Speaking to Various people as you do when you see them out and about i bumped into Mr Walvin this week from Walvins timber in Ripley who has a huge yard at Ripley wwhere he supplys fencing timber and also has Ripleys biggest mound of cut and split logs for fireplaces and stoves.
Last year for the first time i had to but some as i ran short and i called on him as i know him reasonably well and have passed our customers his details.
Anyway he asks me how were doing etc and how busy we are and he then tells me he has sold triple the amount of logs last month October than he did the year before.
He then tells me all the trees he had bought in all summer and last year he will cut and split within the next two months but expects to be out of stock by the start of February.
He says he has tried everyone he knows in the timber trade to buy seasoned felled trees in but no one is selling any wholesale as they all know how short supplys are going to be.
So my advice to anyone who has a wood burining or multifuel fireplace or stove is to stock up on logs now before
A the price increses due to the cold winter months
B stocks do run out and people start selling unseasoned timber which does not burn well.
Writing this makes me think how lucky i am to have got drates full of it in the summer months that should keep my Tiger Plus stove burning away all winter
Posts Tagged ‘Stoves’
Fireplace Logs are going to be in short supply again this year
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010Weather has turned cold time to light our fireplaces and Stoves
Sunday, September 26th, 2010Ok im sat in my office tonight writing this little blog and i must admit the central heating is now on.
You can tell the weather has started to turn cold as when i was returning from taking my dog a walk early this evening i could see quite a few chimney pots with smoke coming out of them.
This really is a sure sign that inside they have a lovely roaring fire going either burning coal or logs, what better way can an evening be spent than in front of a real fire with your family around you.
Call me old fashioned or nostalgic but i really do love solid fuel and the warmth it supplies.
So our Stove is now made up ready to light and the log basket is brimming with seasoned dry ash and oak logs all ready to light at the slightest hint of the next cold weather snap.
All i need to do is to fill up our bin full of kindling ready to start the stove for the next few months of cold weather.
Our Tiger Plus stove is in for another winters hard use i hope it really does fill the house with a glow and the noise of it crackling away is fantastic, something you do not get with radiators and a combi boiler.
Im not saying i would exchange them but to have a solid fuel fireplace or stove is great and every house should have one.
With so many people returning to burning wood and coal sales are still really high and we have loads of stoves arriving again this week to replenish stock levels.
So if you wish to purchase a solid fuel fireplace or stove you are already at the best place so have alook through our website and order something to heat your home in mans most ancient form of heating Fire there really is nothing like it.
Defra Approved Stove Section added to our Website
Sunday, September 5th, 2010As with all things slight alterations are made to our website to make it easier for our customers to use and we have therefore decided to have a new section on our website for the range of stoves that have been approved by DEFRA for burning wood in smokless free zones.
This section is entitled Defra Approved and is where the Large Carron stove has now been moved too.
This section will be growing shortly to add the stoves which we are taking into stock mainly the Firefox 5 Cleanburn Stove, Tiger Cleanburn Stove and the Kooga Cleanburn Stove.
Also from the Carron range is a smaller Carron stove this will be added shortly too.
The advantages of a DEFRA approved stove are the fact that customers who live in smokless zones can now buy Stoves from us at fantastic prices that can used legally burning wood in there homes.
This has been quite restrictive prior to these new stoves arriving and have previously been very expensive, so keep an eye out on this soon to be growing section as we will be adding them as soon as we take them into stock which im told is not too long.
Most stoves will be added tomorrow so customers can preview them prior to them arriving and get a first glimpse at the photos and features of what we expect to become very popular items.
I have seen a preview of the new Pnik Gallery Brochure and they are featured in there so gallery themselves seem intent on pushing them too.
Firefox 5, Tiger and Kooga Clean Burn Stoves new to Castfireplaces
Friday, August 27th, 2010So with the addition of one DEFRA approved stove to our website last week we do have some good news about three other multifuel stoves that we will be adding to our ranks.
Two of them are slight variations on our original stoves and one is completely new.
