Builders School 101: Tips for Selecting Building Products

Any experienced builder will tell you that product selection is critical to basic business. There are a lot of things to look out for when selecting building materials. Finding good suppliers who stock the top-quality products you need is also very important. Let’s take a closer look.

Product Selection Musts

The biggest issue for builders is finding top quality products. Experience will teach you which products are the best, but it can be an expensive, frustrating process. There’s nothing more irritating than “Brand X” products which can be anything. There’s plenty of garbage on the market, if you know where to find it, and it’s nothing but a waste of money. Dodgy timbers, unknown but mysteriously cheap building materials, you name it; they’re all there to cost builders time and in some cases a lot of money fixing the messy situations these inferior quality products cause.

You need to add a few quality controls of your own, to avoid these issues.

For example:

Market leader brands are a good benchmark for any type of building or roofing material, including metal roofing to guttering. Top brands are generally reliable, and not often much more expensive than Brand X.
Name brands are also a good benchmark for comparison when you’re researching acquisitions for a project. The product specifications on the name brands are usually 100% reliable. Does your Brand X alternative stack up against a proven product? If not, you might as well stick with your proven top brand.
What sort of pricing are you seeing, when you’re selecting products? Good suppliers ALWAYS price competitively. Builders aren’t charities, and they need good prices for the profitability of their own businesses. The rationale here is that “Too expensive = Too expensive”.

Suppliers

Good suppliers are a major asset for any building business when it comes to product selection. Most builders source from highly reputable suppliers for that reason. Manufacturers and major distributors are also excellent sources for the latest products, giving you a chance to explore the new stuff coming on the market.

The rule here is that the market leaders are also your instant guide to quality, prices, and supplier services. You’ll notice over time that ALL good suppliers of building materials offer a range of support services to their trades clients. They’re there when you need them for ordering, product info, problems, and the inevitable “Where do I find….?” sourcing issues. There’s always something that needs finding, usually in the middle of a job, and whatever it is must, of course, be found yesterday. Good suppliers will nearly always have your problem solved by the end of your phone call.

That’s a good working relationship, and it pays off well for builders who have a ready solution on standby when they need one.

Ask Rollsec

Rollsec are leading suppliers of top quality metal roofing, rainwater products, flashing, guttering, and everything you need for your roofing in Brisbane. Give us a call on (07) 3041 4980, or contact us online.

Product Selection Musts

You need to add a few quality controls of your own, to avoid these issues.

For example:

Market leader brands are a good benchmark for any type of building or roofing material, including metal roofing to guttering. Top brands are generally reliable, and not often much more expensive than Brand X.
Name brands are also a good benchmark for comparison when you’re researching acquisitions for a project. The product specifications on the name brands are usually 100% reliable. Does your Brand X alternative stack up against a proven product? If not, you might as well stick with your proven top brand.
What sort of pricing are you seeing, when you’re selecting products? Good suppliers ALWAYS price competitively. Builders aren’t charities, and they need good prices for the profitability of their own businesses. The rationale here is that “Too expensive = Too expensive”.