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INSTALATION AVAILABLE Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly
First Added - February 27 2022
Last Updated - August 4 2022 - 11 Data Points Updated - 3 Data Points Added
Reviewed & curated by a panel of garden building experts. Using methodology 1.1
Product ID: SKU: 178177
Size: 10' x 8'
Merchants Checked: 12
Available From: 1
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Our verdict on the Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly
The Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly comes with a pent style roof, fit with bi-fold doors, is treated using a dip treated process [1], and makes use of fsc® certified materials. The windows window used on this particular 10′ x 8′ use a styrene [2] glazing material (Thickness was not specified).
Base material: european softwood
Certifications this product meets:
FSC certified timber[3]
Our experts say this has 4 stand out features. A stand out feature is something found on over 70% of the top 10% of products in a particular category or is an exceptionally good feature as rated by our panel of experts.
1. The 12mm thick cladding used is as thick as the walls found on 92% of the top 10% of summer houses.
2. A dip treated treatment process lets us know that this summer house should be expected to last for a good few years, and is used on 70% of the top 10% of summer houses.
3. The shiplap tongue & groove cladding used on this summer house is one the best available for summer houses rated by our experts.
4. The mineral felt roof covering found on this summer house is rated to be one of the best by our experts.
Below is a brief overview of how some of the key points of this summer house fairs across the market.
Cladding
Fantastic, our experts say most of the cladding options used are among the best.
The shiplap tongue & groove cladding(walls) used here is one of the best forms of construction for summer house walls out of the 3 types [4] we’ve identified on same-size summer houses, that you’ll also see getting used on 50% (368 of 741) of all summer houses analysed [5], as well as being used on 49% (36 of 74) of the top 10% of summer houses [6]. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is 3 points below that of the average shiplap tongue & groove clad 10′ x 8’s (they have an average Expert Score of 80), with it being on 49% of the top 10%, its use here is a reassuring sign of a high quality cladding. You’ll also find the shiplap tongue & groove cladding showing up on 56% of 10′ x 8′ summer houses (71 in total) [7].
The walls are 12mm thick and we rate this an about average thickness out of the 2 found on same-size summer houses [8]. It is used on 78% of all summer houses [9] and is also used across 92% of the top 10% of summer houses [10] we analysed. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is 7 points below the average 12mm clad 10′ x 8’s score of 84, the fact that 92% of the top 10% use a cladding this thick is reassuring as a sign of quality. 88% of 10′ x 8′ summer houses (112 in total) use 12mm thick walls [11].
Read full analysis for cladding.
Roofing
Mineral felt is used as the roof covering, and out of 4 types identified on same-size summer houses [12], is said to be one of the best roof covering materials. It comes fitted on 26% of summer houses and used on 43% of the top 10% of 10′ x 8′ summer houses. Even though the Expert Score of this particular summer house is below the average 10′ x 8’s cover their roofs with mineral felt (77 vs the average of 78), with it being on 43% of the top 10%, this should give you confidence in its quality. 26% of 10′ x 8′ summer houses (33 in total) make use of a mineral felt material as a roof covering.
Read full analysis for roofing.
Window
Styrene windows come installed on this summer house. As a glazing option, we rate it the worst out of the 3 glazing types found on 10′ x 8′ summer houses [13]. This particular type of glazing is used on 15% of all windowed summer houses and 1% of the top 10% of summer houses with windows we analysed. 20% of 10′ x 8′ summer houses with windows (25 in total) use styrene windows, with this product having an Expert Score of 5% higher than the average.
Read full analysis for window.
Height
The height of this summer house is 2162.0mm (7′) which is 3% less than the average 10′ x 8′ summer house, giving you 66.0mm (0.2′) less headroom.
Read full analysis for height.
You Might Also Consider
We found 13 10′ x 8′ summer houses with comparable specifications. The Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly has an Expert Score that is 2% lower than average and is £53 more expensive than average. If you are looking for the best value or highest expert scoring summer houses out of the 13 with comparable specifications the following might be of interest.
Best value – If you are looking for something comparable that costs less, then you could save £1,421 with this Adley 10′ x 8′ Adderbury Summer House. It is priced at £1,079, this is 132% less than this and has an Expert Score of 77, 0 points equal than the Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly.
Highest Expert Score – With an Expert Score of 87 vs 77 for this product, the Redlands 10′ x 10′ Contemporary Summer House is the best 10′ x 8′ summer house with comparable specifications, and is priced at £2,119, that’s £381 less than the Mercia 10 x 8ft Large Garden Office including Side Shed & Bi-Fold Doors with Assembly.
High Wind Area – If you live in a particularly exposed or high wind area then having a summer house with a thicker cladding and higher than average frame thickness can be preferable. We found at least 3 summer houses that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
Oren 10′ x 8′ Shiplap Poolside Summer House
Shire Sandringham 10 x 8ft Double Door Apex Summer House with Bay Window
14’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
Coastal Consideration – If you live in a particularly wet or harsher environment such as by the coast then you might want to consider something with a more robust pressure treatment or something made from metal or plastic, both materials that are particularly suited to such harsh environments. We’ve found at least 3 summer houses that have a combination of features that can make them more suited to higher wind areas.
8′ x 10′ Forest Oakley Double Door Apex Summer House
13 x 6 Pressure Treated Tongue And Groove Apex Summerhouse Potting Shed Bench + Safety Toughened Glass + RIM Lock with Key + SUPER STRENGTH FRAMING
13 x 6 PENT Pressure Treated Tongue & Groove Pent Summerhouse with Higher Eaves and Ridge Height Toughened Safety Glass + Euro Lock with Key
Public-Facing – Extra security measures might be more of a concern if you’re placing your building in an area that is more public-facing than a garden. Features such as security windows or even having no windows at all, and the ability to lock all opening doors are usually much more important when you have something that is more public-facing. We found at least 3 summer houses that have options that you might find a better fit if this is a concern you have.
