Concrete Garages - Frequently Asked Questions

Clear Your Gutters to Prevent Damages

Condensation is the formation of liquid drops of water from water vapour.

Scientific Definition

Condensation occurs on most hard surfaces. Water condensing on a glass of ice water, or on the inside of windows during winter, and is the result of those glass or other surfaces' temperature cooling below the dewpoint of the air which is in contact with them. It will occur more on hard surfaces, particularly metal surfaces, less on wood or on materials that are poor conductors.

Conditions where condensation will occur include:

Initially when the building and base are newly constructed water vapour will be given off by all the concrete, the base and the wall panels.

Even with time, buildings constructed on concrete bases that do not have a damp proof membrane laid under the concrete will attract moisture. It will be drawn into the base and passed into the atmosphere of the building.

To minimise the effect of Condensation

Ventilate your building. After construction leave doors and windows open as much as you can. If any surfaces (such as the underside roof sheets) show the deposit of moisture then coat such surfaces with Ronseal Anti-Condensation Coating in accordance with the instructions on the tin.

Do not try to make the building airtight. Especially when new.

There is no hard and fast rule about how much anti-condensation treatment is needed. Each location will vary. A building that has air flowing under the eaves will be less likely to suffer from condensation than a building that has eave fillers in place.

Usually, in the majority of situations, no. Planning permission is not normally required due to the nature of our product, i.e. "portable sectional building" - providing the garage is within certain size limits which in turn are governed by the size and other aspects of your property. The usual criteria to meet to avoid planning permission are...

• The proposed garage is not in front of the building line.
  
• The proposed garage is under 30 sq. metres and under 70 cubic metres.
  
• Your property is not in a Conservation area or a listed building.

We can give guidance, but we suggest that you talk to your local planning officer if in doubt. Also recommended is the booklet: "Planning A Guide for Householders" by the Department of the Environment. It may be available in your local library.

You may need permission if you intend to use your garage for commercial use (e.g. a garage for a commercial vehicle or a workshop for a small business), or if it goes against original planning permission for the house. Note that we can provide plan and elevation drawings for your local authority planning department. Please contact us for details.

Useful link: Planning: A Guide for Householders ( Updated 2011 )

All our buildings require a concrete base on which to stand. You can get our standard base drawing here. The base on which the garage is to stand must be 6 inches (152mm) wider and longer than the external dimensions of the building itself. It must also be flat, level and square and this can be achieved by using shuttering and, as the concrete is poured in, by using a level board across the width of the base to tamp flush as you go.

Unfortunately, we do not provide a base-laying service. Should you require your base to be prepared for you, if you order your garage through us, we may be able to suggest a local contractor who can do this.

Phone us, for a quote.

Download one of the following manuals

Fairford 60

Fairford Shed

SecuraShed

Thanks to our unique concrete panel systems, expansion is usually possible, especially lengthwise. Our pitched-roofed garages lend themselves to extensions to either the front or the rear, but a flat roofed garage using our post-and-panel system can only be expanded to the rear, with a maximum length of 24ft 8in (7518mm).

Please note, however, that specifications are liable to change over time - e.g. roofing materials may change, and therefore future extensions to your garage may not be straightforward. We would therefore recommend that you plan ahead and buy a bigger garage than you currently require, to allow for future needs.

We only supply parts for garages we manufacture. The first step to consider is whether your garage (or workshop/shed) is one that we made. If so, please also consider that often it would be far cheaper for you to get some items from a local builders merchant if possible, as anything we supply would obviously incur a carriage charge.

We can only supply keys for the garages we have sold. We have limited stocks of keys, so please call us to ascertain the availability of the key you require. Before phoning, please obtain the key number which is on the face of the lock.

We charge £10.00 per key.

Our pitched-roof post and panel garages can be increased in height to accommodate even the tallest vehicles. Our models can be supplied to give a door clearance of 7ft 7ins (2311mm) (7ft 9.25in (2369mm) for timber folding doors), and our!

We can probably help you to identify the original manufacturer of your garage. Before calling us, measure the width and height of the panels, and the height to the top of the wall. Also, note whether your garage has an apex or flat roof, and what the internal and external wall finish is.

We believe the quality of our garages far exceeds that of our competitors. Our Mayfair range of garages cannot be matched in specification. Features include:

• Thicker panels
  
• Five different finishes
  
• Stronger roof purlins and trusses
  
• 7ft high panels as standard
  
• Built-in structural redundancy (view example)

These features are also to be found on our Leofric "Banspar" range of garages - Cornwall, Avon, Worcester, Severn, Surrey and Sussex. For more information on all our concrete panel systems, visit our concrete panel system page.

On our site.

Our 'How to Buy' page tells you everything you need to know.

Typically, from the time we receive your order, delivery is 4 weeks for our Leofric range, and 5 for our Mayfair range. We are the fastest in the country!

Whilst we offer a complete erection service, for the enthusiastic DIYer, on many models, self-erection is an option.

Leofric was an 11th Century Earl of Mercia, husband of the famous Lady Godiva. The founders of our company selected a name that reflected our ties with the city of Coventry, in the heart of the industrial Midlands.

Leofric buildings are the market leader in quality and integrity. With our unique tongue and groove system technology and post and panel construction, our buildings are built and assembled in parts, thus ensuring costs are kept down and quality is kept up. We are constantly looking for new, innovating ideas to improve our product.

All Leofric buildings come with an industry leading 15 year structural guarantee, from the date of installation, showing the faith we have in our product and also helping customers to have the security of knowing that any problems which affect the structural integrity of the building will be rectified, subject to terms and conditions.