FAQ

We offer a free of charge delivery service within 100 miles of our Staffordshire workshop. Outside of 100 miles we can still offer delivery and installation at a flat rate per mile. At the moment we don't deliver to: Scotland, Cornwall or South Wales.

We will deliver buildings at a flat rate of £2 per mile after 100 miles. If you would like an estimate of your delivery charges please get in touch and one of the friendly Viking Team will be happy to advise

We always display an average lead time in the banner at the top of our webpage which is updated on a regular basis. If you are working to a time-scale or have a more bespoke requirement please get in touch and one of the Viking Team will be happy to help.

Kerbside Delivery 

If you've opted for our Kerbside Delivery service somebody will need to be at home to accept the delivery. Our Kerbside Delivery service is provided by a one-person team and as some of the panels can be heavy we ask that somebody is on-hand to help them unload. Kerbside Delivery covers delivery to the nearest point of access on your property. For Health and Safety reasons our delivery person cannot carry panels into the garden or to the installation point.

Installation Service

If you've selected our Installation Service at the point of ordering a two-person team will deliver and install your building. They will unload and carry the building in panels to the installation point, including any base kit you may have chosen. There are some Terms and Conditions surrounding our Installation Service which can be found here. Because protecting our employees is really important, for Health and Safety reasons they cannot lift panels over walls, roofs or fences. We also ask that they have a clear and unobstructed walkway of less than 50 yards to the point of installation. If you have any doubts about access please get in touch so we can work out how to deliver and install your building safely.

We ask for 14-days notice if you wish to change your delivery date. During peak months delivery times can be extended and this gives us the opportunity to offer the delivery slot to another customer. If we don't recieve 14-days notice and can't fill the delivery slot at short notice, there may be an additional delivery charge applied.

We guarantee your delivery date, but at the moment we can't provide accurate delivery time slots. If you'd like a rough, estimated arrival time on your delivery day, please give one of the Viking Team a call and they will be happy to offer additional information where possible.

We offer the following payment methods:

• Secure payment by Worldpay Gateway - VISA/MASTERCARD/JCB
• BACS payment
• PayPal

We accept payment through PayPal's Pay in 3 service, which offers 3 equal monthly payments for your building. Simply select the PayPal option at the Checkout, choose PayPal Pay in 3, or PayPal Credit and complete as directed for an immediate decision.

In order to use PayPal pay in 3, you will need to be over the age of 18 and living in the United Kingdom (excluding Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). In some circumstances, PayPal may also assess your credit worthiness by performing a soft credit search that won't have an impact on your credit history. This payment method is only available on orders between £45 and £2000. 

If your basket total is over £2,000 don't worry. Simply select the PayPal Credit option at the Checkout and choose PayPal Credit, complete as directed for an immediate decision.

Please note that Viking Garden Buildings, have no foresight into Credit Applications nor the details that you disclose. Viking Garden Buildings accept no liability in the respect of missed or late payments. 

So we can process your order and secure a delivery date for your new building we ask that a 50% deposit is made at the point of ordering.

We ask that all orders are paid for in full two weeks prior to the delivery/installation date agreed. If you place your order and the delivery date is less than 2 weeks away, we do ask that payment is made in full at the point of ordering.

In order for us to be able to install your new garden building there are some requirements.

If you do not meet the requirements below it is important that you contact us prior to your delivery and installation day, so that we can help you take any remedial action.

If we are unable to install your new building on the day then your order will be deemed as a Deliver Only order, you can find out more on our Terms and Conditions page.

• You must have a flat level concrete, or slabbed base in order for us to be able to install your building. You can view examples of both good and bad bases on our Base Page, as well as recommendations. If you are unable to provide a flat level base then please add a soft or hard ground frame base kit to your order and our fitters will install the base for you on the day. Not sure if your base is suitable? No problem - just send us some pictures by email and we will be able to offer further advice.

• The access to the point of installation must be less than a 50 yard walk from the delivery vehicle, and be clear and unobstructed. We ask that we have a walkway of at least 2ft in width to allow for our Installation Team to easily carry panels, and that they have a minimum of 8ft in height. Our buildings are made in big strong panels so they are unable to be carried through houses/garages in their standard form. If you need a smaller access option please select the poor access option, add some notes and a member of the team will be in touch to discuss in more detail. This is so that we can adapt to individual requirements during the manufacturing process - some charges may apply.

• Our Installation Teams are unable to lift any panels over houses/fences/walls or hedges due to Health and Safety regulations so please don't ask them to do so. If they arrive at your property to find that fence panels need to be removed to allow for access, they have the right to refuse and will deem your building a Deliver Only order. It's really important to contact us before your delivery date so we can work with you where possible. Whilst we always do our upmost to take care in your property/garden, we do not accept any liabilty for damage caused whilst carrying panels due to the terms of our Insurance.

If you don't meet the requirements for our Installation Service, or are concerned that you don't, then it's really important you contact us so that we can help you. We can adapt the way that we manufacture your new building to suit your needs wherever possible and are always happy to advise customers what they need to do in order to prepare for a new garden building whether it be a standard garden shed, or a high-end garden room.

