Buying street furniture for outside spaces can be a complex procedure. There are many factors to consider such as finding the right designs to match the outside space; material selection; function – so how will the space be used; cost, availability and transportation to site; installation, and other deciding factors.
Here is a guide to help you work out the considerations for when you’re buying street furniture for your next project.
First and foremost, one of the most important considerations is quality. This sounds obvious, but we speak to lots of sub-contractors and smaller contractors who are replacing pieces of street furniture that were low quality or were poorly constructed.
Quite often, the main reason for this is they were a cheap option or they weren’t from a reputable supplier.
Here at Street Furniture Direct, we understand cost is one of the main drivers for product selection within construction projects.
The larger contractors will usually give a budget or recommended product/supplier. However, as projects develop it is not uncommon for subcontractors to be asked to trim costings or change product specification to reduce the overall price. So in this case, you have no choice but to opt for the cheaper products.
But this doesn’t mean you have to settle for sub-standard products. If you buy from reputable suppliers, there is more chance the products will be manufactured to a good quality.
To ensure you buy the right piece of street furniture for your project it is crucial to understand how the space will be used around it.
For example, urban spaces are social venues where people get together. This means providing suitable seating is a must, for example the Garner Timber and Steel Bench is a popular choice among subcontractors working on town/city centre locations.
But with the seating and increased footfall, comes other resulting factors. There could be an increase in litter, so you may need to consider litter bins too – the Hector Square Wood Effect Waste Bin is a popular product which is easy to install, aesthetically it looks great in most outdoor situations, and is UV resistant so won’t be degraded over time by the sun’s rays.
Another resulting factor of increased footfall is the potential increase in bikes, as these are a popular mode of transport within urban areas. Users may need somewhere to store their bikes safely if they decide to head to a nearby café or restaurant.
So with this in mind, you may need to buy some sort of cycle stands to go with your seats. The Sheffield Cycle Stand is a popular choice for town/city centres. It provides safe and secure bike storage for users, it is constructed from stainless steel therefore will stand the test of time, and looks-wise it is a classic British design.
The construction sector is currently still going strong, with activity levels currently increasing in most sub-sectors of the industry e.g. residential, commercial and industrial (as of May 2022).
With this in mind, it is important you choose a reliable supplier that you can trust. Your time and focus are precious and the last thing you want is to be constantly chasing suppliers or being told by clients that the products haven’t arrived on site.
You need a street furniture supplier that makes things easy for you and does exactly what they said they were going to do. Confidence in your supplier means you can move your attention to other aspects of the project or even other projects, re-assured that your street furniture is taken care of and will fit the bill.
We hope you have found the guide useful in knowing what to look for when buying street furniture for your project.
James Wain, Sales Director of Street Furniture Direct, comments,
“We work with subcontractors and smaller contractors all over the country, helping their projects with high quality street furniture.
We are much more than suppliers though and we like to think of ourselves as an extension to our customers’ businesses. We save our customers time with product recommendations and reliable advice, which means our customers buy the right street furniture for their project. And importantly, their street furniture will enhance their project.”
If you are working on a project that requires street furniture, talk to the team at Street Furniture Direct.
Our straightforward and down-to-earth approach helps sub-contractors find the piece of street furniture quickly and easily, meaning you spend more time on carrying out the building work. Telephone us on 01625 879 442, email us at enquiries@streetfurnituredirect.co.uk or view our range of street furniture, bollards, cycle parking, shelters or lockers .
