by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 9, 2017 | Uncategorized
Cliff and Ian recently visited Kebur’s porcelain suppliers in Italy and Spain to check out the manufacturing process, the product ranges and to strengthen our partnerships. In Italy most of the many producers are based in or near the Sassuolo area, just south of Modena in the province of Emilia-Romagna. In Spain it’s very similar with a high concentration of factories in the Castellon area just north of Valencia. Whilst there are many tile producers, a relatively small proportion currently produce the 20mm thick tiles suitable for exterior paving. In all the factories we visited, the manufacturing process is very similar. Technicians scan real wood, stone or concrete pieces that they want to recreate as porcelain tiles. The scanned images are then manipulated or “photoshopped” to produce a series of designs for the tiles. The carefully selected raw materials of clay, sand and other minerals are mixed and stored in silos. Different colours are produced to form the appropriate coloured bodies for each specific type of tile. The silos then feed large presses that press the tiles in molds at around 600kg per cm². At this stage the formed tile is solid but can be snapped like a biscuit. The tiles are then dried to remove the moisture, before moving on to a conveyor system where a glaze is applied and then digitally printed, with the ink penetrating through into the top layers of the paving. This relatively new digital printing technology has hugely improved the quality of the final appearance of the tiles in recent years. Robots transport the tiles in giant racks from one stage to the next....
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 22, 2017 | Landscaping
Porcelain paving advice Since the launch of our Contempo Porcelain earlier this year, we have had a lot of interest from customers and many of the landscapers have been cracking on with some impressive installations. We are always happy to talk to you about preferred laying methods and the advantages of porcelain as a paving material. Just call or ask in our office for details and view our full range of porcelain paving on display. Reward on Cement Purchases At Kebur we supply the Hope Professional Grade Cement. A strong, durable cement in plastic bags with consistent colour, great workability, frost protection and reduced bleed. Hope Cement have a Reward Loyalty scheme which means you collect points on bags of cement you buy. Build your points to collect rewards in the shape of vouchers from John Lewis, River Island, Red Letter Days, iTunes, M&S and many many more. Simply download the very user friendly app from the App Store or Google Play and start building your points. Simple to use, all you have to do is select Kebur Garden Materials as the stockist, Professional Grade Cement as the product and upload a picture of your receipt. And as an added bonus in April, Hope Cement will be giving away a Ford Transit Custom Van to one lucky Hope Cement App user. For any further questions please call us on 01252 517571 or email us on...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
Cliff and Ian embarked on a business trip to India to meet up with their suppliers to witness production practices, look at new products and schedule natural stone landscaping products for 2017. DAY 1 Our flight finally arrived in Jaipur in the early hours of the morning after an early start from Heathrow. After going through more security checks we headed for the airport money exchange to change some of our Sterling. Last week the Indian government had, without warning, decided to discontinue the 500 and 1000 Rupee notes from circulation causing mayhem and money shortages throughout India, so with this in mind we headed for the airport money exchange. We were quickly told that there was no cash available and told to try an ATM. The problem here was that there is a limit of 2000 Rupees (which is about £25) per card. We were however lucky and managed to obtain our limit in cash. Little did we know that getting more cash would be a problem due to them all being empty. We finally arrived at the hotel at 4am. We arranged for Roopesh to pick us up at 11:30. Roopesh is one of our stone suppliers in India that we have been dealing with since 2012. Roopesh and his brother in law Guresh picked us up, and took us back to Guresh’s office to view some stone samples including paving and a mixed selection of cobbles. We were then taken to an industrial area in Jaipur to visit a cobble manufacturing yard. After this we had a late lunch and were then dropped off in Jaipur’s Pink or walled city which...
