Well its the time of year nearly again for opening easter eggs and enjoying a few days off with family and friends i know its a religious time too but im a non believer so just the eggs will do me.
So we do close for an easter break but we still answer emails and phone calls its just that we do not have the showroom open.
As for our Fireplace deliveries they are still continuing with Stuart working Saturday this week in what seems to be the whole of the South from Ramsgate right down to Eastleigh and many places in between.
I have the luxury this weekend of being off and im looking forward to a well earned rest we havent had a break since January and working 7 days a week takes its toll.
So for all you customers wanting a Fireplace or Stove you can order them on our website or ring us in person but im afraid we are closed for collections and viewing until Tuesday.
Orders placed on our website and via our sales line will be processed and orders confirmed but no collections or deliveries will commence until Tuesday.
This week again has been very busy and little has been done for you to view on our website but lots of background work is done for our new changes
Archive for March, 2010
Easter Holiday Opening for all your Fireplace Needs
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Lpg Gas inserts supplied for all our Fireplaces
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010A strange question was asked this morning as to whether we can supply an LPG gas insert which is Liquefied petroleum gas to us normal folk or bottled gas as it is more often known.
Now i thought i had covered this in our fireplace packages options but someone has asked me if an LPG unit can be supplied for the Coronet and Henlow Limestone Fireplace.
So im not sure how they missed it but after running through it with them an order has been placed excpet they went for the Crown and 54″ Henlow after a bit of advice regarding sizes etc.
Anyway these LPG gas fires are supplied by Nuflame which is a good UK Brand and im not sure why they are so much more expensive they tell me its something to do with the jets and the way it burns im not 100% convinced all i know is they cost us an extra £150 inc VAT hence the price difference on the packages.
So another order is placed and will be on its way to Rural Lincolnshire where they do not have mains gas however I have been told before by a previous customer the difference in price these days between Natural and LPG gas is not too much different so if you do require an lpg fire for all your fireplaces and even our stoves us here at Castfireplaces are able to supply that for you at prices that won’t make your eyes water
Solid Fuel Fireplaces and Stoves
Monday, March 29th, 2010So with the news reporting we are again heading for another cold snap and even in some areas a bout of snow it should come as no surprise for me to tell you that sales of solid fuel fireplaces and stoves are at the highest level they have ever been compared to gas and electric options.
We have seen increased amounts of usage for woodburning and coal fired stoves and fireplaces over the past few years so much so now that 65% of our current sales for March have been for real fire Fireplaces.
I supppose the price of Gas and Electric has alot to do with this still as we are charged far too much this so we find the majority of our customers are channging their Heat Sources to something more economical to run and if burning Logs something that is greener too.
It seems every road you drive down chimneys are again working and whispers of smoke are to be seen from people burning wood in there Fireplaces and Stoves
Also i have noticed the amount of people selling logs and as some of you may know from previous posts one of my good friends has a log supply company so anyone requiring good hardwood logs drop me an email and ill forward you his number.
So i am a big real fire fan and love open fires and flames so im really pleased people are returning to solid fuel there really is something nostalgic about an open real fire.
Jubilee and Chiswick Limestone to Basingstoke
Monday, March 29th, 2010Hi Mark
I have to say that I was more than happy with the service! The price was the best on the web, and delivery was prompt. All arrived in good order and undamaged. I would certainly recommend you to others!
All the best
Steve Perry Old Basing 29/03/10
Related Products
Jubilee and Chiswick Limestone Fireplace
Fireplace talk from us here at Castfireplaces
Sunday, March 28th, 2010Hello not much to tell you today as i have a surprise day delivering fireplaces in London and the South today as Stu our very friendly delivery driver phoned me last night saying he was ill and keeps being sick.
Having a ten hour trip today is not ideal when you dont feel very well especially whilst being sick.
Anyway a quick phone call made by me last night after Rhian had said he looked poorly so i went to his house to collect our fully loaded van
I thought i had been clever loading it all on to one van and Stuart was set for a busy day not anymore its now my job (that will teach me).
I altered my 2pm vieiwing till 4pm at our factory knowing i should be back in time.
So off i went again but imust say it wasnt as nice as last weeks run and no red brick house but there all delivered and all our customers were very happy.
We never let anybody down and we pride ourselves on our delivery and customer service so Rhian has been answering phones and taking orders so i dont have much to tell you today.
Cast Iron Fireplace Finishes Explained
Saturday, March 27th, 2010I am sure i have covered this before but today somebody has asked the difference between Highlighted and Matt Black.
Essentially there isnt much difference really except some details being polished but ill try and expalin more here with the help of a few photos so you can actually see which finishes are which.
