Really appreciate the time and effort on your part making these 2 videos - helped me make my mind up about purchasing a 5k log cabin through them.(or rather NOT purchasing)
Don't take my word for it, visit TrustPilot and look at the masses of negative reviews (and some of the perhaps dubious positive ones too). I'd still send them an enquiry but ask then whether there is a likelihood of any timbers arriving warped or parts missing. If they say no, you know they're lying. Also, ask them to be specific about their guarantee which is a crock of sh*te.
It would have been nice to see Dumpster post a comment and apologise, but somehow I doubt that will ever happen. I had a similar issue about 4 years ago, I did the install myself, as I couldn't afford their install fees. The load had to be hand-balled off the back of the lorry, as they didn't have a HIAB or pallet truck. Actually, he did have a pallet truck, but wouldn't allow me to use it, as it's a health & safety issue. He obviously wasn't aware, but at the time I was working for the HSE, so his statement was rubbish. Anyway, I tried to take each piece off carefully & make sure they were ok. He slid them off the lorry. Nine pieces broke/split, including the trusses. He refused to accept any responsibility & said that I did it. Thankfully I have CCTV. When I sent the footage to Dumpster, they refused to accept responsibility as well. I had to pay a further £650.00 + vat for replacements & then another £50.00 delivery. My credit card refunded me immediately after seeing the CCTV footage. I will never, ever talk with or recommend Dunster House to anyone.
That is absolutely appalling. I hope you've placed a suitable review on TrustPilot? I've read most reviews and your situation doesn't sound familiar. Please do take 5 minutes to upload a review as people do read them and find them very useful.
Hi Kyle. I'm not that tech savvy & didn't know about Trust Pilot then. I think it's probably a bit too late to post a review now. Maybe I'll just copy & paste my comment on the TP site, then others can make up their own mind. There's a bit more to it, which I may add.
the wood that dunster house import are from poland and can be damaged in transit with out them realising, im sure a couple of splits in the wood would not affect the build, also you cant expect to use there equipment that is clearly a helath and safety issue.
cai Seber. You obviously didn't read, or totally ignored the bit where the guy slid them off the lorry & the pieces broke & refused to take responsibility. Next time, read all of it before you decide to make silly comments. By the way. Health & Safety gas nothing to do with using a pallet truck to take the timber to the back garden. Again, think before you speak.
Would never let them build my log cabin and like you say within no time they were on the phone being pushy about me buying now. Thank you so much for this. Was looking to pay up to £8k for a log cabin and £3k for a gazebo from Dunster but they have now lost this. Wishing you well in the future.
*To Kyle, or anyone else who is interested in these buildings...* Dunster house is just a retailer of these buildings which are mass produced overseas. There are about 20 companies I've found online that sell and brand these cabins as "their own". They honestly have nothing to do with quality control, or anything designs. They are literally just retailers. When you decide to buy these, you must know you are on your own. What you see if what you get. Sorry you had such issues with yours. I purchased mine from BZB Cabins in New Jersey, USA. Although I had much more luck with mine, the minor issues I had with mine were easily fixed by myself and father (who both had years of construction experience). Alterations had to be made during installation, but we knew this going into it. Thanks for the update vid! Cabin looks amazing... but pink?? lol
We purchased the Seven 5x3 summer house. I agree that you certainly need to undertake a few structural modifications such as dump the 2x2 floor beaters and replace with 4X2 plus lay 19 mm chip board flooring on bearers then over lay pine boards we also reinforced the roof with ODF weather boards and membrane. The most important thing when building any cabin is to make sure that base is totally level before you commence the build. Also throw away any defective wooden pieces and get them replaced. Well done on getting your cabin built anyway.
I was really glad l saw your 2videos, as l too was seriously thinking of purchasing a large size summerhouse from them, but l am glad to say l will not be buying from them now, thanks a million Sheri
This is a natural wood cabin, it will settle a dry, its wood!Had my cabin built on rough ground by dunster, guys turned up, not a problem about how rough the land was, they made it level with the pads.14 hrs later, job done. I would strongly recommend the pads, wood sat on concrete can only lead to trouble as did our friends who had a builder assemble, now got swollen doors. Remember this is a natural product, it’s a cabin, not a piece of chippendale. No regrets 4 years later
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HOLY MOLY. You have a MAME cabinet in there. You Sir are people after my own heart.
And another 10K customer. Thanks for the video... Sure there will be troubles but Customer Service is paramount - you have been let down and it is costing them business.
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I think the product looks pretty solid but it sounds like the way to go is basically to build it yourself and before you buy, have your eyes wide open that if you have any problems you're going to be on your own.
I know you shouldn’t have to,but try putting some wood beading in the corners and possibly in the corners outside. It will look fine and seal the gaps,especially if you use caulking on the inside.Just a idea and thanks for the updates I shall now steer well clear,as I was looking into buying one off these.
Well that’s made me extremely uneasy. I was all geared up to place an order but think I will go with a more expensive option from a local supplier. You do at least have the option to rock up and stand your ground. It’s so very easy to dodge when it’s online. Thank you for taking the time to post this.
