Fixtures and fittings - builder buys or I buy?

M

MarkZ

Registered User
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Hi,

Am planning a small extension and am wondering whether I should buy as many of the elements as possible, or whether I should wait for the (yet to be found) builder.

The pros of me buying are:

  • I can shop around for prices
  • I get certainty on the quality of the items purchased.
  • Each set of items I buy removes a risk from the total cost since the builder can't give me a low labour figure and then bump up the total by charging a big margin on materials.
The cons are these I think:

  • I pay full VAT - the builder would only charge 13.5%. (is this true for all types of item - see below for types)?
  • I could make a mistake and the builder could say 'I cant use these'
The kinds of elements I'm thinking of are:

  • Electrical sockets
  • Radiators
  • Roof windows
  • Windows
  • Doors
  • Ikea kitchen incl appliances
  • Flooring (wooden)
  • Decking material

Any advice?
Mark
 
Last edited:
You are correct, if you buy the materials you will pay the full VAT.

Shopping around can be fun or a real chore depending on your outlook. Of course its your house so you should choose the doors, windows, sockets, kitchen and timber flooring.

Maybe get quotes yourself, choose your products and see if your choosen Builder can get the same products cheaper. If he can't, then do the deal yourself.

Check your local Hardware stores. You might be able to do a deal if you purchase a certain amount of materials from them - all your timber, slates, slabs, insulation, plaster, cement, screws, radiators, internal doors etc
 
Just to put you in the picture. You are indeed better to source and identify the items you wish to us and in most cases you can negotiate a better cash discount with individual suppliers / retail chains.

A builder will not have credit facilities with these shops so will have to charge you the full cost in any event.

The builder will have to charge an overhead fee to cover the handling, collection & any issues that may arise through faulty goods. It is very rare that you will get a cheaper deal buying through your builder, but you may get better value and peace of mind by paying him a little more for the 'headache'.
 
But would the advantages outweigh the 6.5% (21% - 13.5%) VAT saving? Or would his price typically gobble this difference up?

Thanks
Mark
 
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