[chris172]

Looking for a greenhouse come potting shed and have seen this one.... http://www.greenhousestores.co.uk/Swallow-Jay-6x8-Wooden-Potting-Shed.htm  as it's going in a corner in the garden this is the best of both worlds combining a shed/potting/greenhouse all in one.

It's quite expensive but does look like it's well built. It's a fairly new deign from them and would have liked to see one before buying but no show site has one to view.  All they have are the greenhouses to see but I guess the build quality should be the same.

I have 2 observations too...
the cladding is vertical... would that let wet?
the bench is only 745mm high which seems a little low.

Someone on here said they had a greenhouse from them and is great but just thought I would canvas any further views.

Thanks in advance....

[John]

Just had a good look - must say it looks top notch. The price isn't too bad either, especially since it covers building it.

The bench hight seems fine to me - I used to design kitchens where the worktop hight is 910mm but if you consider what you do on a potting bench, dropping it down 135mm makes sense. Leaning over seedlings at the back etc. (Sorry, I can get boring on ergonomics!)

[Yana]

Looking for a greenhouse come potting shed and have seen this one.... http://www.greenhousestores.co.uk/Swallow-Jay-6x8-Wooden-Potting-Shed.htm  as it's going in a corner in the garden this is the best of both worlds combining a shed/potting/greenhouse all in one.

It's quite expensive but does look like it's well built. It's a fairly new deign from them and would have liked to see one before buying but no show site has one to view.  All they have are the greenhouses to see but I guess the build quality should be the same.

I have 2 observations too...
the cladding is vertical... would that let wet?
the bench is only 745mm high which seems a little low.

Someone on here said they had a greenhouse from them and is great but just thought I would canvas any further views.

Thanks in advance....

Hi Chris
Have a look at Dunster House web site. They do a greenhouse/shed combo in a multitude of design options and having seen one in situ, they seem OK, but beware, the build-on-site is very expensive and read their terms and conditions very carefully.

[chris172]

Thanks John and Yana for feedback so far.

John, yes it does 'look' a superb building and well made but as we can't view before purchase I thought I would see if anyone else has experience of them. Your thoughts on the bench height now seem obvious to me.

Yana... thanks for the reply but have researched DH online and it seems they have a record of bad product and customer service so i'll pass on that one.

[Yana]

No worries Chris, each to their own. 

[chris172]

Yana...  I always try to research companies I plan to buy from to judge the product and after-sales.  Did a google search on Dunster when you suggested them and the first lot of results were awful... pages and pages of dissatisfied customers complaining of poor workmanship and aftersales... so not worth a second look I'm afraid.  Thanks for taking the time to post though.

Regards

Chris

[ryetek]

Hi Chris,

We have a Swallow Greenhouse but not with the shed attached. Ours is the Kingfisher 8ft x 6ft. It's very well made but, as you've said, they are fairly expensive. I have made some comments about it on this thread:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=103542.msg1159766

If you look on the Swallow Website they show the nearest stockists. If there's one close you may be able to go and have a look at something made by Swallow before purchase.

Also if you look on the thread above John arranged a deal with a specific greenhouse website that sells Swallow Greenhouses.

Hope this helps.

[chris172]

Thanks Ryetek.... yes, saw that topic then couldn't find it again...


Have already spoken with Swallow and as it's a fairly new model the closest one to us to go see is about 120miles away.  The other closest show site is about 45miles and they have a Kingfisher so may go see that to judge the quality.

Swallow buildings do look very well made though and not just thrown together. When we do make our minds up I will call the mentioned supplier and do a bit of haggling    They also have a 30 day money back guarantee but not sure if it would cover us for not being satisfied with the product once installed if we can't get to see one in the flesh.

One concern I have though is that with the boards being vertical, if there is any movement, ie shrinkage or splitting the water would easily run down into the building.  Have seen other fully tanalised ones and there is still a small amount of splitting but their boards were horizontal and so the gaps would be horizontal with the grain and not as susceptible to seeping.

Thanks to all for responding.

[ryetek]

One concern I have though is that with the boards being vertical, if there is any movement, ie shrinkage or splitting the water would easily run down into the building.  Have seen other fully tanalised ones and there is still a small amount of splitting but their boards were horizontal and so the gaps would be horizontal with the grain and not as susceptible to seeping.

Ah yes I see what you mean. I never thought of that because as we only have a GH and not the shed combo our roof is glass. This is factory sealed with clear silicone as well as being set in a fairly deep groove. However that said we do have the boards around the bottom of the GH which, over time, could shrink I guess. I believe the GH has a 10 year frame warranty anyhow so it's worth asking if the shed combo does too.

Good luck.

[chris172]

Going to look at a Swallow Kingfisher Greenhouse on Friday so should be able to judge the quality from that.

On the up side have found it at least £100 cheaper than the link in the OP   

[ryetek]

Going to look at a Swallow Kingfisher Greenhouse on Friday so should be able to judge the quality from that.

On the up side have found it at least £100 cheaper than the link in the OP   

That sounds great Chris. I would be interested to know what you think after the viewing.

[chris172]

Went to view the Kingfisher GH.... Wow! Well made and finished.  It was a painted version which was in Dark Green and looked great. 

Subsequently ordered  the Jay Potting Shed without any qualms.

Look forward to getting it and will post pics

[ryetek]

Went to view the Kingfisher GH.... Wow! Well made and finished.  It was a painted version which was in Dark Green and looked great. 

Subsequently ordered  the Jay Potting Shed without any qualms.

Look forward to getting it and will post pics

That's excellent news. That's what we thought after viewing the Kingfisher GH at our local garden centre. The painted models do add a fair old wodge of cash to the price however.

I should post up some pictures of our GH really but things are really busy at the moment.

[chris172]

Well... we took the plunge after viewing a Kingfisher Greenhouse.  Although it was a painted one... very nicely done too... it was obvious the workmanship and materials were really good.

From ordering to delivery was a little over 3 weeks which was better than expected.

They telephoned a week before with a delivery slot between 1pm & 3pm and they duly turned up at 2pm. Very professional and courteous. They left no mess and all was complete in 45mins.

A little more than we wanted to spend which is why we were canvasing comments but in the end we are VERY pleased with the end result. 

A Shed/Potting Shed/Greenhouse all in one.... doesn't get much better than this one.

[ryetek]

That looks great Chris. I'm pleased that you are happy with it and I hope it serves you well.