How to tell your Garden Fencing from your Fencing

You may have noticed that when you using a search engine to look for fencing you don’t just find garden fencing, you also find a lot of websites devoted to the Olympic sport Fencing.

So how do you spot the difference? Well it’s pretty simple really, if you see pictures of men with swords you’ve found the sport Fencing. If you find lots of pictures of wooden panels you’ve found Garden Fencing. And if you’ve found lots of pictures of high quality panels with incredibly low prices next to them, you’ve found Elbec Fencing!

With the 2012 Olympics fast approaching it is worth me pointing out that there are actually 10 gold medals up for grabs in fencing at the Olympics, however Great Britain have only ever won 1 fencing gold in the Olympics. Although Elbec’s Garden Fencing wins gold every time!

The top medal winners of all time in Fencing are actually Italy and France, and they can boast some serious prowess in Garden Fencing too, with our continental ranges of fencing being of really high quality!

So hopefully you know a bit more about fencing, and fencing! While we here at Elbec can’t claim to be experts on the sport, but we can promise that our prices on garden fencing will cut your costs!

Reasons to Think About Santa When Buying a Shed

If you are currently looking for a shed, then by the time you have bought and erected your shed it will be pretty close to Christmas. The big question is: have you considered Santa at all when choosing your shed?

There are plenty of reasons why your choice of shed might affect Santa. Firstly, will there be enough space to park his sleigh in your new shed? Spending the night flying around the world is tiring, so a nice shed for the reindeers to keep sheltered while he delivers your presents would really be appreciated.

Secondly, is your new shed going to be cosy enough for Santa to have a little rest? Santa loves to kick back in a warm shed and sink a brandy in between house calls. The big thing to remember is tongue and groove sheds will keep the draughts away from Santa.

Finally, does your shed look stylish? It’s very easy to think of a shed as somewhere to store things, but when Santa and his reindeer are relaxing in a shed, they like it to be a nice one. With all those presents to deliver I’m sure you’ll agree Santa deserves a luxurious shed from our professional range.

So as we head towards Christmas, remember to think about Santa when buying a shed. Any shed is appreciated for a break, but the more comfortable the shed, the better!

(Brandy and mince pies sold separately)

What makes a Great Playhouse?

Now that I’ve grown-up (or at least become an adult!) I don’t tend to think about playhouses, or worry about where children like to play. But today I was looking at our playhouses section and started wondering, what makes a great playhouse? How do you go about choosing the right playhouse for your children?

Obviously the reader will know their children better than I do, and the playhouse should really be a reflection of their character. For the active, playful children we have options such as the command post playhouse and bunker playhouse, perfect for parents who would prefer their children waged war away from the house.

Or if the children prefer the Wild West and acting out the age old struggle between sheriffs and outlaws, or even cowboys and Indians, we have the Wild West Playhouse and Lookout Playhouse.

Finally, your child might not be looking for a playhouse for charging around, they might just want somewhere to call their own. We offer plenty of playhouses that really are a little house for children, my favourite being the Dutchstyle Barn Playhouse.

So I’ve not really been able to answer what makes a great playhouse, because all playhouses can be fantastic depending on who they are for. So have a good think about what your children will need in a playhouse and follow the link to browse our fantastic selection!

Playhouses

How Much Do You Know About Sheds

At the end of last week we posed a few questions about sheds for you, so let’s find out how much you know about sheds!

1.    The Shed is a stand at Stamford Bridge.
2.    Shed Productions produce the BBC show Waterloo Road.
3.    Shed Seven are from York.
4.    Slow grown timber is ideal as it is much higher quality.
5.    Treat your shed once a year to keep the elements at bay.
6.    A pent shed’s roof slopes one way, whereas an apex roof slopes down to the sides from a central ridge.

If you got all six correct, you clearly know your sheds. So why not reward yourself with a fantastic new shed from Elbec?

If you got 4 or 5, you have a very solid understanding of sheds. Spend a few minutes browsing here on the Elbec website and you’ll be an expert in no time.

If you got 3 or less, your lack of knowledge of sheds is worrying. You should think about putting some time in on the website learning more about sheds.

I hope you had fun taking part in our shed trivia quiz, and I hope you all scored well. Really there is nothing about sheds that you can’t learn here on the Elbec website, so if you don’t know as much as you thought get browsing the shed section now!

Shed Trivia For Your Bank Holiday Weekend!

Let’s finish the week off with some shed related fun. Here are a few shed based trivia questions for you to ponder over the weekend! The first questions are based on the word shed, rather than sheds themselves.

1.    Which football ground has a stand called the shed?
2.    Shed Productions produce which current BBC school-based drama?
3.    From where in England do Britpop band Shed Seven hail?

And now for a few trivia questions which are actually about sheds!

4.    Which is the better timber for a shed to be produced from, fast grown or slow grown?
5.    How often should you treat your wooden shed to ensure it is always protected?
6.    What is the difference between a pent shed and an apex shed?

You can check back next week to find out how much you know about sheds!

