Excellent value for money our Premium range | DIY Marquees
DIY Marquees is an independent family run business committed to the design, manufacture and supply of the best quality marquees and marquee accessories. Having built up and successfully run one of the leading marquee hire companies in the UK, DIY Marquees now uses their years of experience to advise other hire companies while designing and supplying commercial quality marquees, linings and accessories.
No matter the size of the DIY Marquees’ Commercial range, this range is ideal for marquee hire companies and people who require a much stronger, more durable and flexible marquee than some of the other ranges. A 4 season marquee which can maintain its strength and durability under any of the more extreme weather conditions, this marquee is the most resilient of the DIY Marquee range. Many of the commercial marquee have the capacity to remain erected year-round due, by and large to the use of PVC for its construct. PVC is widely considered as having a lifespan of at least twice that of PE material and which is also superior to Poly/PVC material blend. DIY Marquees uses a specific PVC made from rip stop Duracotex for all Commercial marquees which is also lined with Luxmarq lining material which reinforces the PVC adding to the over-all strength and durability of the tent.
Commercial tents for sale can also be joined using high-frequency welding (as opposed to stitching) which will ensure the marquee will be 100% waterproof guaranteeing the quality of the marquee to be fit for purpose. One DIY Marquees 6x14m Commercial marquees was erected over an outdoor pool which was under renovation in Haslemere, Surrey on the 19th December 2020 and taken down on Saturday 30th January 2021. Pictures provided show the marquee to be fully contained and functioning.
Standard measures of Commercial marquees are 3, 4, 6 and 9 Meter wide with various options for length. The larger 9m width has a maximum length of 18 meters while the smaller 3 and 4 meter range has a maximum length of 24 meters. By far the most expansive and durable is the 6 meter width, which is offered up to an impressive 36 meter length which is maximum coverage. All of the DIY Marquee commercial range come with the option to choose from a variety of side panel configurations and roof and wall or curtain linings.
DIY Marquee also offer classic and party tents for sale, which are suitable where a less semi-permanent structure will be more a more viable option. Buyers who are interested in a marquee for personal use or for hiring on a short-term basis would be impressed by the quality of the party tent which is constructed with PE material on roof and side panels and robust steel piping structures which ensure that the party marquee has suitable strength vs built for purpose requirements.
Investigate options of party marquees available to you for sale, by using the online interactive marquee planner which will help you to ascertain the best fit for your needs. DIY Marquee sales team is available to consult with you regarding any questions you may have.
How to heat your marquee!
Marquees have always been a popular and sought-after option as an alternative to your regular venue hire options. This is mainly attributed to the unique sense of style which can be created when using a marquee as your preferred venue option. There is nothing quite like creating the specific ambiance, mood and atmosphere, as when you design and decorate your marquee venue, tailormade to your desires.
Notwithstanding the many great benefits of the marquee as the ultimate venue option, there are some aspects relating to the logistics of marquees that can leave some feeling unsure of whether the outcome is worth the effort. Stop and take a minute as we discuss some of the issues which may leave you feeling reluctant to opt for the marquee option.
- Its cold.
Yes, this is the UK and no one has ever claimed to have all the answers when it comes to the various weather-patterns resulting in our world-famous reputation for having 4 seasons in 1 day! Its true that using a marquee might leave you vulnerable to various elements however there is always an innovative solution to any element. So, you want to know how to heat your marquee, DIY Marquees would recommend setting up a powerful, indirect heater which will disperse heat through out the marquee. Situated at the entrance of the marquee facing towards the inside, your marquee will be cozy in a matter of minutes. For a larger marquee, add smaller indirect heaters at the corner and other such “dead” spaces where people are not mingling. That way you can prevent the cold from seeping in and keep your guest’s toasty.
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- Not all terrains are made equal.