And thank you for watching. The way they treated me I'm making it my life mission to tell the masses just how awful this company is. I presume you've read many of the bad reviews on websites such as TrustPilot? I can't fathom why they don't want to buck their ideas up. They'll come unstuck at some point. Our summerhouse now leaks through the walls where there's an abundance of wood knots. :-(
Kyle, it’s so disappointing when you spent so much money to have it become a sadness rather than a joyful addition to your family space. I can’t Imagine how stressful this is for you. Time goes by and it just more goes wrong. The log cabin I was looking at was about 5k half of what you’ve spent. Not much hope for customer service if you didn’t get the support you needed having spent 10k+ I’m definitely looking local now. Thanks.
so glad i saw this, i was about to purchase a corner cabin from them with a customsiation of 7 grand from dunster but think ill look elswhere now. Sounds like i will be dodging a bullet...or possibly multiple !
My cabin had the same issue with the bulges but didn’t notice until too late..Our windows and doors are double glazed..the windows have been fine but double doors are crap fit. I had to replace a glass panel recently and was told by independent glaziers that the full height glass doors and 4 windows were not safety glass and too thin..this I did not realise and feel been lucky that our wee boy has not accidentally fell near them..He recommended we buy a film to make them safe for children especially..We were given no info on the type of glass when cabin built..our cabin was a local company in north east Scotland and would also not recommend them
Dunsterhouse? Don't you mean DUMPSTER-house? After months of arguing, hours & hours on the phone and countless e-mail exchanges we finally have a usable summerhouse. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to know that there were over 3000 views of my opening video about our Dunster Summerhouse. I hope these videos act as a warning to potential Dunster customers. I would like to point out the problems with the back corner existed prior to the electrical work and TV being installed. Also, everything is fitted in such a way as to allow for expansion/contraction (e.g. trunking). Dunster Houses' terms and conditions are heavily weighted in their favour which in my opinion wouldn't stand in a court of law. Sorry about the breathlessness, I'm just getting over a chest infection :-) Link to "Part 1" video: th-cam.com/video/G2W0TZzN-B0/w-d-xo.html
thank you for the follow-up, very sory for your experience with these cowboys, as I mentioned on your first video, I’ll be keeping well away from these carpetbaggers
Hi Andrew, Key points you can take from all the negative reviews... - Pay with a credit card, not a debit card or bank transfer - Don't make immediate build plans around the day of delivery just in case parts are missing or broken. - Ignore the GPS tracking of the delivery truck on the day, it doesn't give an up to date location of the vehicle and doesnt tell you how many drop offs prior to yours. - Unless you've paid extra, delivery is only kerbside. You and or friend/family will need to move the materials yourself. - When they arrive ask if all expected items are on board. - Take the time to check off ALL the items, there's often missing pieces. - Check quality of every item, they are often warped or broken. - Do not allow the delivery guys to pressure or rush you into signing the delivery sheet, even if they try to tell you they'll promptly bring you missing or damaged pieces. - Personally, I'd reject the delivery if anything is missing or damaged. - The fact you're building your own means they'll probably blame you or your builders for issues during the build. - if something isn't right email them straight away. - Dunster' s guarantee means sod all. Apparently wood is a natural product so expect warpage. - if anything does go wrong, upload a video about it to TH-cam. If every disgruntled customer did this there would be more videos from them on here than actual Dunster videos. Keep us informed of how the build goes.
Andrew Dickinson we ordered as well and build our selfs. We got our delivery last week Tuesday it was pouring down, we had a two guy delivery and they delivered in our back garden. We had to cover everything up as quick as possible because of the rain. We only started building yesterday because of said weather and discovered that some of the wood is warped what makes it difficult to build. All the wood was thrown on a pile so we had to sort out first what was what. Had to stop building because of the weather again. We have bought a log cabin of 7.5 by 3.5 lanterna. One tip I can give you is screw the logs onto a other to make sure they stay put.
@@moniquespaans9516 Yes it was tricky finding all the parts but they were all there no probs. A few or the timbers were warpped and one quite badly but over came this with a large piece of timber with a notch cut out of it just slighty wider that the logs then used it as a lever to strighten it up as each piece goes in. Worked a treat.. All up now and looks great.. took me 3 days on and off.. total time was prob 12 hours though to put up..
Overall happy with the log cabin... although I did not use their base.. I built my own out of 4 x 2 timber.. was far superior to what they sent out.. Also fitted steel roof over the top. Base cost of timber was £180.00 but I think was well worth it as is a lot more secure. I would recommend Dunster If you are a good DIYer and doing the build yourself problems were easy to overcome if you know what you are doing. Thats my only advice really. Total build of my Modetro with my add ons was just short of £4k so a good cabin for the money..
I'm glad I pulled out of having their workforce erect my shed. They turned up looking as though they weren't planning on working and straightaway condemned the base. Their method of measurement? Several bits of warped and twisted wood. Clearly they'd not read Dunster's famous Terms and Conditions . I'm £600 out of pocket by Dunster but the £150 I paid to a local proper joiner was worth every penny! He not on'y erected the shed, but put right any little problems encountered in the build - something which clearly their loosely named installation team don't do!
Ever since reading dunsters paperwork recommending a concrete base 10cm wider than the cabin footprint ive been wondering if ive made the right decision choosing dunsters.
Thanks for the heads up. Do you think you would take on the build yourself second time round? We are considering our own but not sure whether to pay the built price or DIY.. Cheers!
You have my sympathies and thanks for the video, I am looking to build a garden cabin and this is certainly a warning to be careful. I do think the length of width of the building would warrant some sort of structural support to stop bowing as wood has a strong tendency to move as at ages. Do Dunster provide a warrant for water tightness?
Dunster provide a relatively lengthily warranty but as many people find out it doesn't cover warping, splitting, bowing, etc. as "wood is a natural product." Essentially, it isn't worth the paper it's written on. There have been SO many more negative reviews about this company on TrustPilot - on average an extremely negative review once every 2-3 days. Just seems Dunster care unable (or refuse) to improve their game.