Ladies and Gentlemen i would like to introduce you to the following
Firefox 5 Clean Burn Stove
Tiger Clean Burn Stove
Kooga Clean Burn Stove
The firefox 5 stoves are due into stock to us within two weeks the Tigers and Koogas will be slightly longer, all these have undergone testing by DEFRA so they can be used for burning wood in Smokless Zones so we really do now offer agood choice for those wishing to have solid fuel appliance in areas where you have to have DEFRA approved stove.
As you can see from the photos shown below not mush has changed with the Firefox and Tiger Stove but the Kooga is something a little different.
The stoves are slightly less effiecient than the standard modles i presume this is done to make them emit less fumes im not sure how as we do not yet have technical detailed info on them.
These stoves will be added to our website early next week so untill then check out the photos and see what you think
New Range of Fireplaces and Stoves soon to be added
Friday, August 20th, 2010As we are always on the look out for top quality fireplaces to compliment the range we currently offer we are very stringent with what we sell and basically we only want to sell the best.
Having sold gallery Fireplaces now for well over 12 years i know this range offers the best and is never compromised with price.
Yes we could follow others and fill our website with cheap nasty imports but that is not what we do we sell Fireplaces cheap not Cheap Fireplaces.
Anyway thats another story, we are soon to be adding a slightly different range to compliment the current range we offer and it really does add a whole new look to our range.
Im not going to tell you much more yet as other retailers avidly read our blogs and i like to be first offering new products and lines for them to look at.
What i can tell you though is we have the DEFRA Approved Carron Stove coming Monday which means we can now offer a wood burning stove for use in Smokeless areas which is fantastic for those of you that have been struggling to find something that will do this.
I have also heard talk of a new Firefox 5 for this Winter that is also DEFRA approved for the same thing so fingers crossed on that too i will let you know more when i do.
A Few more Timber Mantels are also being made to compliment the range we already have so those will also be along before the weather turns cold.
Keep checking back we have loads more to inform you all about.
Fireplace Brochures are Available to post out
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010As gallery stockists we do supply the full range of gallery fireplaces from both our showroom and also via our website.
You are more than welcome to come and view just ring us to make appointment but for those not wishing to visit us read on.
We have contemplated having a pdf brochure online for our customers to download but on feedback we have discovered our customers prefer to have it posted to them in hard copy so they can look through it at their leisure and indeed even cut bits out like one of our customers today told me they did.
We do have a full range of brochures from Gallery which are the Purple brochure containing all the Cast iron fireplaces with Timber and Limestone Mantels etc.
The pink brochure has Stoves and Firebaskets in and finally the green Brochure has modern suites in Jura stone and Limestone etc.
All these brochures are available from us free of charge and will be snt out in the post to you.
Not many if any other online fireplace companies offer this service along with our samples service its what helps make Castfireplaces different from the rest.
So if you do require a brochure we will be adding a Brochure request section on our website so you can fill in your detasils there and leave the rest up to us.
Stoves and Fireplace to rise with VAT Increase
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010As expected as it has been posted in most papers and on the news the rate of VAT we all pay on items is due to increase in price to a new rate of 20% which becomes effective from 04/01/2010.
Im not realy suprised by this rise and it will affect everyone and there is no way of avoiding it.
To put it bluntly buying a fireplace package from us before the 4th January at say a cost of £600 the governemnt get a cut of 17.5%, with the new vat rate the rate they recieve will 20% of the sale price which is a cost rise to our customers of around £12.76.
Whilst im sure its going to be unpopular with everyone it can not be avoided and every other company has to pass this cost on.
So really if you are thinking of buying a new Fireplace and Stove you do have a few months of forward planning to avoid this increase in price so make your plans a little earlier and save yourself a little money before the Government gets there hands on your hard earned cash.
And if you do not require one before then you can rest assured Castfireplaces will still be one of the most competitive prices online.
Where has this week gone in my world of Fireplaces
Friday, February 5th, 2010Well i can not believe it is Friday again it has been none stop all week which started with our new Fireplace Website going live on monday and with the few hiccups we had that was most of Tuesday and Wednesday gone, Thursday was gone too fast and today i have been delivering in York and Nottingham whilst Stu has been on Bristol Gloucs and Birmingham run.
