Anyone have any experience with Dunster House log cabins?

HungryHippos · 9 Sep 2018 at 17:03

I am looking at getting a log cabin from Dunster House, they are 15% off which is an added bonus.

This one: https://dunsterhouse.co.uk/premiumplus-carsare-w3-5m-x-d2-5m

I was planning to pick the 45mm thickness with double glazing to get something that will last a bit longer. Probably superfelt for the roof as most of the roof is out of view on the rear side of the log cabin.

I have a quote for a 2.5M x 3.5M concrete base which has come in at around £700. This includes digging out the existing turf and taking the excess away. The guy who has quoted me does all the bases for a nearby garden centre so I am pretty confident it will be a good job, if not the cheapest option.

Interested to hear any personal experiences that people here have had!

The Dunster House installation costs are a bit nuts so I am looking at putting it up myself, enlisting some friends and family along the way. I am not necessarily that 'handy' but I can do basic things, and these appear to be giant puzzles that require a bit of lifting and careful placement.

I have read some interesting reviews around Dunster House, and read a bit online. It's definitely not all rosy stuff but I assume they must shift a volume of these things and will wind up with some disgruntled customers along the way. Some of the bad reviews did say the product itself is fine, they just had issues with getting the install done by Dunster House.

HungryHippos · 10 Sep 2018 at 09:18

I don't think they are too bad compared with the general log cabin market place. My local garden centre wanted £3.5k for a slightly smaller version at the same wood thickness with double glazing.

HungryHippos · 10 Sep 2018 at 22:47

I have not been back in touch with that guy about the base yet to get more specifics.

I worked out I'm not even at 1 m3 of concrete, so I would assume any concrete base would be mixed on site no matter who did it?

I have gone out for some other quotes as well though, had one guy come back to say it would be £680 which is slightly less, his work looks good. He said it would be 100mm of concrete, I can add a DPM for £40, and/or rebar support for £80 (2 x rebar mesh). The ground in my garden gets a bit boggy in the winter, he suggested that the DPM may not be required (the log cabin sits on pressure treated bearers) but the rebar support may be helpful if the drainage isn't very good.

He would not assist in installing the cabin itself though, neither would the other guy. The cabin build doesn't look too bad as it's basically a massive IKEA kit, with some assembly required. Not sure how much would be a fair price to pay for an install of it, a single competent person could probably put it up in a day or two.

HungryHippos · 16 Apr 2020 at 23:20

OP here, I didn't go log cabin route in the end. Instead spent the money on landscaping the garden a bit.

Log cabin isn't a bad shout but I had a couple of reasons for not going ahead in my scenario;

Reason 1 - A lot of spiders where I live, I could imagine the log cabin being a fantastic spider home, then I'd have to burn it down.

Reason 2 - Going to the effort of leaving the house specifically to go to the cabin, and having to make sure both were securely locked at all times would have probably been a pain.

Reason 3 - Would need heating and cooling potentially, in height of summer probably too warm, in height of winter too cold. If running power I would consider air-conditioning as that can do both heating and cooling

If you can afford to do it the loft is probably a better idea. Even better if you can get proper steps going up to the loft. Electrics/heating etc all in the house already. I'd want to make sure your plasterboard seals it well due to spiders!

Possibly even better than the loft would be some kind of home extension to add a bit of a study/extra lounge area to your house? This is probably the most expensive one though. Or a conservatory/orangery type thing.