Workshop including DIY tools, power tools
and fixings Outdoor Living - a fully comprehensive gardening range,
plus garden furniture and barbecues House Style paints by Dulux and Johnstones, with
a massive selection of wallpapers by leading designers Finishing Touches a super selection of furniture,
lighting, and home accessories
DIY
stores, Builders Merchants and Tool Suppliers
For some time there has been
a demise of the traditional builders merchant, to be replaced
with the ubiquitous DIY retail shed represented by the likes
of B&Q, Homebase and Wickes. The latter are often not as
well stocked in terms of traditional, heavy building materials,
so if you are doing serious building work, an account at your
local builders merchant is still a good thing to have. Find your
local merchant from the Builders
Merchants Federation -follow the link to 'members' then 'full
members' and choose your region for a full list.
To find stockists specialising
in environmentally friendly materials, visit our page on Green Materials.
If you are anything like the
author, you will probably spend far to much time travelling back
and forth to the DIY store or Builder's Merchant, having realised
that you forgot to buy that last tiny but essential widget, or
having decided that all the paint sample pots that looked so
good in the store now appear completely garish in your home.
You can cut down on visits, and give the environment a break
by ordering online -it works fine for ordering by brand name,
or for products that are fairly universal in nature, the only
problem is the need to be around to receive the goods.
See also our listing of electric tool manufacturers and hire companies.
Homebase -Britain's second largest chain of
DIY stores, with branches nationwide.
Jewson -builders merchant selling
timber and building materials across the UK.
Old House Store
-builders merchant for traditional and ecological materials -their
philosophy is based on the sympathetic and authentic conservation/
repair of old buildings, but the ecological basis of our products
makes them equally suitable for new-build projects.
One Stop DIY
-real and online DIY sales from their Northampton outlet.
Pages
DIY -independent DIY
store in port Talbot founded in 1918, serving both individual
and trade customers.
Travis Perkins
-leading national builder's merchant with 120,000 procts in their
range. Lots of online guides including their guide to selfbuild
-"build the dream".
Wickes -one of the leading building and home
improvement brands, with branches nationally.
How to do
it guides
BBC Homes
-useful step by step tips on carrying out a range of DIY tasks
from the Beeb.
DIY
Videos -videos of popular
TV series -Changing Rooms, Ground Force etc.
DIY
World -step by step
guide to various diy projects.
On
the Level is the title
of a weekly building column by Jeff Howell in the Sunday Telegraph,
London. The column is a mixture of observations on buildings,
the building industry, DIY tips, and consumer-related building
issues.