Anyone who has attended a glamourous event, hosted on a grassy terrain, knows how hard it can be to prevent your £1,245 Maisel 100 faux pearl-embellished, paper-thin stiletto Jimmy Choo heels from sinking into the grass below you, sending you tumbling into an embarrassing social faux-par! To ensure the ultimate comfort of your guests, you would want to place your marquee on a solid, even surface, but the question remains: How to anchor your marquee down on hard surfaces? Your traditional tie-downs will not work on a solid surface, so alternatives include bolting or drilling holes in the footplate, to which you can place straps to secure the marquee. Alternatively, use heavy weights, such as a concrete block, strapped directly to the marquee. No concrete blocks available, strap the marquee to a strategically placed car, or lead a strap through to a near-by grassy patch.
- Once size does not fit all
This concept apparently works in retail however we all know the truth is that there is no 1 solution or product which will suit everyone’s needs. Attempting to squeeze everyone into a one size fits all marquee, will not work. Luckily, DIY Marquees has the perfect solution to help customers to create a marquee perfect for their needs. From the size of the marquee, to the shape, space, function and location, visit the website’s Marquee Planner to create a replica to help you check all the boxes.
Commercial Grade High Quality Green Marquees for Sale
If you are in the business of hiring out marquees and know that now is the time to start thinking about providing the ultimate, alternate venue for company’s who are getting ready to show their employees their appreciation for all of their efforts throughout what has been a trying year. Those who are looking for a way to host their loyal clients, who have stood by their side through the thick and thin of the year and who are looking for an option which will accommodate people in small groups, where there is plenty of ventilation and space to allow for social distancing. DIY Green Marquees are the most versatile way for a company to hold many small events, while ensuring that there is no risk on those who will be attending the event. No doubt one of the easiest and most cost-effective yet able to accommodate all the usual needs which an end of year venue needs to offer, providing a way to put on a show to impress clients and employees alike.
DIY Marquees offer a variety of superior ranges of marquees, including the DIY Marquee green marquee, which has the capacity to meet your clients’ venue, needs to help them set up the event of the year. Hirers are encouraged to look at the online interactive marquee planner and check out the options that are available to help you to make your marquee a suitable venue with all of the trimmings. Not only are the marquees fully aligned to all of the health and safety requirements, in terms of the standards of material DIY Marquees use to construct their marquees, they also meet all legislative requirements and can be beautifully constructed to look like a fairy-tale Christmas. All it takes is a little extra attention to the electrics and you will be able to light your marquee up like a Christmas tree for the ultimate holiday feel. DIY Marquee is always looking for inspired and interactive ways to make the marquee experience easier and safer for the full lifespan of the marquee and will never leave hirers stuck for new ideas to make their marquee the most desirable and sought after venue.
DIY Marquee Electrical Courses offers 2 excellent options in terms of lighting solutions for marquees. A superior choice of lighting is offered as part of the marquee lighting packages, such as your ultimate marquee chandelier or the retro and classic style marquee festoons. Secondly, and something that is highly recommended for hirers, is to do your own marquee electrics so as to ensure the standards are always compliant and that should any emergency occur, there is always someone on site to assist with the repair. It does not take much lighting to make your marquee look particularly pretty but for those who what a little something more elaborate or complex, consider attending one of the electrics courses aimed specifically at those in the hiring industry. Light courses and PAT lighting course information is available online for those who are ready to take the next step.
Excellent value for money for premium quality marquees
This is in addition to marquee wedding articles written by us for confetti.co.uk
Furniture:
- Unlike marquees furniture is usually too expensive to buy so hiring is the usual solution
- Use 5ft 6inch round tables to seat 10 people not 5ft ones (which can be cramped with 10 guests)
- Use a mixture of smaller tables to create an informal atmosphere (see this article on seating)
- Use a long top table for a traditional feel. It would normally be positioned against one side of the marquee.
- Use a round top table for a more social and informal atmosphere. It would normally be positioned in the middle of the marquees with other guests all around.
- Use an oval top table for a more sociable option to a long top table. It would normally be positioned against one side of the marquee with seating on three sides leaving the front clear for guests to see the happy couple.