by Ian Metcalfe | Sep 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
Phyllis Tuckwell provides Hospice Care service for adult patients, and their families, affected by cancer or other serious progressive illnesses and has done so for over 35 years. Many local people will be fully aware of the fantastic support they provide. The NHS/Government only covers 20% of their costs, which means they rely heavily on the support and generosity of the local community. Kebur are supporting the Phyliss Tuckwell trades fortnight by donating 10p for every bag of cement...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jul 14, 2015 | Landscaping
Introduction With the influx of imported natural stone over the last decade or so, more and more people are turning to it for an affordable paving solution for their patios. There are many different types of natural stones such as; sandstone, limestone, granite, basalt and slate from countries such as India, China, Vietnam, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Portugal to name just a few that are commonly used for paving projects. There is a huge range of colour options available, especially when looking at sandstone and limestone options and of course the beauty of natural stone is the variations in colour that can range from subtle to more pronounced depending on the type of stone selected. Furthermore there is a variety of natural stone paving finishes. The processes and finishing applied to a stone can mean that a completely different look and effect can be achieved using exactly the same type of stone. Some finishes are better suited to certain types of stone. In the example below, Fossil Mint Indian Sandstone which is an extremely popular option for paving is finished in several different ways. The most common and cost effective is the natural finish, the tumbled antique finish gives a softer, time-worn look whilst the honed and sandblasted finishes create a more modern look and a completely flat surface, with the sandblasting providing greater grip. When stone such as this is honed or sandblasted many of the markings (which some may view as blemishes) in natural stone tend to disappear and a more even colour tone is achieved. This next example illustrates how different Asian Blue (Vietnamese) Limestone can look...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 25, 2015 | Landscaping
This Spring sees the introduction of a number of new products at Kebur and a common factor amongst many of these lines is providing a long term landscaping solution that stays clean or is easy to maintain. With an increased interest in higher end processed natural stone our customers are requiring a suitable sealant to protect their investment. We have introduced Dry-Treat sealants at Kebur and have already received positive interest and sales. Dry Treat STAIN-PROOF Original is an impregnating, invisible and breathable sealer that provides premium permanent protection for natural stone, tiles, pavers, concrete and grout from water and oil based stains and damage caused by water and dissolved salts. A unique super-penetrating, permanent bonding technology provides long-term protection and a 15 year written performance warranty can be provided if applied by a Dry-Treat Accredited Applicator. Treated surfaces are easier to clean, slowing mold and mildew growth therefore keeping surfaces looking new for longer. Dry-Treat Original retains the natural surface color and finish, whilst Dry-Treat Intensifia is a deep colour enhancer and premium sealer. What then, if you have a patio that was laid down two or three years ago that has become very grubby with black spots and lichen ruining your once beautiful patio? Well we have a brilliant solution. Patio Black Spot Remover has been proven to provide outstanding results with customers all but given hope on restoring their patio being completely amazed by the results that Patio Black Spot Remover produces. Black spots are black lichen. Tiny dust-like spores grow on the underside of leaves on trees and plants and are then carried, by the wind and the rain, onto your stonework...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jan 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
Almost through January already and we are busy preparing for the season ahead. Bradstone and Stonemarket have launched their new product ranges as discussed in our post a couple of months ago. A late addition to the new products by Bradstone is “Mode”, a modern porcelain paving available in two surface finishes, each available in four colours. The porcelain paving concept seems to be gathering increasing momentum and popularity, which Bradstone have picked up on. The Mode paving slabs come in 600x600mm size. Both the Bradstone and Stonemarket 2015 brochures are available to collect in store and we are impressed with both in clear easy to follow formats, neatly illustrating their range of products and providing inspiration to customers. Our new price guide has also been printed and again this can be picked up in store. We are looking at refreshing our outdoor show areas with some of the new Bradstone products as well as some existing popular ones. We have several new display boards on order from both Bradstone and Stonemarket and are hopeful of receiving these soon to showcase a number of additional paving ranges. Furthermore we now have an account with Brett paving and are ably to supply their products to order. We look forward to developing this relationship. Talking about displays, we have a couple of new display sheds due to arrive this week and we are excited about the Sunningdale Summer House we have coming in. A modern style summerhouse. Regarding other new products for 2015, Grange our main fencing supplier are launching a couple of new continental style panels as well as new types of...
by Ian Metcalfe | Dec 3, 2014 | Landscaping
Kebur Garden Materials recently assisted New Scotland Hill Primary school in a new sensory garden project. Regular trade customer to Kebur, Mark from MD Landscaping was also involved as Yvonne Bird, PTA School Liaison Officer explains: “New Scotland Hill Primary School and Nursery have been busy creating a new sensory garden to be enjoyed by all the children. In the Summer Term, the Eco-Coordinator, Natasha Feeney, and the Eco-Committee held a whole school competition to design a sensory garden. The winner, Jake (Year 4), had his design created along with some of the other ideas from the entries. All the children who entered the competition and the Eco-Committee helped to plant an exciting range of plants and herbs with different smells and textures. Every child in the school was also involved by decorating boards with handprints in the four house colours of red, yellow, blue and green. Tyres and benches were also painted in the house colours and chimes added to the trees. We have a wonderful music wall made from recycled pots and pans and two resident scarecrows. The whole project could not have been possible without the help and support from a number of parents, the volunteers from the Community Partners scheme at Waitrose in Sandhurst, materials donated from Kebur Garden Materials and Heathlands Garden Centre, support and material from East Berkshire Fencing and the money donated from the Crowthorne Trust. We’re all now very much enjoying our new space and look forward to developing the garden further in the future. We have also enhanced the front of our school with a new planter made with timber...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 27, 2014 | Landscaping
