If you send photos by text, your carrier service provider charges may apply.
By Post
Don't fancy all the tech? Print off and send us your photos to:
Gillies and Mackay,
East Inchmichael Station Road,
Perth PH2 7SP
- Where can the deliverers park their van?
The deliverers will arrive in a Fiat Ducato Flatbed Van.
The closer the deliverers can get to your site the better. The aim here is to reduce the deliverer’s carrying distance and reduce the time of the delivery. They will need to take anywhere between 10-15 trips back and forth between your site and the van.
Can they park in your drive? Could they park in a neighbour's drive? Will they be able to park on the street right outside your home? Are there any restrictions on parking?
Images required.
- Walking distance from the parked van to the site of your building
We need to know this to determine how long your delivery will take. 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).
Remember the guys will have to take multiple trips back and forth. Superpowers would be great, but we’re no quite there yet!
1m is roughly one large stride.
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 = 30m
- If the deliverers need to go through an alleyway, will this be less than 1m in width?
For the deliverers to easily pass through an alleyway, they need 1m in width between one boundary and another. 1m and above is perfect. Anything less, we’ll need the measurements for this. (See video explanation)
We need to know this to make sure the deliverers will be able to get through the space. If it’s really tight, we may need to think about an alternative route or way to get through which adds to delivery time.
Take into consideration the space between house walls and fences, the width of gates, any object 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.
Images required.
- If the deliverers need to navigate tight corners, will any of these be less than 1m in width?
Similar to the alleyway, tight corners can be a tough nut to crack. 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. 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.
- Will there be any height restrictions? If so, what is the restriction and the measurements?
When the deliverers are carrying your panels by hand, the panel will begin just above the deliverers knee’s then finishing a couple of feet above their head height. Any height restrictions will cause them to do a bit of navigating around.
Depending on the restriction, we may need to cut the panels smaller when building your shed to allow them to pass through or look at an alternative route.
Think about bars across the top of gates, archways, canopies - anything they will need to pass under.
You’ll also need to consider when the deliverers are erecting your building as they will be doing work on your roof. Common enemy no.1 - 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 (see video).
Images required.
- Will there be any steps up or down to your site? If yes, how many in total?
If you only have 2-3 steps on your site, that’s no bother but it’s still good to know. What the deliverers don’t want to be surprised with is 10 steps that they don’t know about up to your site.
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.
Images required.
- Will there be a steep uphill or downhill walk to the site of your building?
Any change in elevation can add difficulty and time to the delivery. Please take into consideration how much weight the deliverer’s will be carrying.
Think about if you had to carry a heavy piece of furniture. Would the elevation of your site make this more difficult? Please provide images if you're either not sure or you do have a steep elevation.
- Will there be a 400mm gap around each side of your building?
This gap is crucial for maintaining your building and extending its longevity. We ask for and recommend this gap to give you enough space to get around your building to make any necessary checks, for touching up your 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.
- Do you require any additional work to your building on the day?
This is 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.
- Health and Safety
IMPORTANT!
Your garden or land will be classed as a construction site from when our deliverers arrive to you until they leave your site. For your own safety we ask that you remain indoors and away from the site to avoid accident or injury.
The deliverers will give you the all clear once they are finished and then you can enjoy your brand new G&M.
- Out of the options, what base will you have in place for your building?
This is super important! We don’t provide the bases for your building so it’s something you’ll need to consider as an additional cost. You’ll need to source someone to do it for you.
If you want your building to be sturdy and last – having the right base is our no.1 rule. If the deliverers turn up on delivery day and your base is not right, they will not be able to assemble your building, the panels will be left with you and there will be a re-delivery charge.
Read a watch all the content below to get a fuller understanding of what is required.
The reason we ask you to follow our guidelines on base preparation is to avoid common issues with your building such as door misalignment, leaking, sagging, water ingress, movement, what else?
Wood moves and molds to its environment. We design the buildings based on them being held on a sturdy and level surface. Any movement caused by an unlevel base will have a significant negative impact on your building. We say they last a lifetime, this absolutely starts with having the correct foundations in place.
We always recommend you get a landscaper or construction company to carry out this work for you.
One of the biggest issues we've come across on site is bases not being correct. It causes the most delays on delivery day and sometimes we aren’t able to deliver your building because of the base.
Not having the correct base can add up to an hour to your delivery time the guys can only rectify with what they have at the time. Remember, they are not landscapers, they are joiners.
They just need to make sure your building goes on a level surface to erect your building. What they do might only be a temporary solution.
