epsilonGreedy Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I am off to spend two days at the NEC house building show. Are there any must-see parts of the show? For example: I am in a mental spin about different systems for plastic pipe jointing and hope seeing these in the flesh will be illuminating. I think I know which nailing gun to buy but I need to test its weight. The whole gamut of building blocks confuses me with their array of weights and u-values. I hope to get some free structural engineering advice/plans by talking direct with manufacturers of beam&block floors, rafters and chimney kits. Are any any suppliers known for offering once a year special deals at the show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexphd1 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Sorry to say this, I have been to home building & renovation and grand designs show.... I wasted my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 @Alexphd1 I found Grand Designs London in 2014 a disappointment, was hoping the Home building & Renovation show would be closer to the hands-on construction elements of a build and less about which colour of Aga would suit my kitchen. A few of the scheduled talks appeal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexphd1 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Sounds bad but most companies who can afford to exhibit at shows like this are high profit companies. I remember lots of archietects, ufh companies and glazing/window companies. The 4 or 5 questions you asked above are all discussed here already. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 @epsilonGreedy have you been to Swindon? That centre has a much more technical bias than any of these shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 1 hour ago, lizzie said: @epsilonGreedy have you been to Swindon? Not yet. When I asked about Swindon here earlier this year I was told the place only comes alive on a few scheduled days each year otherwise it is the Mary Celeste of trade shows. Anyhow given what you are both saying I might scale back plans for the visit and skip the overnight hotel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Alexphd1 said: Sounds bad but most companies who can afford to exhibit at shows like this are high profit companies. This confirms my fears. I will head off with low expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 4 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said: Not yet. When I asked about Swindon here earlier this year I was told the place only comes alive on a few scheduled days each year otherwise it is the Mary Celeste of trade shows. Anyhow given what you are both saying I might scale back plans for the visit and skip the overnight hotel. Swindon is essentially a permanent trade exhibition and the stands are unmanned. You can go to open days etc. We went and met some suppliers there on a normal day when it is just the unmanned stands. We arranged meetings with some specific people in advance. When you go in you can get a scanner as you do in supermarkets for shopping. Each stand has a bar code and if you scan that then they will send you information...I scanned masses of stuff, my postman was loaded down with brochures and samples coming for weeks. There are permanent displays of all sorts, brick walls roofing bits you name it.... Potton also have a house there to walk around too. It is the Marie Celeste if you turn up without any pre arranged contacts but even so it is a good place to look at products and collect info.....we saw our sunpipes there on an unmanned stand and ended up buying them. You can touch and feel products etc without any pressure, there is just no-one to talk at the time, you have to do that as a follow up so its different to a show. TBH I think 2 days at the NEC is a very long time. I would save your hotel bill. I live about half an hour away from NEC so go to all sorts there and most are good value if you can get cheap or free tickets. Parking is about £12 on site or you can park off site somewhere and get the bus but if you don't know the area I would pay the £12. I usually pay to park on site even though I know my way around its just quicker and easier. With most of the popular shows I think it is best to get there for opening time get in and get around early, if you can make your plan in advance of which things you want to look you will get to see more because by lunchtime the place is so packed you can hardly get near stands to talk to suppliers. Some of the the theatre talks are useful and if nothing else are a place to sit down. If you can take your own packed lunch and drinks you will save yourself a fortune on the day and ages standing in line waiting. Enjoy it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 1 hour ago, epsilonGreedy said: I am off to spend two days at the NEC house building show. Are there any must-see parts of the show? For example: I am in a mental spin about different systems for plastic pipe jointing and hope seeing these in the flesh will be illuminating. I think I know which nailing gun to buy but I need to test its weight. The whole gamut of building blocks confuses me with their array of weights and u-values. I hope to get some free structural engineering advice/plans by talking direct with manufacturers of beam&block floors, rafters and chimney kits. Are any any suppliers known for offering once a year special deals at the show? I’ve been to quite a few shows The NEC is a must We made some good contacts Pasquils for roofing trusses Posi joists etc are an absolute must Regarding nail guns Hitachi are half the price of pasloda and do the same job I have a Dewalt No Gas so beats the others hands down in cold weather But no good for roofing due to the weight I also made a good contact for UFH Cadman and B&B I’ll have to look that one up The treatment plant guys were really helpful and had a show offer of a camera survey for a £100 Perhaps a bit early for you But worth talking to Al Murad tiles The MD was manning there stand and offered a massive discount for volume my my wife and myself are hoping to go on Friday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlewhouse Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 (edited) When we first started we spent 2 days at the NEC show and went to most of the seminars of relevance to us over those 2 days. Really useful. Yes, most of the firms there are by nature high profit. But certainly when first starting out it was well worth it for us to go. You can browse, learn what's available, compare methods, ask questions, get prices.... and then go off and find the best prices once your back home. We found them very worthwhile and interesting. Once we'd started the build there was no point in us going to them, but they were great for helping shape our ideas and having a look at actual materials and so on in the early stages. It also makes you realise just how many people are interested in self build/custom build. Edited March 30, 2018 by curlewhouse 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now