We have had a chance to view the new additions to the Stonemarket range for 2015, whilst we have also seen pictures of the new Bradstone products for 2015 and look forward to receiving samples from them in the next week or so. Both of these national hard landscaping manufacturers that supply us have quite a lot to unveil for the season ahead and the new products will be shown on our website as well as in our show areas early next year. The forward thinking and trend setting Stonemarket, are launching an on trend smooth polished concrete flag, fine blended with the aggregate exposed. This range titled ‘Excelsior’ will come in three sizes and be available in three colours; dalmation, ash and barley. At Kebur, we have noticed a considerable upturn in sales of sawn and smooth sandstones, especially in the last year and that coupled with the fact that it looks like a lovely product, we are anticipating great interest in the new biscuit coloured sawn sandstone with subtle banding and a granular appearance that Stonemarket have titled Beachside. Stonemarket are also adding a decking tile format to their Timberstone range in both the Driftwood and Copppice Brown shades. They will be introducing Templeton Driveway Setts, similar to the Millstone Driveway setts in design but with a more of a contemporary look. This will work on the same basis as the Millstone Setts, direct to site only and supplied with the jointing compound. Porcelain paving is a relatively new but expanding sector and Stonemarket have launched their own ranges which they refer to as vitrified paving. Gravity,...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 17, 2014 | Landscaping
Sleepers can be used in a wide variety of building and landscaping projects such as steps, planters, edging, terracing, fencing/screens and benches. A number of different types are available and at Kebur Garden Materials we supply three main types as outlined below: Reclaimed Sleepers; These are the sleepers that have been on the railway. They provide an attractive rustic look but caution must be taken when handling these as they can be very heavy. Avoid skin contact and don’t use in public or play areas. New Softwood Sleepers; Lighter in weight and easy to use, these sleepers are pressure treated for long lasting protection. New Oak Sleepers; A relatively new choice in garden landscaping sleepers, these European Oak Sleepers are surprisingly good value. They provide a neat modern look and have become the most popular choice in our range. When using sleepers for steps and terracing, concrete the sleepers in on a 100mm deep bed. Haunch at the back end of the sleeper and if possible, the front end too. If using sleepers for a low border or planter it may well be sufficient to fix a wooden post or spike behind the sleepers and fix this into the ground. There are various ways of connecting sleepers together if building planters or walls. Steel road pins are a good way of securing a higher stack of sleepers. Long landscaping screws that are counter-sunk into the sleeper is perhaps the most popular method, whilst metal plates and corner braces on the inside of the build also prove useful and help keep the build nice and square. Sleepers can be incredibly versatile and using them vertically can...
by Ian Metcalfe | Sep 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
Kebur have been enjoying a busy summer with plenty going on. In the last couple of weeks a website has been launched where you can buy full packs of Bradstone online and have them delivered nationwide. Check out the site. We are in the process of building our new main website as well. A few final things need to be sorted but we expect to launch the site in early October. We hope our new site is going to be user-friendly with a more clean and modern feel to our current site. The aim is to have simple navigation and an improved search function. You will also be able to add products to a basket/list for a quote request. Having been quite busy this year we have had to purchase another teletruk forklift to cope with the loading and unloading of lorries in our yard and to keep the place tidy and organised. Mini Me is happy as this one has a “door” so he can stay nice and dry! We have also invested in a device called “Nail Biter” which is in effect a large magnet on wheels that can be pushed around the yard to pick up loose nails etc. With regards to stock issues, we are pleased to say that the fencing situation finally seems to be easing with lead times shortening. Lap panels should be readily available for all sizes within the next couple of weeks and our suppliers are also trying to get the lead time down on closeboard panels as well. Bricks are also becoming more readily available and we have stock of the Warnham Red,...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jun 9, 2014 | Uncategorized
Almost halfway through the year already and what a busy year it has been so far. A quick update on what has been happening at Kebur in the last few weeks. The Thakeham paving part of our indoor showroom has been completed We have added a new lorry to our fleet to ensure we maintain a prompt and reliable delivery service. This will replace a smaller old lorry. We have also purchased a 4×4 telescopic forklift truck which replaces an old forklift. This is our first 4×4 forklift truck and we hope it will be able to cope a lot better with the part of our yard which is made of more uneven terrain. The landscaping division continues to thrive and they also have a new van. Fencing panel shortages continue to be a problem with lead times for certain panels extending to up to two months in the worst cases. Brick shortages are also a problem with the revival of the construction industry. A lot of the factories were mothballed in the recession and as a result manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand. Our own imported Indian Sandstone has proved to be popular and is excellent value. The 2014 reductions in price of the Honeymede Limestone and of the Smooth Sandstone has also made these great value choices and have therefore grown hugely in popularity. Staff news. Yardman Charley is back to work following his motorbike injury. He is assisting in the office and has also returned to light yard duties. There...
