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Cheap Building Merchants Recommendations?


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Hi everyone

 

I'm starting my self build in a month or so and was wondering if anyone could recommend cheap suppliers? 

 

The house is rendered, in particular I'm wondering if anyone knows of anywhere that could beat the following prices:

 

Medium density blocks - 90p each

7N areated blocks - £2.70 each

100m cavity pir - £29 for a pack of 4

12mm plasterboard - £8.30 each

37.5mm insulated plasterboard - £31 each

200mm loft insulation  - £27.50 per roll.

 

Any recommended suppliers for steel web floor joists?

 

I'm doing the work myself. Normally I price up local merchants for my jobs but with this being for myself and budget tight, I want to scour the nation for the best prices.

 

I'm in the North West but with the quantities I'll be needing (3500 sqft plus garage) I'd hope that I'd be eligible for nationwide delivery.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help, it is much appreciated.

 

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8 hours ago, BTC Builder said:

Medium density blocks - 90p each

7N areated blocks - £2.70 each

100m cavity pir - £29 for a pack of 4

12mm plasterboard - £8.30 each

37.5mm insulated plasterboard - £31 each

200mm loft insulation  - £27.50 per roll.

 

Yes what quantities are you looking for - roughly, including lengths of steels & sizes will help members get a better handle on the prices you have given.

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9 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

Talk to the largest dealer local to you

I did this, I had a main contractor as well and told them I am working with him so they gave me the same % discount as he got (but still searched the internet for some stuff).

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9 hours ago, BTC Builder said:

recommend cheap suppliers

A quiet chat with the manager (don't talk discounts at the sales desk) will ensure the best prices. 

It works both ways though as they need a profit, so  the one merchant needs nearly all your orders. Free delivery by hiab is a bonus.

 

Give them the chance on all orders. Be prepared to let them be a close second sometimes and still get the sale. Eg £5 more on a dozen mastic tubes. It's the big quantities where you then get the benefit.

 

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Get your totals together and take them to your 4 local big builders merchants and ask them to price it.

 

You may get an even better deal if it's a cash account your running and not a credit account.

 

Some times cheaper is not always best. We had lumpy lime and cement, engineering bricks with hair line cracks in them that couldn't be used for garden wall tops, curved creasing tiles mixed with flat ones. etc.

For the next stage of the build for the sake of a few hundred pounds I think I'll be using another merchant, who's goods are top quality and the yard staff and delivery drivers take care in handling YOUR expensive materials ( I have plenty of my own hardcore) I don't need them too create more.

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Thanks to everyone for replying. The prices I quoted are the best available from shopping around locally. It won't be going any cheaper. I was wondering if anyone knew of other merchants or wholesalers I don't know who would deliver nationwide. 

 

For example, I need 90 37.5m insulated boards, I cannot find anyone via Google search who even comes close to £31 each.

 

I need 100 regular 8x4 plasterboard, I cannot find anyone for less than £8.30 each.

 

I need 140 packs of 100mm pir (4 per pack).

 

6000 concrete blocks

 

2000 areated blocks

 

A supplier for steel web floor joist, I've never used them before.

 

 

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18 minutes ago, BTC Builder said:

supplier for steel web floor joist, 

I googled it and found one easily enough. BUT they are made in different ways according to the factory setup. Do you already know what dimensional constraints you have, or can you still change, for example the depths of joists?

Who is designing this?

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4 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I googled it and found one easily enough. BUT they are made in different ways according to the factory setup. Do you already know what dimensional constraints you have, or can you still change, for example the depths of joists?

Who is designing 

I don't actually need the manufactured joists, building regs drawing states 220x75mm c24 at 5.3m long, 400 centers. That equates to 75 of them which will come in at £3.5k

 

At that price, I wondered perhaps if manufactured joists may be a better option. I imagine a company making them would be able to spec them themselves with a layout plan.

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37 minutes ago, BTC Builder said:

I don't actually need the manufactured joists, building regs drawing states 220x75mm c24 at 5.3m long, 400 centers. That equates to 75 of them which will come in at £3.5k

 

At that price, I wondered perhaps if manufactured joists may be a better option. I imagine a company making them would be able to spec them themselves with a layout plan.

Why so shallow?

 

For our 5M span we have 300mm by 100mm posi joists at 600mm centres

 

Same span downstairs has 300mm I beams at 400mm centres.

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1 hour ago, BTC Builder said:

company making them would be able to spec them themselves with a layout plan.

They aren't your designer though and won't want liability eg if there was some unknown factor you hadn't told them.

 

There is an interactive page for engineered joists in the James Jones website. No prices given but i have often found they come into their own at 4.5m of more.  I reckon that your solid timber can be the  cheaper option unless you can increase the depth. That's a big span though.

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