Building materials

[Tom]

I am due to start a garage conversion partitioning of half of my detached garage into an office, the other half will be left as is and used for storage. Where is the best place to buy insulation, plasterboard, plywood/chipboard and timber for making frames/stud walls? I have looked at B&Q but would imagine prices to be cheaper else where. I have limited experience of buying building materials and as the new "room" is going to be about 4m x 4.5m i will need quite a few items. Do Travis Perkins etc. sell to the public and in your experience are local builders merchants generally cheaper, are there any other places to consider? I based on the Wirral in the N/West so if anyone is local maybe they can recommend somewhere.

Sorry for the simple questions but i thought you guys would be the most experienced to ask!

Thanks Tom

[deano]

Hi Tom.

Stay away from Travis Perkins... me and my friends call them Harrods! I'm sure you can guess why.

For sheet materials (and some timber: 4x2" etc) try your nearest Magnet Trade Counter. Known mainly for their kitchens, they have excellent prices on ply, plasterboard and some insulation. They use these as loss-leaders to get the tradesmen through the door, rather than just the usual Mr and Mrs Bucket, who wan't to see all the nice display kitchens before realising they can't afford the prices.

Also, if you have a Celco's somewhere near you, try that.

Try and avoid all the TV advertised sheds, as you will pay for poor materials, unless hand chosen and sorted, and will get no help or advice.

Find out your local timber merchants and visit them, but study up on what you need first so that you sound like you know your stuff... you will then get a better discount, which you should ALWAYS ask for, again and again. If you can make them think you're a trader (of any sort), you'll get the reduced prices.

HTH Good luck.

deano.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Tom wrote on 23/08/2006 :

I find timber reclaimers a good source. Not only do I find they are really cheap, but the age of the wood means it will be well seasoned and you will be doing your bit to conserve resources - especially if the wood will be hidden from view.

Just make up a list of sizes and lengths, then ask a local supplier to quote a price for what you need.

[Norman Billingham]

The best answer is to shop around. TP sells to anyone these days - their days of being trade only are long gone. My experience with TP is that they can be cheper or more expensive - depends just what you are buying. They will deliver to your door at no extra cost. A lot of their stuff is higher quality than the sheds.

Make a list and use the phone to get quotes from local builders merchants.

If you are putting up stud walls it may be worth looking at the metal stud sytems sold by people like British Gypsum or Lefarge - you can find all the data on their web sites. Goes together much faster than timber and all the bits are straight so you get nice flat walls.

Whatever you fix to, if you are using plasterboard then use drywall screws to fit it, not nails - you get a much nicer job.

Work out how many power sockets you will need at maximum, then put in twice as many!

[Vass]

I was going to do this, in an internal door to the house, after questions on here, I found I needed plenty of clever stuff, fire seal in door, step, change of use applications and all sorts so I gave up the idea. If your not going to install a new door to the house good luck ! but thought I'd make you aware

[simonsmith.uk]

father in law swears by Beesley & Files , not sure how close they are to you, but the are trade . and friendly , and deliver.

Probably worth a phone call

[Tom]

The garage is detached so i do not have any of the above problems, luckily!!!

Tom

[Phil L]

B&Q is your best bet for insulation, p-board and scant (3x2 timbers for studding)...don't forget you'll also need drywall screws (if you have an electric driver) or clout nails, scrim, skim beadings and of course skimming (board finish). We use masses of these and we always get them from B&Q, nowhere else comes close on price.

There's a B&Q warehouse just near the tunnel coming from your end, don't even think about Travis Perkins, we've recently paid them almost £600 for plastic drains and manholes for the job we're on only to find out a few days later that the exact same ones at another builder's merchant would have been less than £300 - they would have been cheaper than this at B&Q but they have a very limited stock....for the stuff you require, there won't be much price difference at most BM's, probably only a few quid, but B&Q will beat them all.