Most of our cast fireplaces are available in different otions and they are shown as below
Black
This is where the whole of the fireplace is black in colour and it is matt black
Highlighted
All Raised edges of the cast iron are polished to a bright silver finish which “Highlights” the decorative details of the cast iron Fireplace. Half Polished is the same jsut a simple band of polished detail
Full Polished
As the name suggests the whole of the fireplace is bright silver and is completely polished
All these fireplaces are suitable for solid fuel but it is worth noting that full polished and highlighted finishes will tarnish around the bar area when using for solid fuel.
Regular cleaning with Metal polish will keep it looking respectable but once it has tarnished it can not be returned to its original shiny colour.
I personally don’t think it looks bad and to be honest in 15 years of selling fireplace we have never had anyone say they can not live with it.
Made to Measure Granite Hearths
Friday, March 26th, 2010We do on our website in our Hearths section have a listing which is called Made to measure Granite and Tiled Hearths.
Im going to expand on this item next week so customers can get a better view of what we can offer.
Made to measure hearths are more expensive than our standard stock size items but it is always chaeper to have this done than altering the floor or buying a new carpet when the old items have been removed.
We can custom make granite in the following options
Solid Fuel This is cut and slabbed underneath for expansion and contraction with no restriction on size
Gas / Electric A single one piece slab the largest we can make is 60″ x 24″ due to sheet size
Tiled hearths can be made in any size and in 6″ size increaes we offer a range of colours and we also offer a matt black tile which is popular and we will be listing a full range of Kerastar matt black tiled hearths on the site next week too.
Keratar tiles are slightl smaller as they are metric 150mm so a 54″ hearth ends up at around 53″
We dont think this is a problem and for customers wanting a matt black hearth it really does work anyway i will fill you in more next week when these items have been listed
Also coming next week is our new tile choice options but this may be delayed to after Easter as we have a few new sections to add
Customer Feedback on our Fireplace Service
Thursday, March 25th, 2010As most of our customer know and many people visting our site we do have feedback sections on our website where customers are welcome to leave us coments so we can post them on our site.
We have two ways of doing this either you can email us your comments to sales@castfireplaces.co.uk or you can use the actual product itself and follow instructions on review tab which is being launched next week so you can leave your product review.
Its all work in progress and now we have website up and running correctly we are going to spend the next few weeks tweaking it to how we want it to run.
Anyway the main feedback section is called Testimonials which will be featuring in our red banner at the top of every page so customers can read real reviews about us and the service we offer as well as what people say about our products.
Product reviews will be just that comments taken from our customer regarding the product only so customers can then read real reviews whils browsing the items to help them make a choice in the fireplace they are after.
So please keep your eyes out for all these changes along with the tile option update which works great in test mode so it wont be long till its all rolled out and implimented across the whole website
No rise in VAT on all our Fireplaces
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010Well it was budget day today and to be honest i really thought we were going to have to alter all our prices on our website and in our showroom with a new VAT rate but thankfully for now thats been put on hold.
As with most products we buy the Gallery range of fireplaces and stoves we sell does include VAT at the present rate of 17.5%.
Its a simple tax that is very difficult for customers to avoid and a lot of talk this week has been centered on an increase to 20% which effectively is you our customers paying £2.50 (aproxx) extra for every £100 you spend.
Anyway im glad that hasn’t come to light the country is in a bad enough state without people being charged extra to compensate banks borrowing our money.
Since the Credit crunch crisis here at Cast Fireplaces people have started to use Debit cards more now than ever before and Cash on Collection is very popular too.
I prefer Debit card for my online shopping as once its been taken from the bank its done then and you dont have to worry about paying credit card bill ontime but i do understand the ease of use with credit card should anything go wrong.
So with this little bit of Good budget news apart from Fuel Duty rise again our prices will remain the same so you can heave a sigh of relief that the Limestone fireplace you are looking to buy for £600 will not cost you £613.
Personally i think with all fireplaces burning wood seeing as it is carbon neutral there should be some form of VAT reduction due to it being GREEN i will write to MP and let him throw my letter in the Bin.
Do we sell replacement gas fire coals
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010I wonder if you can help me came the question just after i had finished eating my tea early this evening, we have had this gas fireplace in for nearly six years and use it daily in winter.
We have tried using the matt black coal paint which works fine but now they are really starting to look tired and need replacing.
As i listened to this story unfolding i knew exactly what they were talking about Ceramic Fibre Coals is that what you are after i asked.
Hooray came the reply you know what i mean we have tried our local shop and they don’t want to know, im suprised about this as they are an item that is easy to get hold of but some shops dont care about after service or spares.
Anyway to cut a long story short its just a standard 16″ gas taper tray from some brand ive never heard of and the coals are square in two slightly different sizes.
After a visit to the factory this afternoon and a phonecall to the customer 20 medium coals (which were very close size) are now on the re way to Newcastle (small lie its Consett but that isnt the phrase)
So when calling us here at Castfireplaces we normally can source items you think not possible so dont be afraid to ask any questions we will only laugh if its impossible