This all depends on the type of building that you have selected, any base options you may have chosen from us, or the roofing material you have chosen. We have included a handy rough estimate on installation times below for your reference:

• Standard smaller garden sheds & summerhouses - 1 - 3 hours.
• Standard larger garden sheds & summerhouses - 2 - 4 hours.
• Smaller, pre-insulated only garden rooms - typically half a day.
• Smaller, insulated and lined garden rooms - 1/2 full day(s).
• Larger, insulated and lined garden rooms - 2 - 5 full days - dependant on spec and finish.

The above is intended as a guide only, issues can unexpectedly arise when on site that can cause an installation to run past it's intended finish time.

We sell a vast range of high quality garden buildings including Sheds, Summerhouses, Workshops, Garages and Garden Rooms. All made from the highest quality Scandinavian redwood, slow grown for extra strength and durability.

Unlike a lot of manufacturers, we ensure each and every piece of timber used to construct your building is Tanalised, protecting it for 15-years against fungal rot and insect infestation. Each piece of timber is air-dried at our Staffordshire timber yard until it reaches the correct moisture level for building with. It is then processed by state of the art equipment ensuring a clean and precise cut every time!

If you can't see what you're looking for on our website, just drop us a message, or send us a picture by email. Don't worry, we're not here to judge your artist skills, it'll help to give us an idea of what you've got in mind before we get to work designing your dream garden building.

At Viking we pride ourselves on offering customers the best value for their money. We have customers now who orignally bought a shed from James's Grandad back in the late 80's that are only just needing to replace them now - some 30 or so years later. While we may not be the cheapest, we do live by the saying 'if you buy cheap, you buy twice'.

Here at this family business we have constantly adapted and improved our deisgn over 40 years to ensure that the innovative design behind our buildings provides customers with a product that will stand the test of time.

That being said it's really important to give your building a little TLC from time to time. We recommend giving a full check over at least once every twelve months, giving it a little clean up with a soft brush to remove any debris, and ensuring you give it a good coat of preservative every two or three years.

If you want to read more about keeping your building in ship shape condition just visit our Maintenance page for more info!

The million dollar question! In short, no...

The Tanalising process is a great treatment for preventing fungal rot, mould and insect infestations but, unfortunately this wonder treatment doesn't mean your new building will be resistant to our wonderful British weather.

We recommend that you paint your building with a good quality waterproofing agent as soon as possible. At Viking we use Barrettine Wood Protective treatment, a deep-penetrating oil treatment with UV protection* to prevent fading. If you don't feel up to painting yourself, we offer a professional spray finish and will coat your building prior to delivery. Simply opt for the Barrettine finish and select a colour on the product page.

We don't recommend using a water-based product, yes we know they do really pretty colours, but without mentioning any names - it does not do what it says on the tin. The last thing we would want is for you to be disappointed in a years time when all your hard-work has washed away and your timber has started to prematurely age.

Some manufacturers recommend that you wait to allow Tanalised timber to dry fully before painting your new building, but as we do that part for you before we even start to construct your new building, you're welcome to paint it on the day of delivery if you wish to do so.

The majority of garden buildings on the market today are dip-treated. Timber that is dip-treated is simply submerged in a tank of wood preservative, meaning it does not require the specialist equipment needed for the tanalising process, nor such a lengthy drying period. This does make dip-treated timber much cheaper than tanalised timber. However, as dip-treated buildings are made with timber where the preservative only sits on the surface this does mean that after around 12-months in the elements your building will need to be re-coated externally, and sometimes even internally to offer a suitable level of protection and maintain your guarantee.

Because all of our buildings are made entirely from Tanalised timber whereby chemicals are forced into the wood in pressurised tanks they are much more resistant to external elements and require far less maintenance. We advise that to offer a suitable level of protection and maintain your guarantee, that you paint your building externally only every 3 years with Barrettine, or another high-quality oil based preservative.

You can read more about the Tanalising process and finish options that we recommend here.

In most cases the answer is no. It's always courteous to let any direct neighbours know if you'll be replacing an existing building with a much bigger one for example. Most of our buildings are made under 2.5 metres, which is within Permitted Development Rights.

However, all buildings with an Apex Roof with a width of 14ft and above, exceed 2.5 metres in height. If you've still got your heart set on a larger Apex building that's not a problem, providing that the building is not within 1 metre of any boundary on your property.

There is a few other things to consider in terms of Planning Permission and Permitted Development, such as:

• The size of your current garden and the size building you would like.
• The proximity (or distance) to a boundary fence.
• Property status, such as Grade I & II Listed Properties, Barn Conversions etc.
• The total overall square meters of the proposed building.

We can provide help and advice with most planning queries if you are in doubt, and point you in the right direction for help if we can't answer your query.

If you'd like to read more about Planning Permission and Permitted Development Rights please click here.

This is not a necessity, but we do recommend them! Adding a set of Tanalised timber bearers underneath your new building will help to prolong its lifespan. This is because it adds an airflow gap underneath your building as well as helping to prevent water ingress in the cladding boards that sit at the bottom.

Lots of people do ask if adding timber bearers will create a space for rodents and other pests to live. This is not the case providing you don't block the space in with any other timber. One reason is that you are then removing the air-flow gap by doing so, and, you will create a nice cosy space for any tiny four-legged friends looking to relocate!