Shepherd Hut - Patricia Deluxe

Just unpacked the shepherd hut looking good delivery on time not yet counted the parts
It seems well built delivery smooth

Disappointed on small things. I expected a lot from Tuin having seen their log cabins in the past and found them to be good products. My shepherds hut is on balance a good product, competitively priced but let down by small details. The overall timber quality does not live up to its billing as it is a pretty standard product available anywhere.
Some specifics - the setup for 600 panels had a 5 to 10mm difference against the 1200 panels. Not insurmountable but frustrating.
The roof t and g was pretty poor with lots of warp twist and cup. The design of fixed lengths meant there was no opportunity to overcome the problems by staggered laying.
Doors - the lock catch plate did not align front to back. The good quality engineered timber in the frame was let down by very rough beading and raw cut planking.
In design terms the structure would be vastly improved by the inclusion of a wall plate to impart rigidity , alignment and strength to the whole.

This might sound like an indictment , which it is not, as any structure like this, that can be erected by a couple of 60 somethings in two days and do the job at a price point is a good buy.
The points i raise are relatively easy to fix.

We have read all the hut reviews with interest and concur with most of what is said. We encountered a few issues which others have not mentioned and we think are worth pointing out:
Fixings - the torx screws are a good idea, but T10? Too small for this scale of project and the bits supplied broke almost immediately. Buy at least 4 more diamond tipped ones. Would also suggest 3.5 mm dia screw is too small - minimum 4mm is better. The supplied wall to floor fixing is too flimsy in our view. We used Timbascrew 6.7 x 100mm with two minimum in each panel.
Warping - this was quite bad on three of the base lengths and present on almost all the base sections. A good 20deg twist over 5 metres on the main lengths. It's correctable but you need a lot of leverage from a 4 ft sash cramp to do it and a lot more 90 deg fixings than supplied to hold it. We also needed 10 coachbolts in each main joist to join it to the small piece - screws won't cut the mustard here if trying to correct a warp. We have a lot of storage space and none of the hut was left outside before use so it should not have warped like that - quality control may be the issue here?
Tools - you need a much bigger toolbox than suggested! Cramps/clamps, a selection of screws/bolt and an impact driver are essential. We also used 55mm floor brads as these hold the floor really well - don't skimp, 14 in each plank as it is the floor that completes the strong base; a sort of monocoque. Expect to have to trim both the final floor and roof planks longways - you need a jigsaw (or cut them by hand if you fancy it!)
Treatment - don't leave the wood preservative until you start building - it's a drag, but your first job is to give at least two coats to all the outside components, especially the end grains. We also stained all the outside and underneath components before starting. Do not skimp on this - you will regret it.
Roof felt - this is very poor quality, so don't even bother. We replaced it with Icopal Anderson mineral cap sheet 1E. It's 10m x 1m so you only need two rolls laid span wise (not lengthwise). Use the clout nails and felting glue - it looks great and you can still add wriggly tin roofing later on top if you want.
Instructions - OK but should be better given the complexity. A few photos of the main joints and completed sections would go a long way to interpreting the drawings. Look at the photos in the website reviews - they really help.
Delivery - amazing. We live in Perthshire and the guy turned up on time with his forklift having parked half a mile up the road - he happily went up our track and placed it precisely where we asked by the barn. Wouldn't even stop for a cuppa.
Overall - we knocked a star off as we had a slight feeling of "that's good enough" with the fixings, wood and felt quality. For the money it should have been better. It would not have cost much to provide higher quality. That said the overall result is very good and came out better than we thought it would.
Finally, Tips - you may well need to plane the doors to get them to fit as the doorway was slightly smaller than the completed door width.
Fit the vent kit from Tuin, one high, one low: it gets hot in there and mould can get a hold quite quickly.
You really do need two people - preferably three - when erecting the walls!

We cannot praise this product too highly as the quality of the wood and the fittings are of the highest standards.We we’re well

Prepared for the arrival of the delivery truck
as we had been well advised. The driver was the perfect person for the job. When we opened the kit we were delighted but now the hut is erected we could not be more pleased.Thank you for an excellent product at a very good price!

