Once you are satisfied that you have constructed a solid base for your garden building that provides a firm and level base throughout it is time to begin the assembly process.
All of our garden buildings come with comprehensive self-assembly instructions and certain manufacturers also supply additional PDF or video guides to simplify the process:
Wooden sheds & summerhouses
Most of our wooden sheds and summerhouse ranges can be broken down in to two broad categories:
Apex roof style sheds – with a two part ‘apex’ style roof
Pent roof style sheds – with a single piece flat sloping roof
Apex assembly:
- Before assembly can begin, it is essential that a firm and level base is in position. This base must support the full floor area of the shed and should be measured using a spirit level to ensure accuracy.
- Once the base is in place, lay the floor panel in the desired position.
- Offer-up the edge of the first side wall panel against the edge of the first gable panel. Nail the corners of the two panels together with the 38mm nails provided.
- Secure the wall panel to the end gable using the coach screws provided. These screws fit through pre drilled holes in the gable; one towards the top of the exterior gable edge and one towards the bottom.
- Place the second gable panel against the second wall panel and secure in the remaining corners using coach screws and 38mm nails as in previous steps.
- Ensure that the side panels are at right angles to the gables and tighten the coach screws if required. Secure the sides and gables to the floor panel with the 65mm nails provided.
- Lay the roof panels into position and fix together along the ridge with the 65mm nails supplied. Then secure the roof in place by nailing it into the gables and side frames.
- Insert the window panes from the inside and fix into position with panel pins.
- Please note: it is essential that all windows are subsequently sealed as soon as possible after assembly. This could be achieved via the application of silicone, timber beading or any other suitable ‘water tight’ solution at the customers own preference.
- Secure the corner strips at each corner of the shed with the 38mm nails provided.
- Please note: on certain models, the corner strips may be oversized and will need to be cut to length with a handsaw.
- Roll out the mineral roofing felt along the lower part of both sides of the roof allowing for sufficient overhang to fold down onto the roof framing. Ensure that the felt is tight and use clout nails to tack the top end of the felt to the roof.
- Please note: on certain models where the felt does not cover the apex of the roof, use an additional strip to cover the ridge and secure with clout nails. This extra piece is supplied when required.
- Ensure that the mineral roofing felt is pulled tight across the whole roof and use the remaining clout nails to tack it to the framing and to the underside of the roof overhang.
- Fit the barge boards to the roof panels at each end, trapping the overhanging felt to provide a weather seal. Secure the diamond peaks over the joint of the barge boards to complete your apex garden shed.
Pent assembly:
- Before assembly can begin, it is essential that a firm and level base is in position. This base must support the full floor area of the shed and should be measured using a spirit level to ensure accuracy.
- Once the base is in place, lay the floor panel in the desired position.
- Offer-up the edge of the first side wall panel against the edge of the first gable panel. Nail the corners of the two panels together with the 38mm nails provided.
- Secure the wall panel to the end gable using the coach screws provided. These screws fit through pre drilled holes in the gable (one towards the top of the exterior gable edge and one towards the bottom).
- Place the second gable panel against the second wall panel and secure in the remaining corners using coach screws and 38mm nails as in previous steps.
- Ensure that the side panels are at right angles to the gables and tighten the coach screws if required. Secure the sides and gables to the floor panel with the 65mm nails provided.
- Lay the roof panel into position, and, after ensuring the overhang of the roof is equal on all sides, proceed to nail the roof to the sides and gables using the 65mm nails provided.
- Insert the window panes from the inside and fix into position with panel pins.
- Please note: it is essential that all windows are subsequently sealed as soon as possible after assembly. This could be achieved via the application of silicone, timber beading or any other suitable ‘water tight’ solution at the customers own preference.
- Roll out the mineral roofing felt adjacent to the back (low side) wall, allowing for sufficient overhang to fold down onto the roof framing. Ensure that the felt is tight and use clout nails to tack the top end of the felt on to the roof. Roll out the next width of felt, overlapping the previous, and again allow for sufficient overhang to fold down onto the roof framing.
- Ensure that the mineral roofing felt is pulled tight across the whole roof and use the remaining clout nails to tack it to the framing.
- Secure the corner strips at each corner of the shed with the 38mm nails provided. Fit the barge boards to the roof across the front and two end gables, trapping the overhanging felt to provide a weather seal and complete your pent shed.
- Please note: on certain models, the corner strips may be oversized and need to be cut to length with a handsaw.
Log Cabins
Please find below a general guide to the assembly of a TIGER brand log cabin;
The following tools are recommended for the installation of your Log Cabin:-
Electric screwdriver, wooden or rubber mallet, spirit level, hammer, saw, stepladder.
