A guide to buying and storing construction materials
Building materials play a crucial role in the completion of any construction project. Read on to learn more about how to purchase and safely store these types of supplies.
Placing orders for materials
Purchasing construction goods is not as simple as you might initially think. Before ordering any items, determine which exact materials you'll need and in what quantities. Your budget, construction plans and personal preferences will all need to be taken into consideration during this process.
Whilst it is technically possible to work all of this out on your own, it's far more sensible to enlist the help of your contractor, as well as a structural engineer and an architect when shopping for supplies. Their input will ensure that you don't end up wasting time and money on ordering unsuitable materials which aren't right for your chosen property design. They should also be able to advise you on whether or not the supplies you're considering buying will meet the relevant building regulatory requirements.
When the time comes to order your materials, don't be tempted to buy them all from the same supplier without first checking if other merchants can offer you a better deal. Whilst it's admittedly a lot more convenient to buy everything from one company, it's rarely the most economical choice.
In addition to visiting plenty of brick-and-mortar showrooms and hardware stores, make sure to look online for discount supplies. When you spot items that you think might be suitable, request some samples before you make a purchase; these are usually free and will prevent you from squandering your resources on the wrong products.
Double check that you are ordering your chosen materials in the correct quantities before you hand over any cash. Discovering, for instance, that your steel or aluminium supply has run out when your builders are only midway through fitting the roof could be disastrous. Having to order more supplies will not only result in costly delays but in this example, could also lead to water damage in your half-finished property, as rain could end up seeping into the house through the unfinished sections of the roof.
On-site storage of materials
It's vital to take good care of your construction materials. Failing to do so is likely to result in your supplies being damaged by moisture, accidental impact and temperature fluctuations; this, in turn, will leave you in a position where you have to waste more of your time and money on buying replacement goods and disposing of the unusable products.
Concrete blocks, for example, can break quite easily if they are dropped. As such, it's important to minimise the chance of this happening by unloading them from the delivery truck one by one and stacking them uniformly, so that they are less likely to topple over.
Rainwater and humidity can also wreak havoc on construction materials; stainless steel and aluminium, for instance, can be corroded and stained, respectively, by moisture. To prevent this type of damage, aluminium supplies should be dried thoroughly before being put into storage. If stainless steel materials need to be kept outdoors for an extended period of time, they should be painted with a temporary protective coating to prevent rainwater-induced rusting.