I am very happy with our purchase of the Shepherds Hut Deluxe. The modular build was comfortably completed in two days and clearly the timber units are very well made , a quality product. The only thing stopping me from giving a 5* rating was the quality of roof felt that came with it, poor quality which when opened had some holes in it. I paid extra to have the roof properly felted and am really pleased with the finish. Overall it’s been a great success and we are very happy .

We are delighted with our "Patricia Deluxe" Shepherd Hut! Fabulous service from Tuin, with delivery exactly when expected. The kit components are extremely high quality, and building the hut was a pleasure. Some of the instructions require some "imagination", but are generally self explanatory.

"Deluxe"? In my opinion, most certainly not.

There are certainly some good things about this shepherds hut but it is really let down by the fact that a) only one window opens, b) the window opens inwards, and c) by the quality of the doors and fittings. I have also been very unimpressed by Tuin customer service.

a) Only one of the three main windows opens, so you have to open a whole door to get any kind of through draught - and you can only open the door fully. As I use the hut as an office, I am constantly opening/closing the door to stop it being stuffy and to regulate the temperature.

b) Even though it’s a small building, the one opening window opens inwards!!! It either tilts - thereby letting almost no air in - or opens fully - nothing in between. And because it opens inwards, it fouls up blinds and curtains making it far from ideal for our guests who stay in it overnight.

c) The quality of the doors is also very poor - they feel very flimsy indeed - as are the door and window fittings. The fittings on the window corroded within a matter of weeks.

So, all-in-all, I am pretty disappointed overall. I raised my concerns with Tuin and asked why they do not offer more opening windows as optional extras like other companies do, and why the windows open inwards etc. And the responses I have received suggest that they are completely uninterested in any feedback. They just say that this is how they are supplied.

I am using the hut as an all-year-round office and I am now getting quotes for replacing two of the windows and the doors with ones fit for purpose, thereby increasing the overall cost of the hut substantially. It’s also far from ideal to have to retrofit things which could have been offered as options to start off with.

We received out Shepherds Hut Kit in March just before the Covid-19 restrictions so it we had plenty of free time to built the kit. The delivery was right on time as promised with no issues accessing our narrow track. The driver parked about 500m away in the village and the kit arrived on a fancy fork lift truck, we were very impressed as the kit was positioned on the driveway in exactly the designated position. We unpacked everything into a temporary garage to check the contents list, everything was present and correct. First job was to give everything a couple of coats of preservative, and painted all external surfaces. Myself and my daughter took our time building the kit, fitting work in between the wet days. Not including the time spent painting or laying the foundation paving it took us about 4 days to build (about 30 hours I should think). We had lots of people checking progress on their daily exercise trips and many encouraging comments. The instructions were a little bit vague at times but taking time to figure things out rather than just bashing on regardless meant it all fitted together with no issues. My daughter is really pleased with her new studio space. Loads of people comment on the Shepherds Hut and several have asked for details. All the timber is solid wood, no ply or chipboard anywhere. Definitely a 5 star product, I wish I had space to build another.

Really pleased with the Shepherd hut kit. It only took a couple of days to assemble and looks great. Driver delivered on time and dropped pallet where I asked. Every part fit perfectly, can’t wait to build another one!

Very pleased with the product. Instructions clear but diagrames not quite as clear. But we were able to work it out.
Went up well. Stained all woodwork prior to assembling which worked well. Put plenty of mastic around all joint inside and out to make water tight.
A few more days work still to complete the project, insulation and electrics, then it will be ready to set up as my therapy room.
Very pleased over all

With a few extra hands the hut went up well. Some of the instructions could do with a little more explanation but not too difficult to work out.
using the long weekend to paint and finish the outside.

It will make an amazing space for me to do all of my various craft projects. Going to insulate the hut and put electricity in so a few more weekends work.

Overall a great hut with plenty of space.