- Remember an easel for table plans (or two for larger functions)
- Allow somewhere for ladies to put their hats, either a table or clips around the side of the marquee
- Allow somewhere to put wedding presents (a table in the marquee or in the house)
Dance Floors:
- Like furniture dance floors can be prohibitively expensive to purchase to hiring or making yourself (18mm plywood screwed to battens and stained) are the most common solutions
- Alternatively if your marquee is to cover part of a patio or decking area that can be used as a dance floor
- Do you want dancing to be the centre of attention after the meal (in which case have it in the middle of the marquee) or do you want to have an area for people to sit away from the dancing? (in which case have the dance floor at one end)
- If the dance floor is in the middle it is often sensible to position the top table on the dance floor and then clear after using (top tables are rarely used after the meal as everyone is circulating)
- A dance floor (without top table on) makes an ideal emergency greeting area in poor weather
Other:
- Set the marquee up several days in advance and test the lighting and heating (if applicable) at the time of your function just to make sure both are sufficient.
- People (mainly blokes) will always congregate around the bar. For this reason always position it near the evenings entertainment to avoid having two parties. Always aim to keep everyone in one place to maintain the atmosphere so avoid putting the bar in the house or a separate marquee
- Always have lighting on a dimmer, this gives you the flexibility to supply lighting to eat by and mood lighting to dance by
- In October to April you will need to heat the marquee (see this article on heating your marquee)- have the heating on for an hour before people arrive to ensure they walk in to a wall of warmth
- In May to September you might need a heater just to take the chill off in the seating area later in the evening
- Think of how your guests will arrive - a simple path of carpet with flower pots makes an attractive and inviting entrance to the marquee
- Think of how your guests will leave - it's likely to be dark so some form of lighting will be needed to guide people back to their cars
- You would normally allow one toilet per 40-50 guests. If you don't have enough available then consider hiring in a luxury toilet unit
- Give neighbours plenty of notice especially if you plan on partying until the early hours
- Notify the police, it may sound extreme but it allows them to give informed responses (such as finishing time) to any complaint rather than come knocking on your doors.
We are always happy to offer more customised advice especially Tips for evening party marquees events, please contact us giving a few details of the event you are planning (type of event, space available, number of guests and diagrams/photographs of the site if possible) and we will be more than happy to advise on your options.
If you would like to use or quote any part of this article please contact us for permission or licencing.
DIY Marquees have an amazing range of marquees for sale
Spencer King from DIY Marquees offers excellent advice for those wanting to set up their own marquee company; be it buying a pop-up marquee or one of the hundreds of different marquee available. DIY Marquees not only offer Marquees they also sell many accessories such as lighting, heating and flooring.
Nearly all professional marquee hire's use diesel or gas powered heaters. When using one of these to heat a marquee personally I would always put a carbon monoxide tester in the marquee too. They’re cheap, easy to fit and give peace of mind to both you and the customer. Not only that it makes you look (even more) thorough and professional. All fumes from a diesel heater should be kept outside from the chimney but what if the wind blows it straight back towards the marquee?
L B Whites have a very useful heating app that’s worth looking at and illustrates why electric heaters are just not man enough for any serious size marquee.
Inputting a 6x12m commercial (3m apex height) marquee with a rise of 30 degrees C (they do metric, I can’t!) gives a requirement for approx 100,000BTU’s or 30KW of heating. Had we designed our marquees to have a higher apex not only would they be less wind resistant they would also require far more heating – the requirement goes up to 40KW.
The maximum an electric heater can supply is 3KW of heat. If you wanted to heat one of these marquees using electric heaters you would need a whopping 10-13 of them and a very large generator to power them all!
Stick to diesel (indirect) or gas (lbwhite) and fit a carbon monoxide detector.
Click here for more in DIY Marquees range of pop up party tents for sale
Experts in commercial marquees
Do you need help with buy party tents? Are you looking to buy marquee party tent that’s durable, affordable and safe? Speak to the experts in marquee sales for their professional advice. They will advise you on the best party tents to buy.