If you are not in a position to provide us with all the base information yet, that’s ok. We’ll follow up with you on the lead up to your delivery day to gather the information. Let us know what you plan to have.
If you plan to construct the base yourself, we advise you plan in advance for this and have it prepared well before your delivery date and send us on photo’s. That way if there are any issues to rectify we can guide you on this and you’ll have time to complete.
If your garden is unlevel you’ll either need to dig down to make the surface level or build up. If you are digging down, consider the water flow in your garden. If your building is sitting at the bottom of a “hill” in your garden, it’s likely that water will build up there.
If you are building up and creating a kind of platform for your building: Consider the size of the platform. You may want to go bigger than the building to allow for some walking or sitting space. You may also have to consider adding a step to get onto the platform and into your building.
What's involved?
- Dig down to firm ground
- Fill with type 1 hardcore (Limestone rubble)
- Compact down to level.
The guys will bring breeze blocks and bearers for your shed to sit on.
What's not acceptable?
- Grass
- Soft ground such as sand, soil, wasteland
- Hardcore chucked on top of soft ground
- Non-level surface
The reason why these surfaces do not work is that they are susceptible to change and sinking over time. This will cause your shed to move out of alignment and you will have issues.
What's Involved?
- Dig down to firm ground
- Fill with type 1 hardcore (limestone rubble) compacted.
- Lay slabbing on top and make sure it is level and sturdy.
What's Not Acceptable?
- Do not chuck slabs down on soft ground, the ground will move or sink over time and so goes your building.
- Old broken and wobbly slabs is not a level and sturdy surface. Your shed will move with the surface.
Monoblocking tends to be an ok surface, however, we will need to do a site visit to check the viability and level of it.
New monoblocks will usually be fine, old monoblocks can move over time and become unlevel.
If you plan to have your building on monoblocking, please state this so we can organise a Site Visit.
As long as the surface is level, this base will hold the weight of your summerhouse.
However, concrete isn’t the best option to allow for effective water drainage. There tends to be nowhere for the water to go, so instead pools up, and your summerhouse will breathe all that water in which can cause moisture issues for your building.
This is the ONLY base you can have for a Garage. The reason for this is because of the way your Garage will be built to ensure it is water tight and holds the weight of your Garage.
Your concrete plinth will have to be in square to the exact specification we send you to allow your Garage to slot over the concrete and sit flesh with it. No moisture, no rain water - a bone dry Garage you can be proud of 🙌
You will need:
- A concrete plinth to the Gillies and Mackay specification
- Ground Screws
Garden Rooms are HEAVY - weighing up to two tonnes or even more. There’s an awfy lot of material going into your building to make sure it stands the test of time. This is an extension to your home and a big investment.
It’s really important that you have a substantial base in place for your Garden Room to sit on so that you don’t have issues in the future.
Both a concrete plinth and Ground Screws are the only options for your base. If you’d like to go for a more environmentally friendly option - Ground Screws are your friends.
For a full explanation and recommended companies read our blog here (opens in a new tab): What kind of base do I need for a Garden Room?
If you don’t feel confident at this stage about what is required for your Garden Room base - email us at: info@gillesandmackay.com
- Who is providing your base?
It’s good for us to know this as we have some trusted companies that we work with. If we know the basework has been completed by them, we know you won’t have any problems with your base.
We’d also love to recommend more companies for basework in different areas so if we see a common thread of good basework by certain companies, we will absolutely get them on our site for future customers.
For Shed & Summerhouse bases:
For Concrete Bases:
- Charmichael and Baxter
For Ground Screw Bases:
- No More Digging
- You MUST let us know if you opt for Ground Screws as we need to create a base plan for this
- Is your level base sitting on an off level garden?
The guys might need ladders! Please provide images.
If your base is going to be built above ground on a kind of platform, the guys may need their ladders to reach the highest heights. If this is the case, please let us know so the deliverer’s can come prepared. It may also add to the time of your delivery.
If your base is NOT level, as chosen above, on delivery day and the guys need to spend time rectifying, you will be charged for their extra time to fix it.
The deliverer's have the right to refuse delivery if they believe your base will not hold your building and it's beyond their ability to rectify.
If this is the case, your delivery will be moved according to our lead time and you will be charged for re-delivery.
If the deliverers come across issues with your base, they will explain this to you and let you know how they have rectified it or why they are unable to deliver. It's is always best to get a local qualified landscaper or construction company to carry out this work for you.
Remember: If you cannot provide us with base photos at this point, that’s ok. Please send them on as soon as the work is completed and we’ll also send you a reminder closer to your delivery 🙂