by Ian Metcalfe | Apr 25, 2014 | Landscaping
We have just about enough time to catch our breath on a fairly quiet and wet Friday afternoon to bring you an April news update. It has been a hectic month with people taking advantage of the fine weather and strengthening economy to carry out their garden projects. We have of course just had Easter weekend and with two more Bank Holiday weekends in the coming weekend we envisage being kept busy for some time yet. It’s not been all plain sailing though with stock shortages causing an issue on certain product lines. Timber has been in huge demand due to an upturn in the construction industry and fencing in particular has been affected due to the succession of storms we experienced at the start of the year. As a result such items are on rationed allocations from the suppliers with extended lead times. It is a frustrating situation for all concerned as we try our best to source the materials to keep up. We do now have extended lead times with an order book on fence panels as we fulfill orders on a first come first served basis. We appreciate the efforts made from our suppliers and the patience shown by our customers during such a testing time. The fencing crisis has been well documented in the national news with reports even coming in that panels have been sold on the black market for up to £80. We can ensure our customers we have kept our prices at our usual level. We have launched our new logo using an orange background and we have installed eye-catching new signage all around...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
The new season quickly draws upon us, however we have already had a busy start to the year. Storms that began on Christmas Eve and then returned two or three weeks ago have kept us very busy with fencing orders. Such heavy demand has led to national shortages and rationing of stock, however we had been able to build up stocks of lap and closeboard panels to cater for this. The sudden increase in demand immediately after the storms has unfortunately led to us selling out, however with thanks to the service supplied to us by Grange Fencing we have generally not had to keep our customers waiting too long to fulfill their orders, given the circumstance. The recent floods, that although didn’t effect our immediate area too much, did hit people in areas such as Reading, Egham, Staines and Guildford and we did supply sandbags to some of these areas. We hope all those who have been so unfortunate to have been effected are able to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. The landscaping division have largely been kept busy with an array of fencing jobs, but did last week complete their first main paving project of 2014. The guys laid Bradstone Natural Slate Blue-Black Paving, Silver Grey Granite Setts in an LED lit path with Oak Sleeper Planters at the Gamekeepers Pub and Eatery in Mapledurwell near Basingstoke. The landscaping team can also confirm that the food is very good and can highly recommend The Gamekeepers for a nice meal out! We welcome three new members to the Kebur workforce, Phil a delivery driver...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jan 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
Happy New Year to you all. In our last post we briefly discussed the new products Stonemarket have introduced for 2014. Bradstone have now also launched their new products and can be viewed on the Bradstone website. The main highlights include a layered slate effect concrete paving, a traditional worn looking paving called Aged Riven available in a 300×450 dark grey shade for a linear look. A new natural stone called Porphyry which is available in two textured finishes and a fine textured smooth sandstone called Ferndale. The Driveflair block paving has been re-vamped so that it is now available in a three size format, whilst a number of edgings and stepping stones have merged in from what was the Borderstone range. Amongst the new Grange Fencing products are driveway and courtyard gates, a new style of elite square lattice trellis, a couple of new bridges, a new two tone coloured arch and various new panels. Look out for these soon. We have been exceptionally busy for January. Normally this time of year the cold weather prevents a lot of landscaping work. However the storms we experienced on Christmas Eve and the strong winds and rain we have had since has led to a very high demand in replacement fence panels, posts and repair spurs. The mild temperatures have also allowed landscapers to continue paving (between the rain). Something else that has been in demand with the recent winds is shed felt, which we are now selling. So if you are in need of replacement felt we supply a standard and heavy duty felt as well as the nails and...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 28, 2013 | Landscaping
2013 seems to have flown by and it’s been a good year at Kebur. The mild November we have been having seems to have extended the landscaping season and we continue to be busy. Furthermore the strong winds of early November saw an increase in demand for fencing. Fingers crossed the cold weather and snow stays away, but if it does come we have plenty of rock salt and snow shovels in stock. We have recently introduced a few new products into our drainage range, including square to round recessed manhole covers and perforated land drainage pipe coils. Since the 1980’s new build houses tend to have Polypropylene Inspection Chambers (PPIC’s) installed which are round. Before this time manholes were constructed from brickwork or concrete and in England and Wales these were rectangular 600x450mm size. With these round PPIC’s it can be difficult when laying paving or blocks in a landscape project. Square to round manholes make slabbing up to the cover a breeze as slabs can be cut to suit the profile of the frame whilst the circular opening with it’s universal PPIC positioning spigot locates directly onto the chamber, dramatically reducing installation times. pVCU Corrugated and perforated drainage pipe coil is installed for sub-soil drainage. The corrugated profile gives improved flow and durability for all types of agricultural, leisure projects and land drainage. We are stocking 80mm and 100mm diameter pipe coil in 25m lengths as well as juntions. We have also in the last couple of days had new Electronic Point of Sale (Epos) systems installed. We have updated the hardware and added in an extra till. We...
by Ian Metcalfe | Oct 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
There has been a recent shortage on reclaimed sleepers, but we are pleased to say we now have these back in stock. Regency Ripple 450×450 in Grey colour are on special offer. Down from £3.45 to a bargain price of £2.60. We have a large stock of concrete blocks 440x215x140mm on special offer at just £1.05 each including VAT. The landscape division have recently completed jobs in Aldershot (granite paving), Epsom (limestone paving), Weybridge (Artificial Grass) and Ash (sandstone paving). They have a busy schedule ahead in October. Cliff and Ian visited GLEE, the garden and leisure exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham, meeting potential new suppliers as well as existing ones. Grange Fencing unveiled their new range of driveay and courtyard gates, so look out for these next year. New display boards promote some of the ranges of Stonemarket Paving We have a new display stand promoting the range of ACO drain channels Congratulations to Alfie, one of our yardmen who passed his driving test this week. Julian who has been working in the office this summer has left us and we wish him all the best in his...