Finally from me, I was recently reading about the Egyptian deity called Shed. Shed was also referred to as “Saviour”, and the Ancient Egyptians looked to Shed to cure illness and save them from danger. Here at Elbec we can’t promise that our sheds can do that, but we can promise that our sheds are of great quality at a low price!

Arbours and Pergolas what is the difference?

Here at Elbec we get many calls a day enquiring about products, two in particular are Arbours and Pergolas. The main question is ‘What is the difference?’

A Pergola is a garden feature forming a shaded walk or passageway of pillars that support cross-beams. Some popular designs support a sturdy open lattice, upon which woody vines are trained.
As a type of gazebo, it may also be an extension of a building, or serve as protection for an open terrace or a link between pavilions. Today pergolas are mainly used to shade or cover outdoor areas for entertainment purposes.

An Arbour has roughly the same usage purposes as a pergola but within a smaller area. Were as pergolas are used to shelter groups of people, an arbour will have designated seats and house no more than a few. Arbours are generally designed thatched or in an oriental style. Most have a wooden lattice structures to allow vines or climbing plants to grow. As apposed to a pergola an arbour is meant to be a chosen relaxation area within a garden.

Please check out our full range.

Here are elbec we don’t just offer products for adults but we have some amazing deals for the kids!

Winter has nearly gone and summer is arriving so get the kids playing in the garden fast!
A perfect product which can fit the job is the ‘5' x 5' Shire Kitty Playhouse’. This wonderful playhouse will definitely make a great den providing hours of endless fun for the children and the Kitty playhouse will look great in the garden too.

This great playhouse comes with a large opening criss cross window and matching door making it bright and airy. The 1ft verandah not only finishes off this playhouse it provides shade in thosesummer months and shelter in those cooler months.

Parents can have peace of mind with safety glass fitted as standard throughout the playhouse. Another important feature is tongue and groove wall and floor construction throughout which not only looks pretty but keeps all the weather elements out the playhouse.

This amazing deal is only £209 but for a limited time only, the offer ends Thursday 31st March so don’t hang around!

In need of storage space with out taking up a lot of room? Here at elbec we have just the product for you.

The compact and versatile ‘3' x 7' Sheriff Overlap Bike Store’ is a multi purpose product. The ‘3' x 7' Overlap Bikestore’ is the perfect place to store up to two adult size bikes. The classic apex design and robust build means it's not only a safe place to store bikes, but can also be used as a general utility store. This makes this bikestore is a welcome addition to your garden. The storage space offers maximum storage for minimum intrusion; this means you can de-clutter you outdoor area without affecting the view. The Storage space is a great place to hide all the kids toys, small garden furniture and garden maintenance equipment. All for £169!

Another fantastic storage unit is the ‘Shiplap Garden Store by Forest Garden’. Metric dimensions for this product are 150 x 64 x 110cm. Again this kind of storage unit is vital for people looking for something to organize that manic garden area. The storage space is easily accessible with one hinged opening door. It is well equipped with Tongue & groove shiplap wall construction so it will last and last! Another fantastic addition to the package is the felt roof which keeps the housing dry as well as all you equipment inside! Again this fantastic storage unit is at an amazing price of £117.95!

Today is the product launch of the ‘7' x 7' (approx) Overlap Pressure Treated Apex Shed’. Introductary lower price for the sheds ends 31st March.

This 7' x 7' Apex Overlap Garden Shed is great for those that want loads of storage space but without taking up too much garden space.

The shed comes as standard with one opening window. The shed is also supplied pressure treated which means your shed will last and last. All timber for the shed is from sustainable sources, so that you can feel good about buying this shed.  The shed is made from Siberian timber which is inherently slow grown which means tighter timber and more stable and stronger than home grown timber used on other overlap garden sheds on the market.  
The shed has another special feature such as joinery criss-cross opening windows that is quality finished and included in this fantastically low price.  The shed is plenty big enough for a ride-on mower and other essential garden tools. The sheds double doors provide for easy entry and are properly ledged.

The shed is supplied flat packed for self assembly and all fittings and felt are included in the price with clear easy to follow instructions.

Here at Elbec we get calls everyday wondering if we sell pet products. The answer is ‘Yes we have a fantastic range!’ Even though we mostly sell Garden Buildings and Furniture there is an isle of our store designated to Pets.

We offer everything from Rabbit Runs, Hamster Cadges, Kennels and Poultry Houses. Our unique range of Hamster Cadges are a refreshing delight from the standard metal cadges people are so used to seeing.

One cadge in particular which will excite the kids and keep the hamster happy is the ‘Spellios Dwarf Hamster Cage’. This exciting cage is brilliant to look at as it comes with a host of accessories as standard; hamster wheel, tunnel, food bowl and water bottle. This means less money spent down the pet shop! The smooth plastic design ensures ease of cleaning. The spacious size ensures the hamster will keep fit as well as entertained with the cages entertainment system; hamster wheel and tunnel.

Hamsters make great first pets and can teach children how to care and look after animals. Their cuteness and the entertainment they provide is the reason why nearly every other child has a hamster. Hamsters are a great way to introduce a pet in to your home as they are low maintenance and the start up costs is minimal. This Spellios Dwarf Hamster Cage is also suitable for gerbils and mice which are also popular with young children.