What to Consider When Choosing a Builders’ Merchant in Devon

When undertaking a new project, you should make sure to adequately plan and prepare for it in order to achieve a successful result.

One of the most important preparations is deciding on the materials that you will use. This is the first hurdle you need to jump over, because if your materials aren’t suitable or of a good enough quality, you are guaranteed to fall short.

It is recommended that you source your materials from a reputable builders’ merchant, whether you are in the trade or just doing some DIY.

Here are some things you should consider when deciding on your builders’ merchant:

Materials

You have to look at whether the materials you have in mind are available at certain suppliers and if there are suitable alternatives. This is a very early stage to be compromising at, so your priority should be the suitability of the materials for the job at hand.

There is no point in using substandard materials as you will either have an unsatisfactory result or you will have to do it again at extra cost.

Quality

There’s no point in purchasing materials for their low price alone. As we mentioned in a previous blog, this could result in you re-doing the project at an even greater expense (or even giving up completely and employing someone else to fix your mistakes).

Try to avoid purchasing solely online and visit as many stores as you can. That way, you can see for yourself which builders’ merchants have the best quality products.

Value for money

Before you start any job, you must take a look at what you want to order from various builders’ merchants in your local area - in this case, Devon - and speak to as many as you can.

It’s also worth looking at opening a trading account (trade account terms will vary at each merchant), as this could provide you with a trade discount (every little helps). However, keep in mind that this will only really be viable if you’re purchasing in large quantities.

You may even be assigned a merchant representative to negotiate for you and find you the best deals. If not, you can always email or call the builders’ merchant directly.

Convenience

If convenience and a hassle-free process is your main priority then it is worth picking your builders’ merchant based on whether they offer certain conveniences. These might include a trade-off service, where you can drop in a list of your plans and they produce a list of all the necessary materials and quantities.

Naturally, while this is very convenient, you need to trust in the competence of the builders’ merchant, so at the very least take a look at their customer reviews and speak to them directly before doing this.

You also need to consider their location in comparison to you, particularly if they do not do deliveries. While you may find materials cheaper somewhere further away, this could be negated by the inconvenience and cost of picking up the materials or the increased costs of delivery.