by Ian Metcalfe | Aug 14, 2013 | Landscaping
We have been having a pretty good year at Kebur and with the weather so much better than it was last year people are spending more time in their gardens. Our landscape division has been busy and continues to expand. The guys have completed a number of great projects. The highlights being a job in Mapledurwell where some Finesse Limestone was laid around a swimming pool, a blue-black slate patio was installed with dark grey granite sett paths and New Oak Sleeper planters. Patios in Natural Sandstone featuring sweeping curves were laid in Fossil Buff and Silver Grey in Farnborough and Camberley respectively. Images of the jobs can be viewed on the Installation page of our website. The various jobs currently on highlight the diversity of projects the guys get involved in with artificial grass going down in Ash, decking in Farnborough and a patio and garden wall in Arborfield. Since launching our new range of artificial grasses in the Spring we have seen sales rise quite dramatically. We are now offering superior products at a much more competitive price. The popularity has risen as technology has evolved and the grasses have become much more realistic. People love the low maintenance factor and with children it offers a safe and clean playing surface. We have a few new products at Kebur. We now supply the driveway/patio cleaners Oil-Away and Salt-Away (efflorescence remover). The popular Geo-Fix jointing compound is now also available as an all-weather product meaning you can apply it in the rain. We are also now stocking 4” by 1” timber for shuttering as we often get asked...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jun 5, 2013 | Landscaping
May proved to be a very busy month for us and with the lovely weather that has greeted the start of June we hope to continue in this vein. At the end of April, the winner of the Kebur Community Challenge as run by radio station 96.4 Eagle was announced. The lucky winners were St Michael’s Project Group in Camberley. They are a group of people who live in four storey flats with little or no garden or community areas. The housing association has recently given them three overgrown gardens to work on and create a beautiful area where the community can come together for social and community events. They can work together to create something good and we are sure the £2000 worth of materials will go a long way towards helping make that happen. We regularly advertise on 96.4 Eagle and we hope listeners will have enjoyed our recent series of adverts based on a farmer and his wife discussing their relative needs for garden products! We have been busy further improving our show areas, with new boards displaying yet more paving, block paving and the ACO groundguards. Our shed area been enhanced with the attractive black and white granite chippings and there will soon be a couple of sample arches and arbours within that area as well. A couple of years ago we were supplying the popular Rugdwick Multi clay brick pavers. These proved to be popular for courtyards, patios as well as used for edgings. Unfortunately the Rudgwick factory had to be closed down. But we are now pleased to tell you that another Wienerberger factory...
by Ian Metcalfe | May 30, 2013 | Landscaping
Thakeham Tiles is a concrete manufacturer based in Storrington, West Sussex. For over 75 years this family run business has been producing an evolving range of garden products using locally sourced materials and supplying throughout the South East. The company started in 1933, producing concrete roof tiles but seeing little future in this they started manufacturing paving slabs and walling blocks instead. Since Kebur Garden Materials stopped manufacturing their own paving in the early 2000’s, Thakeham have been a key supplier for them. Thakeham prove to be a reliable supplier and the two companies seek to continue their prosperous working relationship. The key lines that Thakeham supply to Kebur are two lines of wet cast paving; Regency Ripple and Flagstone Riven Edge. With both of these ranges there are various sizes and circle features available. In addition to this Thakeham supply Kebur with the elegant Sovereign paving with its antique colours and hand tooled textures that capture the smooth timeworn look of chancery settings. Furthermore the textured Sussex Paving and indeed the complete Thakeham range can be ordered from Kebur. Thakeham are also a big supplier of structural concrete blocks and the growth in this sector has risen to such an extent that it now caters for around half of their business. A wander around the site at Thakeham and you quickly discover that some of the techniques and machinery is quite archaic, but quite simply these tried and tested techniques continue to prove to be the most effective way of producing certain elements of their range. For example the semi drymix rock faced walling, screen walling blocks, pier caps...
