Fire doors/Howdens - how do I get the best price from them ?

Somerset

I'm looking at buying four internal fire doors, one possibly two with glass. The carpenter/fitter has given me a Howdens Joinery Book ( to pick/for idea's ). If I go with Howden's what's my best way of negotiating/haggling or do they haggle ? This book doesn't have prices at all. Carpenter has 'suggested' I buy them myself ready for him - I don't think he wants to cover the cost before payment from me, or maybe he won't get a discount anyway.

Or does anyone have a recommendation for a 'keenly priced' fire door company ?

As I said, def one will have glass though possibly two, the others plain. And I'll probably go mid range ie ash or oak veneer - not the bog standard £40 job but not mega expensive either. Many thanks.

designermatt_2

You will have trouble getting any fire doors with glass in them for anything like that price! Fire proof glazing ( and I am not talking about georgian wired here) is very expensive.. about £500 per m2.

Somerset

Well I knew the bog standard was about £40 - £50. I was reckoning to pay about £100-£120 for the non-glass doors and maybe £200 for the glass one - but maybe that £200 is unrealistic ?

Still wondering how I negotiate a good price from Howdens for one with & three without glass?

andyhop

unless your trade and have a account with them most will turn you away

Discounts are set on how much you buy annually and how well you know the till operator!

Somerset

andyhop wrote: »

unless your trade and have a account with them most will turn you away

Discounts are set on how much you buy annually and how well you know the till operator!

In that case, I'm out of luck. Will they even price-match if I can find comparable on-line ?

andyhop

Somerset wrote: »

In that case, I'm out of luck. Will they even price-match if I can find comparable on-line ?

Howdens will not price match a on-line retailer,Your joiner only has to make a quick call,give sizes and he would be given a immediate price

Try you local timber stockist,brands to look out for are finewood and premdor

Supercali

I saw the internal doors I wanted (oak veneer) in Howdens but ended up getting the same ones from Wickes much cheaper than Howdens discounted trade prices. That was about 18 months ago.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-xapian&bsref=wickes&searchfld=&searchinvt=1&searchlike=1&itemsperpage=10&threshold=50&xptpl=wz_xapian_advanced&srchopt=C%2CV%2Cfiltercat%2Cproducttype%2Csortprice&carryfields=C%2CV%2Cfiltercat%2Cproducttype%2Csortprice%2Cname_C%2Cname_D&C=&ARG_DEFAULTOP=AND&searchex=geneva+oak

cattie

If you have a branch of Howdens near you you can pick up a price list of brochured joinery items.

When replacing a stable door last year my tradesman got around 65% off the list price of the door.

Check with Howden's that the glass is included with the doors, as with mine it wasn't & had to be ordered from a local glazing company.