Builders Providers Northern Ireland

Audioslaven

Hi,

Will be doing a big job on my home house in a few weeks time. I am wondering has anyone any info on good builders merchant in Northern Ireland and who may deliver to the south. Not happy about spend cash outside ROI but until thing start changing here, have no option.

Heatherview

Hi Audioslaven
No need shop around in South great value to be had seriously Cash Will Help. Things are changing drastically in our little country there is extremily good value at moment. Business is bad prices reducing drastically to survive

Heatherview

dh0661

Audioslaven wrote: »

Hi,

Not happy about spend cash outside ROI but until thing start changing here, have no option.

Haggle - I'm only learning but my my hubby is a master at it, he knows exactly what he wants asks for quotes in several places and knocks them down to rock bottom, trading one off the other.

The last major purchase was a steel shead. The dearest quote came in at €3500 and after shopping around and haggling the shead was bought for €2750.

Now thats worth a little bit of time, leg work and a few phone calls.

rosebill

Have just started house renovations and spent last weeks comparing prices between North & South, but on builders providers products there really is not enough of a difference (comparable plain bathroom suite/xtherm drylining boards with insulation attached cheaper down south)to be worth the changeover and journey. But you must shop around down here. Furnishings and stoves are a different story though, worth travelling for them. You can purchase over the phone and they will deliver quickly and cheaply to anywhere down south.

rosebill

Hello
follow on from my message last night. Went down to local builders providers today to order large quantity of building products and not only treated as little old dear in a condenscending voice but also over charged while he told me how great he was giving me such a discount. Will have no problem going up north for the rest of materials and furnishings needed. Some things will never change down here. So annoyed.:mad:

Heatherview

Hi Rosebill
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Monday morning blues maybe? It's no wonder people are shopping further afield. A customer to me is most important and should be looked after with respect and gratitude for taking the time to come to a premises for help and prices. the sooner people realise that if you dont get customers and take careof them then you might as well close the door. It only takes one example like your experience to put people off shopping there again. The quicker these places cop on the better for everybody.

Heatherview

Audioslaven

Well,

I am not going around growling for good prices. These guys have creamed it for far too long. I have given them a list and all the stuff should be in around 14k. I am also sending it to a guy in the North so it is going to be very interesting to see the difference. I even heard they deliver.

I will let ye know how I get on. I am not happy about spending my cash in the north but I am fed up of crazy prices in the south.

I even have a few builders quoting for the job and one guy came in way over.. I said you are living in the past. The days of asking what you want are gone.. wake up and smell the coffee..

http://www.frcathcartltd.com is one crowd I will be sending the list to

buck65

Guys in defence of builders providers in the south can I add the following.
We like the textile industry are charging more for items that can be bought in the north. The currency fluctuations have made this gap bigger but wholesalers and manufacturers are also creaming us builder suppliers in the south.
A well known roof window that costs aprox €130 to buy at cost price here is available to a northern merchant at aprox €107. A 12.5mm plasterboard that costs me aprox €4.80 is available to a northern merchant (as provided by a certain Rep Irish manufacturer) at €3.50 ish.
A certain Rep Ireland slate cmpany charge me €1.26 per slate and stg .96p in the north.
Cement is available to me from the UK at aprox €10 per tonne less than I pay a Rep Ireland company.
I understand that you would be frustrated with the builders merchants in the south but let me assure you that the margin on a roof of timber including slates etc would be in the region of 5-8%.
This is before it is pulled and delivered so the net margin may be half that.
Of course this is a competitive area and there are bigger profit items such as doors flooring etc.
What gets me is that alot of the mentioned companies are forcing through price increases again where oil steel have dropped and wages are stationary.
These companies enjoy a semi monopoly in this country and can force the hand of the merchant to a large extent. We like you have been fleeced for too long but things are changing and alternative suppliers are being favoured by me and alot of my colleagues for alot of products where brand isn't too important.

buck65

rosebill wrote: »

Hello
follow on from my message last night. Went down to local builders providers today to order large quantity of building products and not only treated as little old dear in a condenscending voice but also over charged while he told me how great he was giving me such a discount. Will have no problem going up north for the rest of materials and furnishings needed. Some things will never change down here. So annoyed.:mad:

That is ridiculous treatment, many of the bigger groups treat customers that way I would be surprised if this was an independent retailer.

rosebill

Hi
Update, rang builders providers this morning and voiced concerns over treatment and prices, so after appologies on their behalf and explaination of mix up, I was given a not too bad discount, so i'm feeling a lot better. As i'm project manageing this myself its very much a learning curve (curse) as I go along but next lot of materials shopping will certainly be haggled over. Thanks for expressions of concern

rosebill

Hi Audislaven
How did your cost comparisions go between north & south. I am going up north in 2 weeks or so, so I was wondering if it would really be worth it.
Thanks in advance

Heatherview

Hi Rosebill
When you get quote from NI you will need to go and the products. There can be a big difference in quality. a lot of imports coming in from europe mass produced shoddy, any imports from england are top quality especially sanitaryware/shower doors etc

Check it out before purchase see the products
Heatherview

f1_jb

I was looking for some stuff for my bathroom and priced in 4 different suppliers here all around same price within €20 on €2000 worth of stuff which is fine as they all have to buy from same supplier. When I pushed them for best price the 3 small suppliers who could probably hide a cash sale couldn't match Chadwick’s Plumb Centre so don't be afraid to haggle I always have and more so now good prices to be had.

I also spent some time trying to source same stuff up north but quality or range wasn’t as good, I have bought lots up north since January and make the trip every 2 weeks to fill the car with groceries where you can save a packet.

jennysen456

I know one home builder from north kent. you can check his website http://www.brickshireonline.com/builders.html

Also if you think that the cost is huge for doing a job on your house, I suggest you to take self help. What you can do is Google about things you want to change in your house and see if you can do those by yourself. I have seen people renovating their houses without taking help from the masters. Self help may not look as good as the work of master but it'll surely serve your purpose.
Builder or constructor may give you work of perfection.