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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:53 pm
by bobandsheila
HI Everyone.
I've been reading all the great posts and am still fired up to do my patio. I had been put off from buying the Indian Sandstone but I feel a lot better now that the look and quality can be really good.
I like the dark colour slabs and at the mo have been looking at Stoneflair and Bradstone. Are these ok?
Then do I buy from companies like Paving Superstore or Simply Paving as they seem to be a great deal cheaper! I need a company that I can trust to deliver the grade one stuff.
Any advice would really be very greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Karen. 
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:54 am
by danstan
Hi Karen
I would urge you to support your local merchant or Garden Centre. If people continue to buy paving online, the specialist paving centres and merchants will soon be gone forever!! And this will happen sooner than people think!
It is at the garden centres and retail outlets that people see, touch and feel the products and pick their choice of colour - places like this also have over-heads. Colours should not be selected by looking through brochures and at online web-site pictures as these are more often than not, not a true representation of what the slabs look like 'in the flesh'
The problem arises when people see the products at their local retail outlet, whether a garden centre, builders merchant or whatever, pick up a brochure.... then buy it online in the comfort they have seen the product and know what it looks like etc.
However, with economic times like they are, talk to the retailer... they should be able to compete with the better known online web-sites. They have a rep they can liase with. You then have a local centre as a back up in case you require a few more slabs, a bit of advice (certainly in our case, we offer a great service and advice from a team of lads who have laid paving for twenty odd years) or generally any problems.
Ask around your local town - deal with a centre who have a good reputation - maybe an independent and this is no dis-respect to the bigger boys, but the independent may be able to make quicker decisions on price etc etc....Talk to them!
Just to re-iterate, in another couple of years it is the landscape and paving centres that will no longer be around - forced out of business by online retailers.
It is the landscape centres that a lot of the trade rely upon for good, quick service as they require products from stock at the drop of a hat, have account facilities and generally work alongside to make their living.
All the best
Dan Standley
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:14 am
by lutonlagerlout
dan is right to an extent,especially about overheads
i like butterfields in luton for paving,they take care of the stone and if you have any broken or misshapen flags they will replace them
if you buy online once you have had the delivery generally speaking ,they are not interested.
I pay about £21 per m2 inc vat for global stone from butterfields, a m8 of mine got 100m online for £1500 but it was poor quality stone,and he had to reject a lot of it
LLL
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:28 am
by Bob_A
Problem for people not in the trade is finding a local merchant that they can trust.
You may need to deal with many different merchants before you build up a relationship with one of them, something a one off buyer can't do.
Depending on where you live you local dealer may be a lot more (not a bit more) expensive, London prices are sky high.
Wish I had a Butterfields near me I would love to pay a little extra and buy local but I'm seriously considering buying online.
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:22 pm
by danstan
Hi Bob
Why would you not trust a local merchant or a choice of merchants, yet you would trust someone on e-mail who is based hundreds of miles away? It seems the wrong way around to me!
I agree that if prices are sky high thats a problem - but like i say.... try a local independant - ask friends and family who have done work in their garden recently... did they get good service etc etc
I notice your in Kent - Speak to Julian at Global Stone... he will put you in touch with a reputable supplier - they have a few retailers around your area. Or also - try Julie at Natural Paving (Doncaster) - same scenario, she will advise on good companies
All the best with your project Bob
Dan
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:06 pm
by Bob_A
Thanks Dan I'll look into Global Stone.
It's lack of recommendations and sky high prices that make me consider looking elsewhere.
The impression I get in the south east is a lack of customer service and unwillingness to compete compared to the north. Not saying that's gospel just how it seems.
I was interested in Stoneflair. I got a list of local stockists but none of them actually stock it, seems they just have dormant accounts with them.
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:58 pm
by bobandsheila
You seem to think the same as me bob.
If we could get the price and service we would buy local!
That said, I will be speaking to my local merchant on Monday to see if they can do better than the list price. Thanks for the advice on this guys.
So back to my original question, who isn't going to rip me off?
If I do end up going over the net I want to go with a good company. Also which manufacture is best?
Bradstone, Stoneflair etc.
I may change my mind completely and go for concrete flags or limestone now!
So many flags, such a small concentration span!!!
Karen:D
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:03 pm
by ambient
bradstone are ok also dalestone are quite good, usually find travis perkins will try to beat or match cheap prices and sell both ???
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:31 pm
by Bob_A
Perhaps it's just me or a trade thing but in my experience TP aren't interested in discounting.
Went there for 4 cavity liners to suit air bricks and they wanted really stupid money something like £20 each and when asked I got a 'no discount' from the chav behind the counter.
Went to an independant BM and got them for a fraction of the amount and I got a smile.
That's the sort of pricing and service I'm after, just a shame that BM only deals in utilty paving.
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:05 pm
by lutonlagerlout
travis perkins ,jewsons etc are multinational companies
when you go somewhere that is owned by a real individual you can talk to them
i would rather drive 20 miles out of the way than go to TP the amount they charge is unreal
LLL
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:48 pm
by msh paving
The travis perkins in kings lynn is doing discounts like mad at the moment its almost name your price,im paying less now for stuff than a year ago
It may have something to do with MKM opening 2 months ago,they are a very good merchant, stonemarket in stock
MSH
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:47 am
by ambient
msh paving wrote:The travis perkins in kings lynn is doing discounts like mad at the moment its almost name your price,im paying less now for stuff than a year ago
It may have something to do with MKM opening 2 months ago,they are a very good merchant, stonemarket in stock
MSH
same here in bolton we have 3 tp branches in the area and a buildbase you can play them off each other at the moment :p
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:58 am
by Bob_A
Bob_A wrote:Perhaps it's just me or a trade thing but in my experience TP aren't interested in discounting.
Got to be a trade thing then.
I don't begrudge the trade, if I had an account with TP I'd want the very best prices.
I'm hardly going to make my local independant merchant rich with the few odds n sods I need but I'm happy with Kundan Building Supplies (quick name drop)
Shame they don't specialise in paving.
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:40 am
by paul ush
My experience with national merchants is it depends on who you talk to, both between branches and within them. My local TP manager isn't really interested in quoting who I think are decent prices but one of the office guys does, so I always ask for him by name and get the price he gives registered on their system. They will also always match something quoted elsewhere - no proof needed, by the way. The 2 other TP branches in the area are far more competitive and interested, but they can't deliver to me as I'm outside their "patch".
The local Keyline depot is spot-on, however, regardless of who you talk (almost!). Always keen to do a deal, will source materials from other branches, delivers on time, etc.
The above stock Bradstone and Marshalls respectively, both ethically sourced, which is important to me.
The local garden centre isn't bad either, but that's not ethically sourced.
Point of the post? Phone up, talk, get some prices, phone back, negociate, go down and meet the person you've spoken to and look at the stone, etc., i.e. build a relationship. It can be frustrating but it's what makes the world go round!
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:03 pm
by bobandsheila
Oh come on guys,
I know Bob A muscled in and took over my thread, but I did start it (:D)
I did what you all recommended and went through my local merchant who recommended Strata sandstone. I don't know the company so have no idea what the quality is like.
No-one will answer my thread though!
Any thoughts from anyone as I would rather go through the merchant for all the reasons previously stated but don't want pants quality.
Cheers again everyone.
Karen. 