Material costs

[cszjrh]

Hi All,

Now I might have been over optimstic when I opened a Self Build account with one of the national BMs but I was kinda hoping that would give me access to half decent prices straight off. Am I being tight or do the followng ex. VAT prices seem.... 'a little steep' ?

Dense hollow 7n blocks(440x215x215) - £19/m2 (I need 35m2)
Mastercrete - £4.43 (I need at least 80 initially)
Aggregate bulk bags - About £38
T12 Rebar (3m) - £5.24
A142 Mesh - £25
Mould Oil (5l) - £28
Cementone DP/WP'er (5l) - £14

Anybody like to give me some target prices for the above so I know what I should be aiming at? Like I say I'm only a DIY'er so not expecting full trade but I certainly expect to be pushing £3-4K through the tills over the next few months...

Alternatively anybody know any good independents that would deliver to Purley, Surrey.

Cheers,

John

[lutonlagerlout]

the prices seem inline with market conditions,you live in a rich part of the country and that will be reflected in what you pay
no rip offs there
to get top discounts a BM would be looking for 100k a year + spending
LLL

[GB_Groundworks]

Depending on what we are building we do 300k+ and get significant discounts

The quantities you are buyinh ain't going to get you much discount, try a local independent see if he can beat those prices

[rab1]

I know that the largest discount some of the UK main contractors get is worse that yours.

[digerjones]

i have a account with buildbase, the branch i deal with is very good with advice and prices, but you can't just ring them up and put a order in. you have to ring and ask best price then ring other bm up and get there best price, then go back to other one. keep doing this till you get best price and just because you have an account it dose'nt make much difference, also b+q or wicks might be cheaper. i am getting blue circle £3.50 +vat. or £3.00 each if i buy a pallet ful[60].

[lutonlagerlout]

mastercrete comes in those nifty plastic bags
so handy when it lashes down while the labourer is daydreaming
LLL

[digerjones]

i always use the plastic ones but this job was a big pour with the mixer, think we've been through about 25 tonne of ballast.i loaded the dumper with the ballast then chucked it in the mixer. i will see if i can load some pics.

[Dave_L]

Can't see much wrong with those prices for a low-volume buyer.

[digerjones]

sorry about the pics, its in a 2nd world war aircraft hanger

[GB_Groundworks]

Would it not have been easier to use ready mix?

We can't mix it as cheap as get it delivered

Good old wrist breaker mixer the fun of them on cold mornings hehe



Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1295993182

[digerjones]

theres proberly nowt in it, if you look behind the gear, theres about 13 bays inbetween the stansions that had,nt been concreted. so we just did it steady, i did'nt want to have 3cube in one go.

[lutonlagerlout]

theres something about the "duh -duh-duh-du -du -du-d-d-d-d-d-d-d" of those diesel mixers starting up,brings tears to my arm :;):
3 cube of the volumetrics is ok dylan,cost ya about £300 +VAT
6 tonnes ballast = £120 + 30 bags of dust = £100 thats a lot of knocking up for 80 quid
mind you different strokes for different folks as they say!
LLL

[cszjrh]

Cheers for the responses guys.

LLL - I might live in a rich area now but I was born and bred in East Lancs which certainly isn't! That's where I get my frugalness from.

Have found a independent that is coming in about 10-15% under those prices so will get a couple more quotes then get the stuff ordered.

Cheers, John

[lutonlagerlout]

john
when i said a rich area i meant that generally speaking if its a rich area stuff costs more
less competition,more money floating around etc etc

apart from the cement those prices look close to what i pay
be careful they dont come in cheap then add VAT later or try and charge for delivery
cheers LLL

[Ted]

Mould Oil (5l) - £28

If you want to save a few quid; I normally use diesel (or sometimes even old oil from my car!) for shuttering foundations, slabs, beams, steps and pillars etc (ie, stuff that will be later be rendered or tiled).

If the concrete is decorative (ie, a countertop or wall that will not be rendered), it is better to use a proper oil as you should get a better release/finish.

But I don't work in the UK and as far as I know release agent is not available in Angola. As there are no recycling facilities for old oil, it is better to get a further benefit from it rather than digging a hole and pouring the old oil in that, like most Angolans seem to...