On 30 July, 11:35, Fred wrote:
Hi,

I recently asked here about woods for a garden gate and you kindly
recommended larch or douglas fir. My local timber merchant only seems
to sell pine! I found a couple of other timber merchants via the
yellow pages. One never got back to me with prices; the other quoted
over two hundred pounds for Douglas fir for a 6'x3' gate. I almost
fainted, I think I'll go for the gate made of platinum instead! Surely
that's OTT?

I've been sent a catalogue from Build centre which lists both douglas
fir and larch but not prices. I hadn't thought of them as a timber
merchant before. Has anyone bought from them? Are they any good?

BTW I see that Wickes and B&Q now sell "professional grade redwood". I
wonder which company did it first and who is copying? Does this imply
that the other wood they sell - they say it's pine, I think it's
banana - is not fit for professional use

Has anyone bought any redwood from one of these "sheds" and was it any
good? Was the price any dearer than getting it from a merchant? I
think merchants are the only option for anything 2.4m long but when I
bought skirting and architrave recently, I am sure that Wickes was
about the same price as the merchant.

TIA

Buiders merchant just buy gates in and mark the price up. Go to your
local fencing supplier. It's best to look a bit scruffy. If you're
buying other items, posts hinges etc you will almost certainly be able
to beat the price down. Payiing cash & taking away immediately. (Roof
rack)
You need to be confident and seem to know what you're talking about.
Check prices on the internet. Don't be afraid to say you've been
elsewhere if it's neccesary.