by Ian Metcalfe | Apr 15, 2013 | Uncategorized
The start of April has seen us launch a number of new products at Kebur Garden Materials. Perhaps the most noticeable of these is that we are now selling Timber Garden Buildings including; sheds, summer houses, storage and kennels. We have a show site by the entrance to our yard displaying ten different models but there are many more models, sizes and options available. Where required we can also offer an installation service and of course we can also supply the materials required for making a suitable base. We have also launched a new range of artificial grass that is of excellent quality and available at a good price. We keep the “Wembley” in stock on a 4 metre wide roll and the Wimbledon, Lord’s and Twickenham can be ordered in within 2-3 days. The advantages of artificial grass is that it is low maintenance, green all year round, long lasting, child and pet friendly and doesn’t require mowing or watering. We are also now selling the ACO Stormbrixx Soakaway cells which are quick and easy to assemble in a cross bond for optimum stability. Side panels and top covers are fitted to give lateral and vertical support respectively. These soakaway cells come flat packed and are easy to assemble. We are also now stocking the ACO groundguard stabilisation plates. Things have started to get a bit busier and the landscape division have taken on a lot of bookings as well. We welcome new recruits Darryl in the yard, Dani in the office at weekends and Julian in the office Monday to Friday. Also, former yard employee Matt who...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 19, 2013 | Landscaping
Unfortunately the weather is not currently what we would have liked. Last year we had a warm and sunny March, not so to date this year, but we have our fingers crossed for on the whole a much drier summer than 2012! Easter is just a couple of weekends away and this we hope will be a busy time. We have recently put up a display showing some of our fencing range including gates and trellis. This is on the wall next to where pedestrians walk from the car park to our offices. The other side of the walkway are a number of bulk bags and crates displaying some new decorative aggregates and rockery we now have available. To our extensive range of decorative aggregates we have added three stunning shades of 20mm marble chippings, ice blue, flamingo and honey. In our rockery range we now have available, longstone (grey), cotswold (light buff), red sandstone, green granite and rustic slate. We are continuing to work on improving the displays for our products so look out for these when you visit us. Plans are also in place for us to soon be selling sheds and other timber garden buildings. Also we will be using a new supplier for our artificial grass meaning we can offer a high quality product at a very competitive...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 1, 2013 | Landscaping
As we enter into the month of March and Spring is upon us, we look forward to our busiest period as people turn their attention to their garden. Here at Kebur Garden Materials we are constantly trying to think of new products and ways in which we can improve the service to our customers. Following the feedback from a number of our customers we have changed suppliers for the metre long drainage channels we sell. The supplier we were using had changed the design of their channels but unfortunately a number of problems seemed to crop up with them. Therefore we have made the switch to stocking the ACO brand, who are the leading supplier in design, development and manufacture of surface water drainage. What’s more is we have broadened the range of types of channels we stock from just the standard plastic channels with either a black plastic or galvanised steel lid to also include the polymer-concrete channels with a galvanised steel lid and also the brickslot channels which enable you to pave over the channel leaving just a narrow and discreet slot on show. All the channels are competitively priced and can be viewed on our website here. With increased space on our Farnborough site, we continue to investigate new products to sell. People are often asking us for morticed timber posts and shaped arris rails to use for feather edge fencing. For some time we have sold flat ended and standard square timber posts and the arris rail brackets to join the two. We continue to do this but now also offer the option of 8ft morticed...
by Ian Metcalfe | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized
At Kebur Garden Materials we continue to have a strong relationship with Bradstone and they are responsible for manufacturing and supplying a large proportion of the paving, block paving, decorative aggregates and walling that we sell. The levels of service Bradstone offer and the quality of the products they produce make them a good supplier. The Bradstone range of garden and driveway products have been manufactured and marketed since 1956. Bradstone originated from the family company of E H Bradley and Sons, which was established in 1902. Throughout the years Bradstone have evolved their stock range to suit current trends and tastes and most years see the discontinuation of some products and the launch of new ones. So, let’s take a look at the new products, starting with the Ancestry range. Bradstone say that the Ancestry range has period charm and the authenticity of yesteryear and has been moulded from original natural stone masters. The range includes paving, which in it’s look is not too disimilar to the old ranges of Milldale or Weatherdale, walling which is essentially the same moulds as what was known as landscape walling with three block sizes available and an edging in which a group of ten stones line up, just as the stone edging used to. The full range has a rustic appearance and is available in a choice of three colours; Abbey Brown, Abbey Storm and Abbey Original. Also new to Bradstone is the Old Riven Walling. The Milldale Walling, long part of the Bradstone range has been discontinued, but the Old Riven Walling Blocks are the same but in a different...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
As we head into the winter things start to quieten down in our trade a little but despite this business has been relatively steady over the last couple of months. The landscapers continue to install patios and put up fences. We have been busy redeveloping a large plot of land that adjoins our existing site that we acquired a few years ago. The plan is to use this space to expand our yard space enabling us to broaden and increase our stock range. Hopefully before long we will be able to offer more great garden and building products. After some extensive digging a sub base has been put down and currently the lads are putting in the kerb edgings. Next stages are to address the drainage and replace the timber board fencing along one side with some galvanised steel security palisade fencing. Then finally the hard standing can go down. News Bulletin: We are looking at purchasing a new sweeper that will be a big help for the guys to keep the yard tidy. We had some demonstration models in the other day to test. We have rock salt in stock, temperatures are set to drop over the next month, so stock up ready! We have the popular Flagstone Riven Edge Slabs 450×450 in the Old Weathered York Shade on special offer at the bargain price of £2.99 down from £4.70. Dom and Sean from the landscaping division have been on a health and safety course whilst Charley continues his landscaping course, all at Merrist Wood. Simon from the landscaping division came a superb second place in his banger car race at...
