From Delivery to Done: What Actually Happens When Your Flatpack Cabin Arrives

When we delivered our very first flatpack cabin years ago, I remember standing at the gate with equal parts excitement and nerves. We had planned every detail on paper, but nothing quite prepares you for the moment a full timber cabin turns up on the back of a truck. If you’re waiting on your own delivery day, here’s what to really expect — the good, the sweaty, and the satisfying.

First comes transport. Our cabins usually arrive on a curtain-side truck or HIAB, depending on access. If your driveway is tight, sloped, or lined with sentimental roses you don’t want crushed (speaking from experience), it pays to plan your unloading spot ahead of time. The truck driver will position as close as possible, but final placement is up to you and gravity.

Then comes unloading. Most clients assume the timber will be forklift-dropped neatly into place. Reality? Unless you’ve requested a HIAB delivery, it’s a very human job — lifting, passing, carrying and stacking. The key is staging. Think of it like unpacking a thousand-piece puzzle… but the puzzle pieces are timber and you definitely want to stack them in order. Wall panels to one side, cladding another, roof components grouped together. A little organisation on day one saves hours later.

Build timeline is the next big reality check. We’ve seen seasoned builders fly through assembly in a weekend, and first-timers take a few weeks working evenings after work. Both are completely normal. The kit itself is the easy part — the levelling, squaring, fixing, flashing and finishing is where time gets spent. The best builds aren’t rushed.

And expectations vs reality? Here’s the honest truth: you will 100% underestimate how long it takes, how many cups of tea you’ll drink, and how satisfying the final screw will feel. You will overestimate how tidy the site will stay, how quickly weekend help arrives, and how early you actually start each morning.

But you’ll also get moments you didn’t plan for — like neighbours stopping to ask questions, your partner finally understanding what you meant by “cladding shadow lines,” and that butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling when you stand inside four finished walls and think, we built this.

Delivery day isn’t just logistics — it’s the start of something big. A space that didn’t exist before, beginning from a stack of timber and a vision. And by the time the last trim goes on, you’ll realise something: the cabin was the project… but the real build was the confidence, skills, and stories you earned along the way.