I think all went very well indeed and whilst I’ve added a few comments below for your deliberation, these are minor points in the overall scheme of things. I’ve started to ‘move in’ but will take my time. So – overall I have a very positive feeling about Creative Living and their Cornwall product.
From my first visit with yourself, I gained confidence in your company and products/service provided and this continued throughout the build. All staff (Rob & his team; Colin, the electrician and Matt the air-conditioning
engineer) were extremely helpful and answered all my questions. All were cheerful and obviously enjoying what they do (which believe me, makes a difference). I quickly learnt they were approachable and that no question I asked was stupid. Progress on the build was amazing, although the roof tiling around the dormer took additional time being early days in building experience for this new process. I think the product looks perfect. OK, I may have oversized the outdoor clock, but the cabin is a great looking addition to the garden.
I’ve yet to see how comfortable the cabin is in winter to work in and any advice you can give regarding avoiding condensation; any knowledge you can pass on the insect/spider repellents available (do they work?).. will be much appreciated.
Also, re maintenance; do you have any recommendation for internal maintenance? I’ve varnished the floor, but I plan to leave the internal walls, door and window frames & ceiling as is. Is that what most people do?
So the following are a few thoughts as the build progressed:
1. Re supplied Paint:
a. We discussed what I expected v what Sikkens is and you advised that it is sufficiently elastic that should the joints expand in summer – it will stretch without cracking. Time will tell. What I do know now is to apply the recommended paint took much longer than I expected and being a ‘gloss’ surface, shows up all the wood imperfections (knots, cracks/scratches).
b. I realise you do not what to take on additional responsibility but might it be beneficial to customers to give some guidance re the use of the recommended paint you provide in the area of ‘knotting’ the wood. We looked up the tech matter of Sikkens which appears to say damned if you do damned if you don’t. It suggests you can cover the knots to prevent resin leak however, if you do, that their product may not adhere! Too late for me now, but what might Creative recommend to future customers?
c. As mentioned – one of the larger (2.5lt) cans marked white primer was in fact green. It’s in a ‘yellow’ can, so presume its green primer. We bought additional white primer. Looking to see refund on this can please and I’ll pop in 21 Dec if that’s ok as I’ve a lunch appointment in Ripley.
2. Concerns (such as they are)?
a. What’s the reason behind the design of the side roof boards which extend 6-8 cm past the edge of the tiling? (See ‘cabin 008’ pic). This not only seems to be a catchment area for rain and I’m sure through osmosis, water will seep back into the boards with consequential results. It also made adding guttering to the front awkward.
b. I had not thought through how the cables might be distributed through raceways/wire ducts in a single skin cabin. If I had I may not have made a decision to go for a more expensive spot tracking in bronze. I think it might be nice to point this out and for the electrician to be able to offer a colour other than white (something more in keeping with the colour of the wood or at least light-brown).
c. You might want to mention to air-con guys to carry a tube of transparent silicon to plug the hole required in the back of the cabin.
And that really is it, so nothing untoward. It’s been a much more pleasant experience than I expected. I guess these days I’m used to having to complain about products/services not matching what I think I’ve bought – but none of that is applicable to Creative Living. I’m glad I found you.