Thank you so much for posting this video. I was at their showroom today and was about to place an order for the vanguard. I’ll now be looking else where. Do you know if the issue you’re having with the wall bowing is common with this type of construction?
Hi Daryl, how did you find the visit to the showroom. If you read a lot of the negative reviews on Trust Pilot there are lots of people who mention how they don't feel welcome or that the staff aren't very pleasant. I'm not sure about the wall bowing thing, but there are LOTS of customers with problems (particularly water ingress or doors not fitting properly) and who are ultimately fobbed-off by Dunster. I'm glad my videos have made a difference. Be sure to read about this company on Trust Pilot, Google Reviews, and GlassDoor. I remain unconvinced their positive reviews are all genuine. PS: our doors are screwed again!
Kyle Harrison The lass that showed us around was friendly enough but i did feel like she was rushing us around the show garden in order get us into the office. Once in the office i made it clear i would not be making a decision on the spot. I asked for loads of quotes based on different options, which took them a while to do. I think because I said I wasn’t making an instant decision we were basically pushed out of the office once we had the quotes so they could move on to other customers. I’ll take a look at trust pilot, cheers.
We've ordered a 5x3mtr not due till Spring, opting to self build, nice warning about windows, ill check everything, salesman said driver will wait while we check every part, but a mate of mine had his dropped covered and he couldn't check it, I don't like being lied to. Only deposit placed at moment. This video makes me nervous
There is a consistent theme with Dunster that the sales people lie just to get the deal done. I presume you've read a lot of the negative reviews on Trustpilot? Common themes are: - bad experience with their 'curb side drop delivery' - warped Wood and ill fitting pieces - citing the "wood is a natural product" in their terms as a get our clause for pretty much anything. Our is now 3 years old, and water leaks through many of the knots despite being filled and painted with the correct product each year. If I were you I'd record a telephone call with one of the sales people making promises. Buy a cheap set of spy glasses on Amazon and covertly record the delivery. Insist the deliver driver stays until.youve checked all 200 pieces They will argue with you. Then upload the footage to TH-cam. Final advice, pay at least £300 using a visa credit card, therefore if anything goes wrong you're covered by visa.
Read a lot ues, most are due to custoners not understanding the delivery process, but ive been told they will hand separare and lift off each log separate so its easy to check, but my mates was dropped in one load, not going to be a good start if this happens
im having issues with a insulated loglap building i bought from central garden buildings....cost me shy of £4,000 ...all the boss of the company says is he cant see no problems.....so the leaking sides and gaps you can fit a hand in, dangerous sharp metal door trim, jagged splinters, bowed out front of building making the cladding split is ok then.. the sad thing is , is that it was going to be a sensory room for 2 autistic kids but it cant be used... so i feel for you
I have to say, having any summer House on plastic plinths is reassuring that the cheap bearer timbers aren't going to be sat in puddles. No known problems with the rapid pads except of course the fact that they would have been a third of the price if bought direct from somewhere like screwfix. Those particular pads do leave the summerhouse 'floating' some 6 inches higher which looked a bit odd until we had decking built around it.
I've been following your 'journey' as I am just about to order a cabin and was seriously considering Dunster House. A question: now the dust has settled, do you think that things may have gone so much smoother if you had a flat base? I can see from this video that the left front corner of your cabin seems higher off the base that the right corner?
NICK! Honestly HONestly HONESTLY... Please PLEASE read all the reviews on Trust Pilot. About 10% of the reviews on Dunster House are BAD and my intuition tells me the source of the good reviews are in many cases questionable. Just reading the company's responses should tell you all you need to know about how they feel toward customers (e.g. the "penned by quill and sent by horse and carriage" comment from about 5th July 2022) Having a flat base would in my opinion have made little difference to the overall experience. They're out to take your money and leave you to it. I would not touch this company with a barge pole. The main issues consistently making an appearance are (i) heavily warped timbers, (ii) shitty customer support over email, (iii) crappy curb-sude delivery team ans (iv) unfair terms and conditions they fall back on. How would you feel if £5k's worth of summerhouse turned up and you had to spend a week clamping and unwinding the timbers. In many cases, customers have struggled to get prompt replacement of failed/broken/missing components. In summary, if something goes wrong you will regret it. I'm doing you a massive favour. STAY AWAY.
Shame I never saw your video before I placed my order, we are currently fighting Dunsterhouse customer services for refund of damaged goods on delivery. Of course we should have checked each individual 1.1 tonnes of wood for faults and reported it to the delivery drivers immediately when they were in such a hurry to drive 2 hours back to the office 4pm on a Friday afternoon......yeah right so I signed “unchecked”. Utter bandits.
Thanks for the comment and kind words Stef. As I say to everyone, don't take my word for it, go and read the negative reviews on the Trust Pilot website. They are all much along a theme, and a predominant pattern is they hide behind a "wood is a natural product..." bullshit to wriggle out of any complaints.
Hi Kyle, I wish I had seen your video before I purchased, i've had so many issues and dunster just put the phone down on me when I call, so disgracful (they never email me back either). 1 question if I may, the door bolts have no instructions and I cannot for the life of me work out how to get the bolt and latch to line up on the closed double door and the door frame. Before I just drill a hole into the frame and do away with the latch, how did you do it please? Thx.