We have loaded vans for this Sundays london runs and im now sat in my office at 8.30 pm writing this blog after finishing all the delivery notes.
Time always flys when you are busy but this week has been a blur.
Had an early evening visit from Adam our Rep bringing me some more images we have done with various arched and tiled inserts with a variety of different surrounds we have made all these will start to be added next week so again i have a busy week without even starting our day to day running of the business.
Thank god im off Saturday for a little break with my son Jaiden and a few of my mates to watch Forest,also we are meeting Adam there for a beer too and im sure a few of the other Fireplace Lads it really makes a good day out.
So not much will happen to our website over the weekend but keep your eyes out next week for some new categories and many many new Fireplaces and even a few Stoves
Worst Fireplace Delivery Day i Have Ever Had
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Today has been the worst experiance delivering fireplaces i have ever had it has been a nightmare, as most of our customers know we deliver fireplaces and stoves all over the UK using our own fantastic delivery service.
Well as we have been so busy and the snow had slightly disrrupted our normal service i was today heading to Esh Winning near Durham.
I set off at 5.30 am this morning and followed the gritting lorry right through to the A38 the road was fine and i carried on to M1,M18 A1 Etc.
All was going nicely and then i took my turn off to Esh Winning the roads again were fine until i came to the road i wanted and im not joking a foot of snow was in my path.
Luckily i wanted number one so i parked on corner and unloaded Firefox 12 onto our wheels and away i went 5 minutes later it was sat in customers house and i was on my way again splipping and sliding back to the main road.
So of to Durham i thought this was going to be easy 5 miles and 15 minutes on the sat nav it said which turned out to be a complete joke.
The road was black iced over all over cars were skidding and smashing into each other and going through peoples hedges and walls i turned straight round and took another route this turned out to be much safer but had the whole of the northern population on this road and it took me 1 hour 24 minutes to travel 5.2 miles.
So i arrived at drop number two to find snow blocked road again with around 400 yards to go so out came the barrow again and i carried a Tulip and Bedford Fireplace Gas package to the customers house in three trips this took me around 25 minutes as cars tried in vain to get off this road ive never seen ice and snow packed in like it it was like a scene from Scandinavia.
Anyway sweating like a pig i was sat back in my van dreading going to Billingham which was clear and then Maunby where i crawled at 10 miles an hour into a the Village which had snow and ice on the road, i thought at this point of RAC advice are fireplaces and Stoves really a neccesary journey but hey im here now and im not going back with them.
After this drop i was now 1 hour and 45 minutes late but it was all plain sailing after here with clear roads to Wetherby and finally home.
So that was my morning and half the afternnon from Hell i hope Stuart fairs better tomorrow in Swansea and Cardiff fingers crossed then.
Customer orders fireplace and set of tiles from California
Thursday, January 7th, 2010As most of our customers know we do offer a Mainland Uk delivery service and we have a few times before delivered items to shipping agents for them to be packed and sent abroad.
This is not something we advertise but if asked will wrap and palletise these items to be sent this way.
Anway early this evening we had a customer email us asking if we wrapped and palletised a fireplace and some tiles could he arrange to have it collected from our factory by his shipping agents when he next attends the Newark Antiques Fair.
Now i dont think we have dealt with him before but we have had a few orders from a lady from Kansas do this and had goods delivered to a shippers near Newark for them to be crated and sent to the USA.
This is fine with us we do not promote sales of Fireplaces or Stoves to any other country than the UK but it may be worthwhile looking into exporting them.
We do have forklift facilty and plenty of crates so ill investigate the option of sending itemsother than mainland UK.
We do have a fiar amount of items go to Northern Ireland and we use a very good company for delivery who charge around £125 -£150 for delivery but there the same as us Blanket wrapped and individually wrapped with a two hour timed delivery service. Believe me im not sure how some of these companies go on sending everything on carrier and by pallet the damages they must incurr and customers being let down.
Anyway thats not the way we do it our delivery service is the pride of our company.
I will return again to featured items on Friday i just thought i would share the thought of exporting fireplaces and stoves with you