- First, referring to the floor plan of your construct diagram, position the tanalised bearers on your firm and level base. Spread them out evenly so they are approx 400mm apart (from the centre of one to the centre of the next).
- Please remember not to place the floor too close to walls and fences to allow for the roof overhang at the sides, back, and front. Consult your diagram for the exact overhang of your particular building.
- The best way to prepare for building your log cabin is to place the individual wall components next to the floor in the correct component order (see each wall components diagram on the construct diagram received).
- When you are happy with the layout of your building, it is time to start the assembly.
- The first logs to place down are the two half logs which are placed on opposite edges of the tanalised bearers. Next interlock a full log along the back gable and the logs to the front gable, ensuring a tight fit. Screw these logs into the tanalised bearers below with the 80mm screws provided.
- With the first layer of logs in place, you can begin to nail the floorboards to the tanalised bearers below with two 40mm nails per board for each bearer. The floorboards should have a 2.5mm gap between the edge of the floorboards and the outer logs to allow for expansion and contraction. The last board will need cutting down to fit.
- This is a good time for you to check the building is square. You can do this by measuring from the front right hand corner to the same point in the back left hand corner then compare this to the opposite front left and right back corners. If these measurements are the same then the building is square. You can then continue with the assembly. You will find yourself building side to side and then front and back and so on.
- When you have built up a layer of five logs it is time to fit the door into place, the higher you build the logs the more difficult it becomes to put the door in place.
- If you have purchased a cabin with double doors then you will have to build up the door frame using the four components provided. The easiest way to do this is to lay the two door sections side by side face down, slot the sill into place then the head, screw the four sections together through the joints with the 60mm screws provided.
- Take the door / doors along with the frame and simply slide the frame over the logs until it if fully inserted, fix the door handle to enable you to open the door.
- When you have reached the window height then follow the same procedure as with the door, build a layer of logs either side of where the window is to be fitted then slide the window into position.
- Please Note:- If your base is not firm and level then this can cause the doors and windows to twist or to go out of square (gravity pulling the doors level).
- Some door and window fascias may need to be trimmed to fit.
- Once the Windows and doors are in position then continue to build your cabin up to the gable height. The gables on most of our models come fixed as one piece, this piece is then placed on top of the final side boards, one at the front and one at the back. If the gable sits proud of the sides or the sides sit proud of the gable then the logs that are on the higher side need to be knocked down further in to place.
- The roof purlings are supplied with notches either end and 23mm 45° cuts on both ends.
- The roof purling notches then sit in the gable cut outs with the 23mm 45° cuts facing downwards.
- Please make sure the purling is positioned the correct way round and the correct over hang is at the front of your cabin.
- Fix the purling to the gable using 2½ nails, nailing downwards through the gable into the purling
- First you must make sure that the Cabin is completely vertical on all sides, as when the roof boards are nailed into position the cabin is then a more rigid structure and cannot be moved as easily. If this is not done then this could affect the doors and windows to be out of square and not operate correctly.
- Lay the roof boards on the roof with the groove finished side faced down.
- Start at the front and work towards the back fixing each board as you go by nailing downwards into the purling and logs below, making sure the boards run inline and parallel with the side of the building. Please note the last board will have to be trimmed to the correct width so that it does not protrude past the end of the purling.
- Once the roof boards are all in place and securely nailed down, then the roof baton is fixed in place by nailing it to the bottom underside of the roof boards. The bottom edge is then finished of with a fascia which is nailed onto the roof baton.
- The felt is secured by the roofing felt nails provided. If shingles are to be fitted then the felt should not be used. For shingle fitting see shingle packs for instructions.
- When the felt / shingles are fitted then the fascias can be fitted by nailing them to the top purling and bottom Roof Baton, finish off the fascias by nailing the peak over the top of the fascias where they meet in the middle.
- Use the 80mm Screws provided, screw the bottom layer of logs from the outside into the 19mm floorboard on the inside of the cabin. Once this has been done you can fix the interior skirting boards which may require trimming to length and jointing in the corners.
- The storm brace is used to hold / tie the cabin together but still let the cabin move during different weather conditions. The storm brace have a hole at the top and a long groove at the bottom.
- Fix the storm brace to the front and back gables with the 40mm coach bolts provided (see gable diagrams). If the storm brace is fitted too tight then the cabin will not be able to move, so always leave the bottom 40mm coach bolt slack enough to let the coach bolt move up and down inside the groove of the storm brace.