I'm so sorry you've also had a bad experience with "Dumpster-House" - I just don't get why as a business they appear oblivious and reluctant to fix their faults (which mainly appear to be along a few common themes). My advice to anyone is upload a video to TH-cam. If every customer who had a bad experiences uploaded a video there's be more complaint videos on TH-cam than actual DunsterHouse videos! Did you pay using a credit card? You may be able to instigate a "cash back"/"payment reversal". Grab your phone and go record a video! Good luck! EDITED: Forgot to say our doors don't shut, they are well off alignment, starting to break, and in need of replacement. We will probably get a proper UPVC French door installed.
Dunster House built it themselves back in the days when they did offer an installation option. From recollection the roof has large pre-sandwiched insulation boards which sit on top of the timbers you can see from the inside. Then the shingles go on top.
@@randymch 😂😂I wonder if your is the reason they don't anymore. Anyway thankyou for your videos really helped me make my decision.big thumbs up for TH-cam and the invaluable help it gives people. Sorry it didn't help you but your summer house looks fab 😁
@@bumblebee-mygt867 had mine up nearly2 years,turned into a pub,it’s excellent when up,mine was a very difficult build ,over25 tonnes of materials to lif up foundation as it was at the bottom of a slope which flooded,building is easy until it’s not,warped wood etc,all can be solved but can be tricky,off grid fully solar powered which was very expensive,also have a hot tub shack and a toilet plus a cinema built next to it,best thing I have ever done was a saviour during lockdown
Dunster were the ones who EVENTUALLY came out after months of arguments and threatening to take them to court. The corner and bowed wall still isn't fixed. Don' t get me wrong, when things go OK then there's probably no worry. For me it's knowing that when things go bad they refuse to help and hide behind their stupid terms and conditions. I hope you paid using credit card? That way you have their legal backing and ability to charge back if/when the product isn't fit for purpose. Please read the other comments and the reviews on TrustPilot carefully to get more of an idea as to how this appalling company operate. Your consumer rights mean you have a set period of time to cancel the order should you have genuine concerns. I've read somewhere they're really slow at giving refunds.
Ime quite skilled but if the product is warped etc I am screwed,my only hope is it seems the salesman take advantage of non trades people,like your base price is unbelievable,a few wooden spacers would have been fine,but saying that it’s better lifted,but you paid way way to much ,ime glad you have finally got a product and it looks great apart from that warped piece,I’ll keep my fingers crossed
To be fair, the reason windows and doors stick is due to the base not being level. You should have instructed the builder to build the base with no run-off in the first place. Those pads are not holding the floor level, need adjustment. The walls are made of wood,which is a natural product which expands and contracts and can warp.
The builder WAS instructed to create a flat base, and the specification documents were given and agreed beforehand and during the quotation process. The adjustable plinths make the building perfectly flat. No problems since then with the Windows and Doors. It's the design of the systems and the huge amount of timber movement (low grade timber)
At 5 metres by 6 metres I think you know the answer to that one already :-) In old money that's 16.4ft by 19.7ft. Bigger than many people's main living room/lounge. The main question is would you want a bedroom with non insulated 45mm timber walls?
Just Google "adjustable pedestal" Screwfix sold them last time I looked. "Wallbarn" is a company who specialise in them but might be higher end prices. Euroacc dot co dot uk is another company specialising in this type of thing.
Just built a 3x4 meter cabin, assembled ourselves, yes there were warped timbers, doors needed adjustment, but nothing too difficult. Duster were very helpful especially the delivery guys dropping it off in the rain. It's taken the wife and I 1 week to fully assemble and paint, very happy, people shouldn't judge them from your misfortune due to a badly made base in the beginning.
Nothing to do with our base, it's the shitty customer service, shitty attitude and shitty terms and conditions when things do go wrong that are the problem. I hope you have to make a 'warranty' claim when it starts warping/leaking/collapsing to find this out for yourself. Go read the HUNDREDS of negative reviews. Note that the summerhouse is built on a perfect hard base with the 'rapid pads' levelling things up perfectly, yet we still have all those issues.
The logs are far to thin for this construction. This is not a real log house for living in but a shed to stall garden tools. Logs should be at least 90 mm thick so they dont twist. Next time invest more.
Really appreciate the time and effort on your part making these 2 videos - helped me make my mind up about purchasing a 5k log cabin through them.(or rather NOT purchasing)
Thank you for these videos! I was just about to send them an enquiry. Bullet dodged!
Don't take my word for it, visit TrustPilot and look at the masses of negative reviews (and some of the perhaps dubious positive ones too).
I'd still send them an enquiry but ask then whether there is a likelihood of any timbers arriving warped or parts missing. If they say no, you know they're lying. Also, ask them to be specific about their guarantee which is a crock of sh*te.
It would have been nice to see Dumpster post a comment and apologise, but somehow I doubt that will ever happen. I had a similar issue about 4 years ago, I did the install myself, as I couldn't afford their install fees. The load had to be hand-balled off the back of the lorry, as they didn't have a HIAB or pallet truck. Actually, he did have a pallet truck, but wouldn't allow me to use it, as it's a health & safety issue. He obviously wasn't aware, but at the time I was working for the HSE, so his statement was rubbish. Anyway, I tried to take each piece off carefully & make sure they were ok. He slid them off the lorry. Nine pieces broke/split, including the trusses. He refused to accept any responsibility & said that I did it. Thankfully I have CCTV. When I sent the footage to Dumpster, they refused to accept responsibility as well. I had to pay a further £650.00 + vat for replacements & then another £50.00 delivery. My credit card refunded me immediately after seeing the CCTV footage. I will never, ever talk with or recommend Dunster House to anyone.