by Ian Metcalfe | Oct 2, 2012 | Uncategorized, Landscaping
It’s been a busy first summer for the new Kebur Garden Materials Landscaping Division. Managed by business partner David Booton, the experienced landscapers of Dom and Clive along with Sean have been working all around the local area, installing new patios, erecting fencing and carrying out all sorts of landscaping projects. We have been very pleased with the results and most importantly our customers seem to be too. The team aim to work closely with their clients to achieve the garden design that they desire and help provide some inspiration. David will provide a no obligation site visit and a clear quotation in the first instance. For those that require a clearer view of the finished design they can arrange for a small fee, a to-scale hand drawn design to be done. A full portfolio of a number of the jobs carried out can be view on the installation page on the Kebur website and below we look at some of these jobs. Representing great value and creating beautiful patios mean that Natural (Indian) Sandstone continues to be a firm favourite and so the Landscape Division have laid many of these patios and also incorporated edgings, walling and steps to suit. Some customers have chosen to have a curved edge to the patio whilst some have gone for more traditional rectangular patio. You will see from the pictures below that there are a range of colours to chose from with each colour having natural variations in shading helping to create a stunning look. One of the favourite jobs done to date was in a fairly small garden in a new house in Guildford. ...
by Ian Metcalfe | Aug 24, 2012 | Landscaping
August has seen an improvement in the weather and so business at Kebur has been pretty good. September is often such a nice month to get outside for bbqs and outdoor dining so it’s not too late to work on a landscaping project in your garden such as a patio or deck and enjoy your outdoor space. With a Bank Holiday this weekend, why not use that time to get outdoors. We still have the beautiful Bradstone Finesse Paving on special offer whilst we have plenty of stock of the popular Natural Sandstone, all of which is showcased in our recently installed outdoor show area. Some Grange Elite Planters have been added to the outdoor show area and were planted up by Chris Andrews of CMA Garden Design. As well as hard landscaping our landscape division can organise planting and soft landscaping. Our landscape division has been busy and they have just finnished a job at The Old Drum Pub in Petersfield. They put up a bespoke fencing system made from decking boards, a pergola and created planters from New Oak Sleepers to transform their outdoor area. The result looks great. Elsewhere at Kebur we are currently clearing the additonal site we acquired a couple of years ago and undertaking the groundwork so that we can extend our yard space. This will enable us to further expand the range of garden and building materials that we can offer to the Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire area. We are also now offering a cutting facility. Any slabs bought from Kebur can be cut at a cost of £5.00 per 300mm...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jul 10, 2012 | Landscaping
We are still all waiting for summer to arrive but at Kebur we haven’t let the miserable weather stop us and plenty has been going on. A new outdoor show area at the front of the recently refurbished Fir Tree Pub is almost complete. The show area displays much of the Bradstone Natural Stone Paving range. There is an array of riven and polished sandstones in a variety of colours with edging setts and walling to match Limestone paving in blue-black, azure and honeymede colours as well as the beautiful Finesse limestone, currently on special offer at Kebur. There is granite in silver grey or graphite colours and slate in both the blue-black and vijaya gold shades. Furthermore some of the Panache and Old Town Paving is shown as well as a decking display and some of the Verdelawn artificial grass. All the paving was laid by our landscaping team of Clive, Dominic and Sean, headed up by partner Dave Booton. They have also been busy installing patios, drives and fencing in the local area. You can see some of their work on the installation page of our website. Due to new legislation regarding the London low emission zone and the fact some of our vehicles were becoming quite old and costly to repair we have had to invest in a some new trucks to to add to our fleet. So we have two new Daf lorries with cranes, one that can carry 9.5 tonnes and another that can carry 5.75 tonnes. Also we have a new Mitsubishi Fuso Canter tipper vehicle which can carry approz. 1.5 tonnes. All vehicles are sign...
by Ian Metcalfe | Jun 21, 2012 | Landscaping
For a limited period only, Kebur Garden Materials has a special offer on the stunning Bradstone Finesse Paving. The contemporary Bradstone Finesse is an Indian sourced Limestone paving that has been calibrated to a thickness of 18mm with clean cut sawn edges and an ever so lightly textured surface. It comes in a gorgeous light shade that will brighten up the garden and give a warm modern feel. Being a natural stone, each paver has individual character and subtle colour variations. The Finesse paving is supplied in mixed size patio packs, when laid with a 5-10mm joint is enough to cover 10.2 square metres. Each pack contains; 6 of 600×600, 10 of 600×450, 10 of 600×300, 10 of 450×450, 5 of 450×300, 4 of 300×300. Normally retailing at £655.00 per pack including VAT (£64.21 sq mtr), Kebur currently has a special offer of £449.00 per pack including VAT (£44.00 per sq mtr), a saving of 31.5%. At Kebur we have a large display board of Finesse in our showroom so please feel free to come down and take a look. We can arrange delivery and supply all other materials you will need to lay the...