The term party tents generally refers to structures that are lighter weight than average marquees. Party tents are made using PE material in weights of 90gsm (grams per square metre) in the basic models up to 240gsm in the heavy duty party tents. There is a similar range of different quality framework ranging from 20mm pipework in lightweight models up to heavy duty 38mm steel pipe in heavy duty party tents.
If you're looking for a good quality party tent marquee then look no further than DIY Marquees - we offer a wide variety of different models starting at our light weight and easy to erect party tent range up to our commercial marquees designed for the marquee hire industry. Whatever your requirements we have the party tent marquee for you.
The following table shows the available sizes in our Classic range of marquees. Size guides can vary greatly, this is due to the variety of ways a marquee can be used. For example a 6x12m marquee can seat 70-80 people at round tables but if you allow for buffet tables and/or a dance floor then the capacity is reduced.
| Size of Marquee (width first) | Capacity seated | Capacity standing |
| 3x2m DIY Party Tent | 4-8 | 4-12 |
| 3x4m DIY Party Tent | 6-12 | 9-18 |
| 3x6m DIY Party Tent | 12-20 | 15-30 |
| 3x8m DIY Party Tent | 12-24 | 18-35 |
| 3x10m DIY Party Tent | 15-30 | 20-45 |
| 3x12m DIY Party Tent | 18-40 | 27-60 |
| 4x4m DIY Party Tent | 8-15 | 10-22 |
| 4x6m DIY Party Tent | 12-24 | 18-35 |
| 4x8m DIY Party Tent | 12-30 | 18-45 |
| 4x10m DIY Party Tent | 15-35 | 18-55 |
| 4x12m DIY Party Tent | 20-48 | 25-70 |
| 6x6m DIY Party Tent | 15-40 | 20-60 |
| 6x12m DIY Party Tent | 30-80 | 40-120 |
Read DIY Marquees advice if you want to start your own business
I meet a lot of people looking to start up a marquee hire business, it is one of the best parts of my job. A lot of people who come in to see me have never worked for themselves and see it as quite an aspiration position. Often the decision has been made to work for themselves long before the idea of marquees came around. And to be honest working for yourself is great, you do have to go in to it with your eyes wide open though and this is something else I often find myself discussing with potential marquee customers.
The first, most important point when starting a new business is having your close family on-board. Getting a business off the ground takes a lot of time, energy and work which would only be rewarded in the medium-long term. It is very difficult to do without the support of those around you. The last thing you want is for your start-up business to seriously affect your relationship (especially if you've married in to a family of solicitors and QC’s!).
The pro’s and cons of starting up your own marquee DIY Party Tents for sale or Pop up Marquees for sale for example (or other) business:
Pros:
- Greater flexibility
- Greater job-satisfaction. Not just because the work you’re doing is for yourself rather than some else or an organisation but because most marquee work is making people happy
- Potentially greater financial reward (it depends on what job you’re giving up of course)
- Greater involvement in all parts of the business. You may have had a job in marketing but in a start-up you’ll be involved/responsible for every different part of the business.
Cons:
- Greater responsibility
- Less financial security (the rewards are potentially greater but there is always the risk of the business not taking off).
And in-between both is a certain blurring of your work/life hours. You can often do non-work things during work time but then you’ll often have to do work related out of hours.
Working for yourself or working in a small business can be a culture shock but ultimately a move most people view well worth it.
A good friend of mine went from working in a huge multinational to a small start-up business. On the second day he was shocked to be told to drop everything as a photocopier had arrived downstairs (they were on the 5th floor) and everyone had to go down and lift it up the stairs. But this is what happens in a small business, everyone has to be prepared to be involved in any part of the business (manual handling or otherwise).
We are always happy to discuss any ideas you may have in starting up your own marquee hire business (or even helping an existing one), we have a lot of experience both in having done it ourselves and in helping many many others over the years.