That is absolutely appalling. I hope you've placed a suitable review on TrustPilot? I've read most reviews and your situation doesn't sound familiar. Please do take 5 minutes to upload a review as people do read them and find them very useful.
Hi Kyle. I'm not that tech savvy & didn't know about Trust Pilot then. I think it's probably a bit too late to post a review now. Maybe I'll just copy & paste my comment on the TP site, then others can make up their own mind. There's a bit more to it, which I may add.
the wood that dunster house import are from poland and can be damaged in transit with out them realising, im sure a couple of splits in the wood would not affect the build, also you cant expect to use there equipment that is clearly a helath and safety issue.
cai Seber. You obviously didn't read, or totally ignored the bit where the guy slid them off the lorry & the pieces broke & refused to take responsibility. Next time, read all of it before you decide to make silly comments. By the way. Health & Safety gas nothing to do with using a pallet truck to take the timber to the back garden. Again, think before you speak.
Would never let them build my log cabin and like you say within no time they were on the phone being pushy about me buying now. Thank you so much for this. Was looking to pay up to £8k for a log cabin and £3k for a gazebo from Dunster but they have now lost this. Wishing you well in the future.
*To Kyle, or anyone else who is interested in these buildings...*
Dunster house is just a retailer of these buildings which are mass produced overseas. There are about 20 companies I've found online that sell and brand these cabins as "their own". They honestly have nothing to do with quality control, or anything designs. They are literally just retailers. When you decide to buy these, you must know you are on your own. What you see if what you get. Sorry you had such issues with yours. I purchased mine from BZB Cabins in New Jersey, USA. Although I had much more luck with mine, the minor issues I had with mine were easily fixed by myself and father (who both had years of construction experience). Alterations had to be made during installation, but we knew this going into it. Thanks for the update vid! Cabin looks amazing... but pink?? lol
Thanks for the heads up on these cowboys, was going to place an order but now or ever.
Thanks for this, was researching and this has helped me..... avoid the company :-)
We purchased the Seven 5x3 summer house. I agree that you certainly need to undertake a few structural modifications such as dump the 2x2 floor beaters and replace with 4X2 plus lay 19 mm chip board flooring on bearers then over lay pine boards we also reinforced the roof with ODF weather boards and membrane. The most important thing when building any cabin is to make sure that base is totally level before you commence the build. Also throw away any defective wooden pieces and get them replaced. Well done on getting your cabin built anyway.
you saved us heartaches and money many thanks for these vids
I was really glad l saw your 2videos, as l too was seriously thinking of purchasing a large size summerhouse from them, but l am glad to say l will not be buying from them now, thanks a million Sheri
Have you seen their reviews on TrustPilot Sheri?
This is a natural wood cabin, it will settle a dry, its wood!Had my cabin built on rough ground by dunster, guys turned up, not a problem about how rough the land was, they made it level with the pads.14 hrs later, job done. I would strongly recommend the pads, wood sat on concrete can only lead to trouble as did our friends who had a builder assemble, now got swollen doors. Remember this is a natural product, it’s a cabin, not a piece of chippendale. No regrets 4 years later
HOLY MOLY. You have a MAME cabinet in there. You Sir are people after my own heart.
Dirk DigDuggler - it wouldn't fit in the man-cave so the Summerhouse was the next best place. Now building my second cabinet along a similar theme.
Dumpster just lost another £10,000 customer. HATE COMPANIES that treat customer this way.
Lovely to know my video is helpful. Cheers for the comment
And another 10K customer. Thanks for the video... Sure there will be troubles but Customer Service is paramount - you have been let down and it is costing them business.
I think the product looks pretty solid but it sounds like the way to go is basically to build it yourself and before you buy, have your eyes wide open that if you have any problems you're going to be on your own.
Thanks for the video I won't be using these guys at all. It's a shame as they do look very good on paper.
Thanks for this and your other video . I was going to order from this company I’m now looking for an alternative .
I know you shouldn’t have to,but try putting some wood beading in the corners and possibly in the corners outside. It will look fine and seal the gaps,especially if you use caulking on the inside.Just a idea and thanks for the updates I shall now steer well clear,as I was looking into buying one off these.
Well that’s made me extremely uneasy. I was all geared up to place an order but think I will go with a more expensive option from a local supplier. You do at least have the option to rock up and stand your ground. It’s so very easy to dodge when it’s online. Thank you for taking the time to post this.
And thank you for watching. The way they treated me I'm making it my life mission to tell the masses just how awful this company is.
I presume you've read many of the bad reviews on websites such as TrustPilot?
I can't fathom why they don't want to buck their ideas up. They'll come unstuck at some point.
Our summerhouse now leaks through the walls where there's an abundance of wood knots. :-(
Kyle, it’s so disappointing when you spent so much money to have it become a sadness rather than a joyful addition to your family space. I can’t Imagine how stressful this is for you. Time goes by and it just more goes wrong. The log cabin I was looking at was about 5k half of what you’ve spent. Not much hope for customer service if you didn’t get the support you needed having spent 10k+ I’m definitely looking local now. Thanks.
so glad i saw this, i was about to purchase a corner cabin from them with a customsiation of 7 grand from dunster but think ill look elswhere now. Sounds like i will be dodging a bullet...or possibly multiple !
