Paving suppliers - Am i paying to much?

[Ambrose]

My suppliers are charging £86.00 + vat for each pallet (488 blocks) of ordinary 'brindle' block paving, (similar to driveline 50) i only need around 5 packs for the job i am currently quoting for, but have recently been told of a another local landscaper - that the prices i am paying for these materials in his eyes is too expensive!

I live in the Tameside area (near Stockport and Manchester) can anyone advise me of another supplier who can perhaps beat the prices i am currently paying?

My suppliers tell me this is the trade price they have given me, but i have saw the same blocks at a similar price available to the general public, etc at stores like 'Wicks' which is probably like 'B&Qs' prices!

Can anyone advise on other suppliers?

Thanks

[alan ditchfield]

That price does not seem that bad for Manchester, what block are they and have you asked the guy who said they were expensive where he gets his from?.

[Ambrose]

Thanks for your reply,

I think they are 'charcon' or something like that, 'driveline 50' blocks were over £114 a pallet.

Ive asked the bloke, but he said it was his boss who bought them, and when he sees him again, he will ask him where he buys them from. Also is £8 per 600mm x 600mm marshalls calder brown heritage flag about right as well? My suppliers have changed a lot of there prices since last year - so i need to shop around a bit now i think.

[Ambrose]

sorry, i got the above wrong - there 'omega' not 'charcon' blocks,

thanks

[Tony McC]

Omega are Brett blocks, probably brought in from the plant they took over from LaFarge at Barrowby in Leicestershire 18 months ago. I've not seen these yet, although I know the Brett blocks from Cliffe (in Kent) are generally sound.

I can't figure out why you're pricing blocks by the pallet - the only real way to be accurate is to work on a price per square metre, as different manufacturers use pallets/packs of different quantities. A single pack or pallet of, say, Tobermore Pedesta (200x100) contains helluva lot more blocks than a pallet/pack of, say, Plasmor or Marshalls 200x100 blocks.

[Ambrose]

thanks for your reply,

the area to be block paved is 5o sq m. the quote i had was for 5 packs of brindle blocks. i gave my supplier these measurements, and they said id need 5 packs. so im assuming that each pack must cover close to 10 sq metres per pack?

does that sound right?
the lad i spoke to about this over the phone, was a new employee of theres so theres a chance he could be wrong i suppose.

[Tony McC]

Brett's catalogue (reviewed in the News section on Feb 8th) reveals the following...

50mm blocks - 9.76m² per pack
60mm blocks - 8.08m² per pack
80mm blocks - 6.16m² per pack
100mm blocks - 4.88m² per pack and chuffing sore wrists!

[Ambrose]

thanks for that, its the 50mm blocks i was after, it appears that my supplier was right then or not far off.

cheers :;):