Assemble outdoor furniture.

Outdoor furniture and structure assembly in the UK typically costs £60–£250 per item depending on complexity. Sheds, gazebos, BBQs, garden offices, hot tubs and trampolines all fall into this bracket — anything that arrives flat-packed and needs putting together where it'll live. Hourly rates of £35–£60 are common for assemblers; fixed-price jobs are widespread for known products.

Assembly is one of those jobs where the spec sheet says "2 hours" and the reality is 5. A flat-pack shed with 200 parts and an instructions booklet from an unrelated product is the classic example.

Typical UK assembly costs

What an assembly service typically includes

• Unboxing and inventory check — verify all parts are present before starting (saves return trips).
• Position and level the base — particularly important for sheds, trampolines and gazebos.
• Assembly per manufacturer instructions — using their fixings and supplied tools where appropriate.
• Anchoring or weighting — gazebos, parasols, trampolines need securing in UK winds. Ground stakes or weighted bases as appropriate.
• Test and demonstrate — moving parts (folding chairs, swings, BBQ ignition) tested before leaving.
• Disposal of packaging — usually included; some charge extra for cardboard and polystyrene removal.

What's typically NOT included

• Site preparation (leveling ground, laying paving slabs, concrete bases) — usually a separate landscaping job.
• Electrical or plumbing connections (BBQ gas hookup, hot tub power, garden office mains) — needs a Gas Safe / Part P registered tradesperson.
• Replacement of damaged or missing parts — assembler may pause and ask you to source replacements.
• Mounting to walls or fences without prior agreement.

Garden office and shed assembly — special considerations

Larger structures (sheds 6×8 ft+, gazebos, garden offices) need:

• Level base — pavers, concrete, or pressure-treated timber bearers. The base must be square and level within 5 mm.
• Two-person job — most one-person assemblers will charge for an additional pair of hands or refuse single-handed installations of larger structures.
• Roof and felting — pre-fitted on some kits, separate on others. Felting in particular is finicky and often poorly finished by DIY.
• Doors and windows aligned — diagonal squareness affects whether doors close properly. Easy to get wrong.

Things people often miss

• Site prep is your job — most assemblers won't excavate or pave. Have the base ready before they arrive.
• Hot tub electrics — most hot tubs need a 32A dedicated circuit on RCD, with the cabling run by a Part P electrician before delivery. Don't book the hot tub until the electrics are commissioned.
• Trampoline ground anchors — UK winds will move an unanchored trampoline into a neighbour's garden. Anchor kits cost £20–£40; well worth the spend.
• Shed doors swelling — ungalvanised hinges and swelling timber cause sticking doors within a year. Discuss with the assembler whether they pre-treat the timber.
• BBQ gas connection — propane bottle connection is fine for the homeowner; mains gas hookup needs a Gas Safe engineer.
• Permitted development limits — sheds and gazebos typically need to be under 2.5 m at the eaves (within 2 m of a boundary) and not cover more than 50% of the garden to avoid planning permission. Check before assembly.

Frequently asked questions

Want a local pro to handle this? A handyman or general assembler will save you the weekend you'd lose to flat-pack instructions. Worth the £100–£300 for anything more complex than a small bench — and definitely for sheds, hot tubs, and garden offices.