Local plasterboard and plaster delivery business

Small builders, plasterers, dry-liners, joiners and renovation contractors who want materials delivered when they need them.

You buy at trade or volume prices and sell with a margin, plus a delivery charge on smaller orders. Repeat orders from a few regular trade accounts matter more than one-off sales.

• Knowing building materials and what each job needs
• Reliable driving and route planning
• Building trade relationships
• Handling stock and paperwork

• Plasterboard is heavy and easily damaged by damp, so check you have dry, secure storage
• Check whether your vehicle weight needs a goods vehicle operator licence or brings in driver hours rules
• Public liability and goods in transit insurance, and check your van's insurance covers carrying goods for hire and reward
• Manual handling and safe load securing, and consider a board trolley or a lifting aid
• Trade customers often expect credit terms, so check each customer's payment record before you extend credit
• Margins can be thin and larger merchants may undercut you, so focus on service and reliability

Startup costs are estimated at typically around £5,000 to £25,000, depending on your van or truck, storage and opening stock. Plasterboard is heavy and easily damaged by damp, so check you have dry, secure storage.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around £3,000 to £15,000, depending on your customers, area and stock range. Margins can be thin and larger merchants may undercut you, so focus on service and reliability.

Check whether your vehicle weight needs a goods vehicle operator licence or brings in driver hours rules. Also check your van insurance covers carrying goods for hire and reward, and look into public liability and goods in transit cover.