My cabin had the same issue with the bulges but didn’t notice until too late..Our windows and doors are double glazed..the windows have been fine but double doors are crap fit. I had to replace a glass panel recently and was told by independent glaziers that the full height glass doors and 4 windows were not safety glass and too thin..this I did not realise and feel been lucky that our wee boy has not accidentally fell near them..He recommended we buy a film to make them safe for children especially..We were given no info on the type of glass when cabin built..our cabin was a local company in north east Scotland and would also not recommend them
Dunsterhouse? Don't you mean DUMPSTER-house?
After months of arguing, hours & hours on the phone and countless e-mail exchanges we finally have a usable summerhouse.
It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to know that there were over 3000 views of my opening video about our Dunster Summerhouse. I hope these videos act as a warning to potential Dunster customers.
I would like to point out the problems with the back corner existed prior to the electrical work and TV being installed. Also, everything is fitted in such a way as to allow for expansion/contraction (e.g. trunking).
Dunster Houses' terms and conditions are heavily weighted in their favour which in my opinion wouldn't stand in a court of law.
Sorry about the breathlessness, I'm just getting over a chest infection :-)
Link to "Part 1" video:
th-cam.com/video/G2W0TZzN-B0/w-d-xo.html
thank you sir you have just saved me £5,000 +
thank you for the follow-up, very sory for your experience with these cowboys, as I mentioned on your first video, I’ll be keeping well away from these carpetbaggers
Just placed an order with Dunster... Will be building it myself and sort any issues as I go along.. Im sure it will be fine...
Hi Andrew,
Key points you can take from all the negative reviews...
- Pay with a credit card, not a debit card or bank transfer
- Don't make immediate build plans around the day of delivery just in case parts are missing or broken.
- Ignore the GPS tracking of the delivery truck on the day, it doesn't give an up to date location of the vehicle and doesnt tell you how many drop offs prior to yours.
- Unless you've paid extra, delivery is only kerbside. You and or friend/family will need to move the materials yourself.
- When they arrive ask if all expected items are on board.
- Take the time to check off ALL the items, there's often missing pieces.
- Check quality of every item, they are often warped or broken.
- Do not allow the delivery guys to pressure or rush you into signing the delivery sheet, even if they try to tell you they'll promptly bring you missing or damaged pieces.
- Personally, I'd reject the delivery if anything is missing or damaged.
- The fact you're building your own means they'll probably blame you or your builders for issues during the build.
- if something isn't right email them straight away.
- Dunster' s guarantee means sod all. Apparently wood is a natural product so expect warpage.
- if anything does go wrong, upload a video about it to TH-cam. If every disgruntled customer did this there would be more videos from them on here than actual Dunster videos.
Keep us informed of how the build goes.
Andrew Dickinson we ordered as well and build our selfs. We got our delivery last week Tuesday it was pouring down, we had a two guy delivery and they delivered in our back garden. We had to cover everything up as quick as possible because of the rain. We only started building yesterday because of said weather and discovered that some of the wood is warped what makes it difficult to build. All the wood was thrown on a pile so we had to sort out first what was what. Had to stop building because of the weather again. We have bought a log cabin of 7.5 by 3.5 lanterna. One tip I can give you is screw the logs onto a other to make sure they stay put.
@@moniquespaans9516 Yes it was tricky finding all the parts but they were all there no probs. A few or the timbers were warpped and one quite badly but over came this with a large piece of timber with a notch cut out of it just slighty wider that the logs then used it as a lever to strighten it up as each piece goes in. Worked a treat.. All up now and looks great.. took me 3 days on and off.. total time was prob 12 hours though to put up..
Overall happy with the log cabin... although I did not use their base.. I built my own out of 4 x 2 timber.. was far superior to what they sent out.. Also fitted steel roof over the top. Base cost of timber was £180.00 but I think was well worth it as is a lot more secure. I would recommend Dunster If you are a good DIYer and doing the build yourself problems were easy to overcome if you know what you are doing. Thats my only advice really. Total build of my Modetro with my add ons was just short of £4k so a good cabin for the money..
Been to Dunster House today, think this has put me off
I'm glad I pulled out of having their workforce erect my shed. They turned up looking as though they weren't planning on working and straightaway condemned the base. Their method of measurement? Several bits of warped and twisted wood. Clearly they'd not read Dunster's famous Terms and Conditions . I'm £600 out of pocket by Dunster but the £150 I paid to a local proper joiner was worth every penny! He not on'y erected the shed, but put right any little problems encountered in the build - something which clearly their loosely named installation team don't do!
Ever since reading dunsters paperwork recommending a concrete base 10cm wider than the cabin footprint ive been wondering if ive made the right decision choosing dunsters.
Thanks for the heads up. Do you think you would take on the build yourself second time round? We are considering our own but not sure whether to pay the built price or DIY.. Cheers!
Thanks for the warning. I think the installation teams can either get £1000 for a days work or £600 to arrive, condemn the base and leave. Easy money!
You have my sympathies and thanks for the video, I am looking to build a garden cabin and this is certainly a warning to be careful. I do think the length of width of the building would warrant some sort of structural support to stop bowing as wood has a strong tendency to move as at ages. Do Dunster provide a warrant for water tightness?
Dunster provide a relatively lengthily warranty but as many people find out it doesn't cover warping, splitting, bowing, etc. as "wood is a natural product." Essentially, it isn't worth the paper it's written on.
There have been SO many more negative reviews about this company on TrustPilot - on average an extremely negative review once every 2-3 days. Just seems Dunster care unable (or refuse) to improve their game.
Good job I saw this - I have been warned off
Thank you so much for posting this video. I was at their showroom today and was about to place an order for the vanguard. I’ll now be looking else where. Do you know if the issue you’re having with the wall bowing is common with this type of construction?