14’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
12’x6′ Tiger Retreat Contemporary Summerhouse
12’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
More Child Friendly – If you have children and you are looking for something that has that little extra in terms of durability then tougher glazing options might be a better option. Here we have at least 3 other options that will fill those needs.
Oren 10′ x 8′ Shiplap Poolside Summer House
Shire Sandringham 10 x 8ft Double Door Apex Summer House with Bay Window
12’x6′ Tiger Pent Retreat Summerhouse
Product Details
Comparisons of Similar Sheds
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Expert Score | 83 | 83 | 80 | 83 | 83 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,329.00 | £1,074.00 | £3,095.99 | £13,135.00 | £6,429.00 |
| Size | 12' x 8' | 7' x 5' | 20'x8' | 12' x 8' | 19' x 7' |
| Brand | Shire | Loxley | Tiger Sheds | Marlborough Insulated Buildings | Redlands |
| Material | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden | Wooden |
| Cladding Thickness | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm | 12mm | 16mm |
| Guarantee | 10 Years | 10 Years | 15 Years | ||
| Go | Go | Go | Go | Go |
Similar Categories
Small Summer HousesWooden Summer HousesSmall Summer House ShedsSummer Houses With VerandaPent Summer Houses
Sources
Merchants Checked
12 different sources were used to research information on this product, and 1 contained information that we were able to use to compile the data used on this page.
The following merchants were checked on the 06 August, 2022 to see if they stocked this product.
Wickes – 19576 products checked, found 1 match.
Waltons – 231 products checked, found no matches.
B&Q – 78905 products checked, found no matches.
ManoMano UK – 922302 products checked, found no matches.
Wilko.com – 21232 products checked, found no matches.
Homebase – 35509 products checked, found no matches.
Buy Sheds Direct – 1635 products checked, found no matches.
sheds.co.uk – 1999 products checked, found no matches.
BillyOh – 1244 products checked, found no matches.
Garden Buildings Direct – 1284 products checked, found no matches.
Shedstore – 1373 products checked, found no matches.
Tiger Sheds – 635 products checked, found no matches.
1. Dip Treated: Dip treating is a temporary protective base coat treatment that is mainly designed to help protect the building during transit and for around one month after it is assembled. This water-based treatment is the least time-consuming and cheapest type of wood treatment. It involves dipping the wood in a protective water-based preservative and then leaving it to dry. The action of dipping is where ‘dip treatment’ comes from.
A dip-treated garden building is not considered fully treated with wood preservatives; it’s vital to re-treat your dip-treated building, preferably with a solvent-based (or oil-based) wood treatment. Then re-treat it on an annual basis using a solvent-based (or oil-based) wood treatment.
If you don’t want to treat something on an annual basis then a pressure treated wooden building might be a better option, this is where the wood undergoes a process called tanalisation (pressure treatment) during production. This is where the timber is submerged in specialist wood preservatives (such as Tanalith E, this is actually the origin of the word ‘tanalisation’), the wood then goes into a high pressure vacuum tank to draw out excess moisture and air and force in the preservatives. This deep penetration of the exterior wood protects it from the elements and all forms of insect attack. Wood treated this way can last many years without being re-treated. The Wood Protection Association has a good article/video on this. ↩
2. Styrene (Polystyrene (High Impact) HIPS): Styrene as it is commonly known or High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is a very versatile form of plastic. It has a very wide range of uses but for garden buildings styrene is typically used as a budget option for windows.
Styrene is a shatter-resistant material, which is why it is ideal for situations where safety needs to be considered, such as playhouses. This benefit can be offset by a few other drawbacks, unfortunately styrene has a tendency to yellow over time (the technical term is Photoyellowing and it is caused by prolonged exposure to UV Light), the degradation of its polymers over time also causes it to become more brittle.
Another drawback of styrene is its thermal coefficient of expansion (it is 80 x 10-6), this is higher than most other glazing options. This means that as the material heats up and cools it can contract and expand more than other glazing options. This cycle can lead to a loose fit of windows over time.
According to data from the British Plastics Fedaration the physical properties of Styrene (Polystyrene (High Impact) are that it is not very good when exposed to high heat with a maximum continuous use temperature of between 60 to 80 °C. This is coupled with the fairly low range the Notched Impact Strength data shows of 10.0 – 20.0 Kj/m². ↩
3. FSC Certified Timber: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organisation that is “dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.” When you see the FSC certification it means the forest where this wood was sourced from is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. FSC certified timber is comparable to Certified Timber. ↩
4. Cladding types identified: shiplap tongue & groove, tongue & groove, wood ↩
5. Global cladding data sourced from: All shiplap tongue & groove summer houses ↩
6. Top cladding data sourced from: Top 74 shiplap tongue & groove summer houses ↩
7. 10′ x 8′ cladding data sourced from: 127 10′ x 8′ shiplap tongue & groove summer houses ↩
9. Global cladding thickness data sourced from: All 12mm summer houses ↩
10. Top cladding thickness data sourced from: Top 74 12mm summer houses ↩
11. 10′ x 8′ cladding thickness data sourced from: 112 10′ x 8′ 12mm summer houses ↩
12. Roof covering types identified: mineral felt, osb, polyester felt, sand felt ↩
13. Glazing material types identified: single glazed, styrene, toughened glass ↩