Having purchased the SH Deluxe I am pleased with the service and product. The SH is good quality, robust apart from a leaking window which I hope we can cure. Two emails to technical support were answered quickly, my fitter found the assembly quite straight forward, instructions however do not give all the information a less competent person might require.

We have bought the Shepherds Hut -Deluke as addition accommodation. We decided not to go for the wheels and instead have sat the hut on four hardwood sleepers. The hut arrived well packed and undamaged, and the delivery driver was very helpful. The hut fitted together well, with no need for additional carpentry, and took two days. We were very pleased with the quality. The hut does come untreated and we spent time adding two coats of preservative to each piece before the build. The floor was insulated using 75mm "Kingspan", prior to fixing the floor to the frame. Currently insulating the walls and roof with 50mm "Kingspan", prior to lining with tongue & groove panelling. Looking forward to getting it up and running!. Overall we are very happy with all aspects of Tuin, and would highly recommend.

Wonderful service to date from Tuin. Shepherds hut still waiting to be built as the site needs prep. Very excited about having it to work in as an artists studio!

We are very pleased with our large Shepard’s hut, lovely quality to wood (smell’s amazing!)
We have found it easy to assemble and it looks fantastic on our farm on the edge of the Lake District National Park
It is aesthetically pleasing and a true quality product, exceptional value for money
We have been pleased with the customer service received from TUIN, effective and responsive
Thanks

When the hut arrived,my biggest problem was getting it under cover - as I was on my own. Once that was done, I started marking the pieces against the checklist. That is really important as some vary by very small amounts. The base triangulated well, but when I had completed floorboards I was out by quite a bit! From then on everything went really well. I'm in my early 60s and had no help at all. Overall quality is superb - I'm delighted. What would put the icing on the cake would be cut to size lining boards for the sides for my insulation!

The general quality of all the components is high, the only problem I had was partly my fault as I didn't measure the length of the main chassis rails and they had been supplied too short, eventually Tuin came up with a part to resolve the problem.
You do need at least two people to assemble a lot of it, you also need a large sash clamp to pull the two sections next to the door together, so that the door frame top section fits properly.
I enjoyed assembling our hut, the components did seam never ending, but that is part of it's quality, i'd definitely recommend them and would buy another.

We recently purchased the Deluxe Shepherds Hut and were very happy when it arrived sooner than expected. We bought it to have down as a base in our woodland and had intended to assemble it, paint it and take it down to the woods on our trailer. However as it was somewhat larger than expected, we realised we would be unable to fit it on the trailer once assembled. Therefore we painted all the panels beforehand and took it down to the woods in pieces and then assembled it there. This proved to be very worthwhile as the paint finish was really good with no runs !! The only thing we were unhappy about was the thickness of the windows supplied, especially in the doors. However, for security (and insulation) reasons we had intended, and did in fact, replace them all with sealed units which we feel makes the doors, in particular, much safer. An overall improvement would be to supply toughened glass as standard, especially if young children would be in the vicinity. Other than this, we are really pleased with the end result and have already enjoyed sleeping in it. (We will be happy to supply photos of the end results if required)

Marvelous service, friendly team, we would have liked a green roof option so that wildflowers and plants can grow on the roof and support wildlife also treated timber would be better for wet weather, we will save up for another! Thank you

Easy ordering system, delivery was accurate and helpful, quality very good, and backup assistance quick and informative.
The final design is not quite like the photograph, but has the advantage that it is easy to swap some panels around to build the design that you want. Cosy and solid. Very nice product.

The hut itself is well engineered and was easy to construct. The delivery of the wrong style did cause some issues but Tuin staff worked hard to resolve this and offered a small refund to compensate. The panels are interchangeable and we did move the back window to the front. Such a good quality product that at least two neighbours are now thinking of buying one.

fantastic service from knowledgeable and helpful company willing to give all sorts of advice. Smooth buying process. They even recommended someone to build the hut which has worked very well. 2 men turned up and completed the basic build in 2 days - very helpful and nothing too much trouble.