ᐅ Which building materials should I buy online or directly from a contractor?
Created on: 22 Oct 2016 15:10
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Winterkind
Hello everyone,
I am always in favor of supporting small trades. However, when it comes to building a house, we are (unfortunately) dealing with much larger amounts, so we are considering what to buy from craftsmen or local suppliers and what can be purchased online at a better price. I hope we can find a good balance.
I’m interested to know what you would definitely buy from a supplier and which items you believe help save the budget when ordered online.
Off the top of my head:
I am always in favor of supporting small trades. However, when it comes to building a house, we are (unfortunately) dealing with much larger amounts, so we are considering what to buy from craftsmen or local suppliers and what can be purchased online at a better price. I hope we can find a good balance.
I’m interested to know what you would definitely buy from a supplier and which items you believe help save the budget when ordered online.
Off the top of my head:
- Ceiling spotlights
- Interior doors
- Building materials
- Tiles
- Parquet flooring
- Sanitary equipment
- Wood for stair treads
B
Bieber081524 Oct 2016 09:18Online retailers are still retailers, and I approach this completely objectively. The real question here is:
Do I A) buy the shower (as an example) as a complete package including delivery and installation? Or do I B) buy the shower separately, arrange the delivery myself, and then handle the installation as a third separate step? Naturally, option A) is hassle-free (request a quote, place an order, carry out an inspection, done), whereas option B) is considerably more complicated (having to deal with all those steps three times, plus the challenge of finding someone willing to install materials supplied by the customer*). And of course, option A) is also easier in terms of warranty, because the installer and the delivery service can’t blame each other, which they definitely would in option B). Of course, option B) has to be significantly(!) cheaper for it to make sense...
* We’re experiencing a construction boom, keep that in mind. The customer is threatening with an order, the tradesperson just assigns a number... ;-)
Do I A) buy the shower (as an example) as a complete package including delivery and installation? Or do I B) buy the shower separately, arrange the delivery myself, and then handle the installation as a third separate step? Naturally, option A) is hassle-free (request a quote, place an order, carry out an inspection, done), whereas option B) is considerably more complicated (having to deal with all those steps three times, plus the challenge of finding someone willing to install materials supplied by the customer*). And of course, option A) is also easier in terms of warranty, because the installer and the delivery service can’t blame each other, which they definitely would in option B). Of course, option B) has to be significantly(!) cheaper for it to make sense...
* We’re experiencing a construction boom, keep that in mind. The customer is threatening with an order, the tradesperson just assigns a number... ;-)
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Peanuts7424 Oct 2016 09:55I would definitely buy everything online that you can install yourself. Just with the electrical equipment, we saved about 40%, which is several thousand. The same goes for all the bathroom ceramics, which also cost almost 50% less online. We saved several thousand on tiles as well by purchasing them online. I would just make sure in advance whether you can install it yourself or otherwise confirm that the material can be installed at a reasonable price, so you don’t end up with piles of materials that no one is willing to install for you...
Peanuts74 schrieb:
We also saved several thousand by purchasing the tiles online. Were you able to see and feel the tiles in person beforehand, or did you order them based only on the online photos?
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Peanuts7424 Oct 2016 11:01world-e schrieb:
Did you have the chance to see and feel the tiles in person beforehand, or did you order them based only on the online photos?For example, for the wood-look tiles, we visited numerous stores but couldn’t find anything we liked. Then I saw some nice tiles online, and the retailer sent up to three samples, which I believe was even free of charge. We ordered one of the three samples – not the one we had initially preferred based on the photos, but from the same series.
In specialized stores, the price was around €90 (about $100), while online shipping was under €50 (about $55).
We bought some of the bathroom tiles from local retailers since the price after negotiation was only slightly higher, but for the main bathroom, we also ordered online (after seeing them in the store) because it was about 30% cheaper.
Hello,
we also removed quite a few things from the general contractor’s scope:
Interior doors,
hardwood flooring,
and sanitary fixtures, but only the toilets and sinks. Shower rods, walk-in showers, and bathtubs remain with the general contractor.
Interior doors and hardwood flooring will be installed by a professional with me assisting.
I sourced the materials from local suppliers, who even beat every online price by a significant margin!
Toilets and sinks were purchased through the usual “big-box store” approach. I will install those myself.
Our tiles came from a tile showroom that works together with the general contractor. I would always recommend buying tiles locally—good advice there is invaluable. In the end, tile prices were also lower than the same tiles online.
Best regards,
Andreas
we also removed quite a few things from the general contractor’s scope:
Interior doors,
hardwood flooring,
and sanitary fixtures, but only the toilets and sinks. Shower rods, walk-in showers, and bathtubs remain with the general contractor.
Interior doors and hardwood flooring will be installed by a professional with me assisting.
I sourced the materials from local suppliers, who even beat every online price by a significant margin!
Toilets and sinks were purchased through the usual “big-box store” approach. I will install those myself.
Our tiles came from a tile showroom that works together with the general contractor. I would always recommend buying tiles locally—good advice there is invaluable. In the end, tile prices were also lower than the same tiles online.
Best regards,
Andreas
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