Hi Daryl, how did you find the visit to the showroom. If you read a lot of the negative reviews on Trust Pilot there are lots of people who mention how they don't feel welcome or that the staff aren't very pleasant.
I'm not sure about the wall bowing thing, but there are LOTS of customers with problems (particularly water ingress or doors not fitting properly) and who are ultimately fobbed-off by Dunster.
I'm glad my videos have made a difference. Be sure to read about this company on Trust Pilot, Google Reviews, and GlassDoor. I remain unconvinced their positive reviews are all genuine.
PS: our doors are screwed again!
Kyle Harrison The lass that showed us around was friendly enough but i did feel like she was rushing us around the show garden in order get us into the office. Once in the office i made it clear i would not be making a decision on the spot. I asked for loads of quotes based on different options, which took them a while to do. I think because I said I wasn’t making an instant decision we were basically pushed out of the office once we had the quotes so they could move on to other customers. I’ll take a look at trust pilot, cheers.
We've ordered a 5x3mtr not due till Spring, opting to self build, nice warning about windows, ill check everything, salesman said driver will wait while we check every part, but a mate of mine had his dropped covered and he couldn't check it, I don't like being lied to. Only deposit placed at moment. This video makes me nervous
There is a consistent theme with Dunster that the sales people lie just to get the deal done.
I presume you've read a lot of the negative reviews on Trustpilot?
Common themes are:
- bad experience with their 'curb side drop delivery'
- warped Wood and ill fitting pieces
- citing the "wood is a natural product" in their terms as a get our clause for pretty much anything.
Our is now 3 years old, and water leaks through many of the knots despite being filled and painted with the correct product each year.
If I were you I'd record a telephone call with one of the sales people making promises.
Buy a cheap set of spy glasses on Amazon and covertly record the delivery. Insist the deliver driver stays until.youve checked all 200 pieces They will argue with you. Then upload the footage to TH-cam.
Final advice, pay at least £300 using a visa credit card, therefore if anything goes wrong you're covered by visa.
Read a lot ues, most are due to custoners not understanding the delivery process, but ive been told they will hand separare and lift off each log separate so its easy to check, but my mates was dropped in one load, not going to be a good start if this happens
Got my deposit refunded today👍
@@Vass881234 - Minus an admin fee?
No, full deposit refund
im having issues with a insulated loglap building i bought from central garden buildings....cost me shy of £4,000 ...all the boss of the company says is he cant see no problems.....so the leaking sides and gaps you can fit a hand in, dangerous sharp metal door trim, jagged splinters, bowed out front of building making the cladding split is ok then.. the sad thing is , is that it was going to be a sensory room for 2 autistic kids but it cant be used... so i feel for you
Oh no I put an order in last week and was online looking for alternatives to having the bearers on the concrete. How are you finding those rapid pads?
I have to say, having any summer House on plastic plinths is reassuring that the cheap bearer timbers aren't going to be sat in puddles. No known problems with the rapid pads except of course the fact that they would have been a third of the price if bought direct from somewhere like screwfix.
Those particular pads do leave the summerhouse 'floating' some 6 inches higher which looked a bit odd until we had decking built around it.
I've been following your 'journey' as I am just about to order a cabin and was seriously considering Dunster House. A question: now the dust has settled, do you think that things may have gone so much smoother if you had a flat base? I can see from this video that the left front corner of your cabin seems higher off the base that the right corner?
NICK! Honestly HONestly HONESTLY... Please PLEASE read all the reviews on Trust Pilot. About 10% of the reviews on Dunster House are BAD and my intuition tells me the source of the good reviews are in many cases questionable. Just reading the company's responses should tell you all you need to know about how they feel toward customers (e.g. the "penned by quill and sent by horse and carriage" comment from about 5th July 2022)
Having a flat base would in my opinion have made little difference to the overall experience. They're out to take your money and leave you to it.
I would not touch this company with a barge pole.
The main issues consistently making an appearance are (i) heavily warped timbers, (ii) shitty customer support over email, (iii) crappy curb-sude delivery team ans (iv) unfair terms and conditions they fall back on.
How would you feel if £5k's worth of summerhouse turned up and you had to spend a week clamping and unwinding the timbers. In many cases, customers have struggled to get prompt replacement of failed/broken/missing components.
In summary, if something goes wrong you will regret it.
I'm doing you a massive favour.
STAY AWAY.
I will admit the locks on the slave door are useless.
I've been a builder for over 40 years and would have built you something stronger and better for about the same price or a fraction more.
Shame I never saw your video before I placed my order, we are currently fighting Dunsterhouse customer services for refund of damaged goods on delivery. Of course we should have checked each individual 1.1 tonnes of wood for faults and reported it to the delivery drivers immediately when they were in such a hurry to drive 2 hours back to the office 4pm on a Friday afternoon......yeah right so I signed “unchecked”. Utter bandits.
That is appalling quality and workmanship... I was about to order from them...not now...I owe you a drink sir👍🇬🇧
Thanks for the comment and kind words Stef. As I say to everyone, don't take my word for it, go and read the negative reviews on the Trust Pilot website. They are all much along a theme, and a predominant pattern is they hide behind a "wood is a natural product..." bullshit to wriggle out of any complaints.
Hi Kyle, I wish I had seen your video before I purchased, i've had so many issues and dunster just put the phone down on me when I call, so disgracful (they never email me back either). 1 question if I may, the door bolts have no instructions and I cannot for the life of me work out how to get the bolt and latch to line up on the closed double door and the door frame. Before I just drill a hole into the frame and do away with the latch, how did you do it please? Thx.
