What type of concrete blocks to buy?

[geraldthehamster]

There is no reason not to build it in dense concrete blocks, go ahead and use them, they are the cheapest option (at about 60p a block)

Where can you get 60p a block? I've just logged in to my Travis Perkins account and it's showing me £1.49, ex. Though I usually get better prices at the counter than Trademate shows.

Cheers
Richard

 

[jeds]

60p is a bargain. I'd get them ordered before they spot the mistake.

 

[tomfe]

If you use lightweight blocks you will love them for a few days up until the moment you finish laying them.

Are you talking about light aggregate block like a fibolite or an aerated block like a thermalite?
I've had no problems with light aggrogate can hang kitchen cuboards on them they take render and plaster well etc.

60p is a bargain. I'd get them ordered before they spot the mistake.

Turnbull do them for £6/m2 +vat (topcon) You have to know them though, or they are 65p each.
If you want 18/21t then interfuse do them for around the same no account needed

I have had some good prices from Jewson a pack (80) for £56inc but I can't get them to this price now.

I've just logged in to my Travis Perkins account and it's showing me £1.49, ex.

Wickes is £1.18inc a block -10% 'trade' £1.06 and they are owned by TP.

TP is a total rip off if I want to spend £6 on a bag of cement, or 70p for a engineering brick I go there. My terms with them are twice that on the counter and still they are too expensive. Support your local merchant!

 

[tomfe]

double post

 

[geraldthehamster]

Wickes is £1.18inc a block -10% 'trade' £1.06 and they are owned by TP.

Hmm. It seems I can get one pack (which is what I'm going to need next) for around £30 cheaper from Wickes than from TP. On the other hand Wickes delivery is 30-35 quid depending on day, and I can get free local delivery from TP. Swings and wotsits, though Wickes obviously win on larger quantities...

 

[tomfe]

Yes but wickes is not really trade is it, it's still a diy shed.
You should not be paying more than £1inc vat even with delivery for a dense concrete block that's just mad..
If Joe Blogs walked into my local builders merchant and asked for 1 pack of dense concrete blocks delivered, none trade, cash sale etc it would be 65p per block plus the vat so 78p, your local TP is just having a laugh but then again I have no idea where you live, how far they have to deliver, how posh you sound on the phone etc so it may be the correct price for you

 

[Danturboc]

Ok it just been to travis Perkins and asked for some prices, they said:

Standard 7n dense blocks, 450 blocks for 429.30 inc vat and free delivery

Cement bag 3.85 each + vat
Bulk sand 33.50 + vat

I told him I didn't have a trade account but wether he did me any favours or not I don't know. I haven't ordered them yet. How do them prices sound?

 

[geraldthehamster]

Yes but wickes is not really trade is it, it's still a diy shed.
You should not be paying more than £1inc vat even with delivery for a dense concrete block that's just mad..
If Joe Blogs walked into my local builders merchant and asked for 1 pack of dense concrete blocks delivered, none trade, cash sale etc it would be 65p per block plus the vat so 78p, your local TP is just having a laugh but then again I have no idea where you live, how far they have to deliver, how posh you sound on the phone etc so it may be the correct price for you

I know them quite well and generally get good prices. Could be it's just Trademate online taking the p1ss.

 

[jeds]

My contractors pay about 85-90p a block from Travis inc VAT. We've got about 6 branches locally so for larger quantities the branches will compete with each other. Don't think they're supposed to but they do.

 

[Danturboc]

That's not bad then the price he gave me only works out about £20 more.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I asked in my local TP yesterday when I was buying something else, and they'd give me 80p/block +VAT, which is 96p.

Cheers
Richard

 

[frusc]

60p is a bargain. I'd get them ordered before they spot the mistake.

Turnbull do them for £6/m2 +vat (topcon) You have to know them though, or they are 65p each.
If you want 18/21t then interfuse do them for around the same no account needed

I have had some good prices from Jewson a pack (80) for £56inc but I can't get them to this price now.

I've just logged in to my Travis Perkins account and it's showing me £1.49, ex.

Wickes is £1.18inc a block -10% 'trade' £1.06 and they are owned by TP.

TP is a total rip off if I want to spend £6 on a bag of cement, or 70p for a engineering brick I go there. My terms with them are twice that on the counter and still they are too expensive. Support your local merchant!

Unfortunately I doubt Turnbull and Interfuse will deliver to West London :/

I'll give Jewson a try on Monday. Can anyone recommend anywhere else near West London (Uxbridge) for Dense blocks (need about 500 initially)? So far its looking like ~£1.00 a block if I can get Wickes trade discount. Called a couple of local builders merchants and they quoted similar to wickes :/

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Hell fire I deal with that confusion every single day & it's so annoying. The names cause a lot of the problem.

Lightweight block aren't much lighter than the 7n dense ones in my opinion but when you say lightweight people can end up thinking ultralight (fibolite / klinker etc) or even thermalite /celcon / Durox / Quinn lite (aerated block).

The amount of customers we get who come to pick up their 'lightweight' block & then say that isn't what they want, they want that one over there instead.