Planning your development Buying materials

It may be cheaper to buy materials in bulk from a builders' merchant 

When carrying out a home improvement project, you can buy get materials in many ways:

• Suppliers direct, such as Johnstones Paint or Furness Bricks
• A builders’ merchant like Jewson or Build Centre
• DIY retail outfits, including B&Q or Brewers
• Online sites, for example, www.Screwfix.net
• Ask your builder, electrician or other professional to purchase on your behalf.

If you're getting a quote from a professional, ask for the materials and labour charges to be quoted separately so that you can see if the tradesperson or company is charging you a premium for ordering the products.

If you're ordering from a DIY retailer, don’t forget that they're likely to charge a fee for delivery if you're over a certain distance, whereas if you are ordering from a builders’ merchant, they will tend to deliver for free as the items are much bigger and are bought in bulk.

Both online and high street retailers tend to be competitive on ‘headline’ items that they promote, such as plasterboard or a drill, but then vary dramatically on all other products, so it is worth shopping around before you buy.

As a basic guide, it's worth visiting a builders’ merchant if:

• Your project involves major building materials, such as bricks, cement and wood.
• It is a large building project, such as a one- or two-storey extension.
• You're upgrading your kitchen or bathroom.
• You're buying a new conservatory.
• They have specialist in-store equipment hire that you need.
• You're landscaping a garden, especially if you're using stone, gravel or fencing.

Compare prices

Once you have information from your tradesmen and prices from them as well as from merchants, suppliers and DIY retailers, compare all quotes. Don’t forget to consider any guarantees for materials or labour and delivery charges, as these could make a real difference between which quote you might accept.

Money saving tips

Large food retailers have an aisle for DIY items, so it's worth checking them out, as well as DIY stores, as they tend to price competitively. The downside is that you don’t get as much choice.

Before going to a builder’s merchant or similar,  have a detailed list of everything you need, including sizes and dimensions.

Whatever price you're given, ask for at least 10 per cent discount or, better still, ask what discount they can give and try to get more money off, particularly for large projects. Always check these against the price of local specialists, such as electrical wholesalers or timber merchants, and what your tradesman/builder is quoting.

Builders' merchants

It’s important to visit the right branch of a builders’ merchants so call them first. 

Not all branches stock everything they sell. If you want to look at kitchens or hire equipment, you need to make sure they have everything you want before you visit.

Also, some branches prefer to deal with trade only, so ask them before you visit if they're happy to help you.