I'm so sorry you've also had a bad experience with "Dumpster-House" - I just don't get why as a business they appear oblivious and reluctant to fix their faults (which mainly appear to be along a few common themes).
My advice to anyone is upload a video to TH-cam. If every customer who had a bad experiences uploaded a video there's be more complaint videos on TH-cam than actual DunsterHouse videos!
Did you pay using a credit card? You may be able to instigate a "cash back"/"payment reversal".
Grab your phone and go record a video! Good luck!
EDITED: Forgot to say our doors don't shut, they are well off alignment, starting to break, and in need of replacement. We will probably get a proper UPVC French door installed.
Hi did you insulate the roof from the inside or after roof was fitted thanks
Dunster House built it themselves back in the days when they did offer an installation option. From recollection the roof has large pre-sandwiched insulation boards which sit on top of the timbers you can see from the inside. Then the shingles go on top.
@@randymch 😂😂I wonder if your is the reason they don't anymore. Anyway thankyou for your videos really helped me make my decision.big thumbs up for TH-cam and the invaluable help it gives people. Sorry it didn't help you but your summer house looks fab 😁
Just ordered of them,I am now very very anxious 😟
Was looking into them, how did the cabin go?
The product is basically very good. You just need to make sure that it's built on an entirely level base
@@bumblebee-mygt867 had mine up nearly2 years,turned into a pub,it’s excellent when up,mine was a very difficult build ,over25 tonnes of materials to lif up foundation as it was at the bottom of a slope which flooded,building is easy until it’s not,warped wood etc,all can be solved but can be tricky,off grid fully solar powered which was very expensive,also have a hot tub shack and a toilet plus a cinema built next to it,best thing I have ever done was a saviour during lockdown
£10.5 k??? Jesus, picked mine up a year old for £600 and disassembled and re assembled, it's perfect 👍🏽
Thanks just sent a enquiry and now I will tell them I am not interested .... cheers
So who fixed the problems and how if you don’t mind me asking,ime expecting the worse with my order
Dunster were the ones who EVENTUALLY came out after months of arguments and threatening to take them to court. The corner and bowed wall still isn't fixed.
Don' t get me wrong, when things go OK then there's probably no worry. For me it's knowing that when things go bad they refuse to help and hide behind their stupid terms and conditions. I hope you paid using credit card? That way you have their legal backing and ability to charge back if/when the product isn't fit for purpose.
Please read the other comments and the reviews on TrustPilot carefully to get more of an idea as to how this appalling company operate.
Your consumer rights mean you have a set period of time to cancel the order should you have genuine concerns. I've read somewhere they're really slow at giving refunds.
Ime quite skilled but if the product is warped etc I am screwed,my only hope is it seems the salesman take advantage of non trades people,like your base price is unbelievable,a few wooden spacers would have been fine,but saying that it’s better lifted,but you paid way way to much ,ime glad you have finally got a product and it looks great apart from that warped piece,I’ll keep my fingers crossed
To be fair, the reason windows and doors stick is due to the base not being level. You should have instructed the builder to build the base with no run-off in the first place. Those pads are not holding the floor level, need adjustment. The walls are made of wood,which is a natural product which expands and contracts and can warp.
The builder WAS instructed to create a flat base, and the specification documents were given and agreed beforehand and during the quotation process.
The adjustable plinths make the building perfectly flat.
No problems since then with the Windows and Doors. It's the design of the systems and the huge amount of timber movement (low grade timber)
Would it be big enough for a bedroom with double bed
At 5 metres by 6 metres I think you know the answer to that one already :-)
In old money that's 16.4ft by 19.7ft.
Bigger than many people's main living room/lounge.
The main question is would you want a bedroom with non insulated 45mm timber walls?
Where I can buy those pads? Obviously not from dunster🤣
Just Google "adjustable pedestal"
Screwfix sold them last time I looked.
"Wallbarn" is a company who specialise in them but might be higher end prices.
Euroacc dot co dot uk is another company specialising in this type of thing.
Just built a 3x4 meter cabin, assembled ourselves, yes there were warped timbers, doors needed adjustment, but nothing too difficult. Duster were very helpful especially the delivery guys dropping it off in the rain. It's taken the wife and I 1 week to fully assemble and paint, very happy, people shouldn't judge them from your misfortune due to a badly made base in the beginning.
Nothing to do with our base, it's the shitty customer service, shitty attitude and shitty terms and conditions when things do go wrong that are the problem.
I hope you have to make a 'warranty' claim when it starts warping/leaking/collapsing to find this out for yourself.
Go read the HUNDREDS of negative reviews.
Note that the summerhouse is built on a perfect hard base with the 'rapid pads' levelling things up perfectly, yet we still have all those issues.
Be cheaper and more reliable to make out of brick surly? Not good to hear they too have terrible customer service, billyOh same apparently.
Did they paint your windows with a broom
No Derek, we used some really expensive brushes. The trouble was, your mum just did a shit job.
I think you are referring to the glue from the masking tape.
@@randymch I thought it was the contractors numptie
The logs are far to thin for this construction. This is not a real log house for living in but a shed to stall garden tools. Logs should be at least 90 mm thick so they dont twist. Next time invest more.
Your Mrs made that shed really gay!
The rationale of the uneducated mind will never cease to amaze.
Definitely should have gone rear entry with your electrics and data, trunking on the inside is gross
what are you on about with your rear entry?
Absolutely terrible company by the look of it!