by Ian Metcalfe | May 11, 2012 | Landscaping
At Kebur we supply a vast range of paving from simple utility paving through to the most luxurious of premium natural stone options. There are solutions to create an ultra modern garden with clean lines as well as more rugged looking paving suited to traditional cottage gardens. With both natural stone paving and reconstituted stone there is a large choice and price range. Here though we explore some of the reconstituted stone/concrete options on offer at the more budget end of the scale. Some old tried and tested favourites produced by family run Sussex manufacturers Thakeham Tiles and some newer options that paving giants Bradstone have created in recent years. All options are of around £20.00 per square metre or below showing that an attractive patio can still be created without it costing a fortune, an important consideration in the current economic climate. Thakeham Flagstone Riven Edge Flagstone Riven Edge Paving succesfully reproduces and captures the elegance of natural York stone. The colours, surface textures and edge details have been carefully selected to suit the regional character of traditional gardens. When purchased in the 7.3 square metre patio packs this paving represents excellent value at £20.41* per square metre. The patio packs contain a mix of three sizes; 600×600, 600×300 and 300×300 meaning a simple random pattern can be followed in the style of classic stone flagging. With the Vintage and Old Cotswold colours recently added to the range there are now five colours to choose from with Weathered Old York, York and Autumn the long established shades. Circle features are also available. For full details see the Kebur...
by Ian Metcalfe | Apr 27, 2012 | Uncategorized
Today saw the announcement of the winners of this years Kebur Community Challenge as run by local radio station 96.4 Eagle. This is the fourth consecutive year that the competition has run and out of 67 entrants this years lucky winners of the £2000 worth of landscaping materials is Cove School in Farnborough. Their Gardening and Eco Club have been working hard in their spare time and wanted to build raised planters and vegetable beds that the whole school can benefit from but unfortunately didn’t have the financial resources or tools to achieve their plans as they describe in their application; “I am a Geography teacher at Cove School and I supervise the Gardening and Eco Club. The club is a group of around 10 pupils aged 11- 14 who give up their Wednesday evenings to work extremely hard attempting to redevelop a small enclosed courtyard into a garden. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the area is covered with tatty concrete, garden tools are limited in number and quality and every improvement is being done on a tight budget of around 50p! Thus it is extremely slow, although enthusiastic progress. The perseverance of these pupils to create a garden for the benefit of the whole school is admirable. They have planned a vegetable patch and have grand designs for raised planters around the perimeter of the enclosed courtyard, of which two have been created out of recycled pallet wood. The aim is to create both a functional and attractive garden in the most environmentally friendly way possible. If Cove School were to win this competition, it would provide a...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 8, 2012 | Landscaping
The rising cost of food, an increased awareness of what is going into our food and of our carbon footprint (food miles) and an active encouragement from celebrity chefs are all factors behind the growing trend of ‘grow your own’. Now is the time of year that people are turning their attention to planning their crops and sewing seeds etc. A great way to join the ‘grow your own’ revolution is to build your own raised vegetable beds and Kebur Garden Materials can supply all the materials you need to do this. An attractive way to build raised beds is to use railway sleepers. This will give you a sturdy base that will last for years and the sleepers can be built up to make higher beds. Kebur supply reclaimed sleepers, new oak sleepers, new softwood sleepers and rounded garden sleepers all of which are suitable. Alternatively you can purchase timber gravel boards or decking boards or joists and join together using timber fixing spikes or posts. Kebur can also supply the Grange Fencing range of shallow raised beds that come in easy to handle flat packs that are simple to assemble. To fill the beds Kebur supply a range of topsoils and compost. The Norfolk Biodress, a mixture of high quality fertile Norfolk Loam and peat free compost is ideal for vegetable plots. There are a number of advantages to growing your vegetables in raised beds: Creating areas of fertile, well draining soil where that is not already the case. Keeping plants organised. You are able to fill beds with plant specific soil mixtures meaning more success....
by Ian Metcalfe | Feb 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
There has been plenty going on this winter at Kebur Garden Materials. Traditionally in our trade it is a quiet time of the year, but there has been a lot happening in our yard on Lynchford Lane in Farnborough, culminating in this, our first ever blog! The weather has worked in the favour of the garden landscaping trade. Other than the recent cold snap it has been a pretty mild winter with little rain and no snow (yet!). This has meant there has been plenty of hours for landscapers and DIY enthusiasts alike to keep working outdoors. January saw a period of strong winds which resulted in a huge demand for fencing, helping to get 2012 off to a fruitful start. Lap panels continue to be the most popular choice and the Grange Professional Laps that we keep keep in stock are of a very high quality. We recently had some new pallet racking installed to house our decorative chippings. It now holds more pallets than the old racking it replaced and virtually all of the racking in the yard has now been replaced over the last two years. Last winter new racking was put up to store the Bradstone Old Riven Paving, Thakeham Regency Paving and the coping and edging stones. The Old Fir Tree Public House located at the front of our yard is undergoing major redevelopment. Two new flats are going in and after several months they are nearly complete, along with a new office space downstairs. Plans are afoot for a new outdoor show area at the front of the building to display much of the...
Bradstone Natural Sandstone Paving
£3.13 – £499.50Including VAT
Metpost Driving Tool
£7.55 – £9.17Including VAT
Natural Sandstone Trade Packs
£9.24 – £427.00Including VAT
Bolt Down Pergola Anchor
£10.05Including VAT
Banded Scaffold Boards
£27.95Including VAT