A great DIY store, situated in the Cambridge Close retail Park, parking is right outside, can get…read morevery busy on a Saturday. Sell everything from kitchens, to screws. A light and airy warehouse with nice wide aisles. A good selection of paints and decorating materials. The staff always seem helpful and polite. They have some outdoor items like fencing and paving. A range of different types of trolley to use depending on what you are buying. A good selection of power tools and safety equipment.

The only place I ever get wood from when I'm doing a DIY project is Wickes because they tend to be…read morethe cheapest of all of the major DIY outlets. The only issue is that they don't do the free wood cutting service like Homebase or B&Q, which can be a pain. When Wickes first opened many years ago I remember that they were amazingly cheap. Then they started to increase their prices once they got a market share. Most of their items are own brand and I have to admit that whilst they are cheap for many things, there are still others like Wilkinsons or Screwfix who can still undercut them on pricing.

I quite like this Wilkinsons store in Watford, its rather large and spacious looking interior and…read morethey have lots of tills so you don't have to queue up for long time. They sell lots of products ranging from homeware items to garden to stationary. The shelves are rather tall but overall reachable for the young but maybe not suitable for the maturer people. They got these new baskets which I hate because its so fiddly but overall the place is very clean and refreshing looking. Sometimes there are staff on the shop floor around stocking up items and its a great place if you want to buy some bargain items like shampoo, garden pots, etc.

Plough Homecraft Co. makes me want to pick up a hardhat and start laying bricks. It is a…read moreconstruction and hardware mecca. The store carries paint, light fixtures and everything you can possibly need for a build or for renovations to your home. I was helped as soon as I walked into the store by friendly and super knowledgeable staff. I got some obscure light fixtures that I couldn't find at any major popular store here for £2 a pop. I really appreciated my shopping experience at this place and would come back to buy a hammer anytime.

Woe is me!! I have been going to Plough Homecraft for all my interior decorating needs for the last…read more30 years and can honestly say they are the best in all areas, be it sound constructive advice, superb customer service and vast array of materials - if they don't have it in stock, they will get it for you and, if they don't have an answer to your DIY query, they know someone who does (having said this, they knew the answer to all my queries over the last 30 years!!). Unfortunately I have now moved to Ipswich and am sad to say "There is no place like Home(craft)" here which is truly my loss!! So all you lucky London DIY peeps should visit them for all your DIY needs - I wish I was still round the corner!! Posted by Sharon Barton - formerly of East Dulwich, London.

We recently bought a home in Balham and I have been coming to this shop quite a bit for various DIY…read moreneeds and products. It is not big by any means but they have had the products needed on site for everything we've needed done, apart from one large toolbox, which I ordered for pick-up the next day. You can order you anything you need from an endless stack of DIY catalogs for pick up at their shop next day. I am new to DIY and the best part of going to Force is the professional advice the owner is happy to provide. He is very honest (even if it means selling you a cheaper, more appropriate product than an expensive one you may have been planning to buy from him). His advice is also clear, simple, and optimistic that you can easily achieve your DIY goals. So far he has never said he couldn't help us or something couldn't be done. He has always had a simple easy solution and the products to support it. In case you have a specific DIY need, some of the items he has helped with and provided the perfect products for include: 1) a new rubber liner for our shower splash guard (by the way, Home Base told us we had to contact the splash guard's maker, but Force had the perfect universal liner for all splash guards in stock) 2) fixing a shower head issue 3) replacing the Swiss plugs of our appliances with British plugs (we just came from Switzerland and have about 10 appliances that needed it) 4) relocating a light switch 5) Painting a built in shelf 6) Filling some wall damage in with the right filler 7) Finding the right drill and drilling to fix some items to the wall 8) Fighting a slug infestation 9) Reconstructing the inside of a fixed wardrobe with new clothes hanging poles Also, the shop seems to be well stocked with paints, bathroom equipment, yard tools, and, of course, your various DIY odds and ends. I have also been amazed at how cheap many of his products are. Additionally, he has often given me free small items to accompany my jobs when I make a purchase or he has offered to exchange a few of my smaller purchases for the better, more expensive version free of change when I am checking out. The owner of Force is simply a nice guy who's standing by to help you with anything you need. It's so nice, having just bought a house to have such a great shop around the corner to encourage and help with our DIY endeavors and I hope to use his shop alot as we make changes to our home. P.S. If you're concerned about parking, Force is right next to a massive Sainsbury's parking lot.

I have popped in to Force Homecare on a few occasions when at a loss as to where to find some help…read morewith small projects. I couldn't have been more grateful or pleased with the kind help of the owner. He was very generous with his time and advice on each occasion and even though I didn't need any big ticket items, he worked with me until my needs were sorted. If there is something that you need that is not available in store, it can be ordered right away. I would highly recommend this homecare store.

We moved to the area over a year ago and bought a flat that needed a bit of work. We are not…read morebuilders but painting and other cosmetic changes we could handle. The great thing was having this Homebase about a mile from home. Its a fairly big version and has plenty of parking. Inside there are all the relevant sections for us, paint, wood, tools, nails, etc. The garden section is also very extensive and we have spent some time there in the Spring picking out bits and pieces. My only criticism would be the check-out, it has to be the slowest around. I also had to wait ages for someone to help mix some paint even though there were only a handful of customers in the place. However it is convenient and the prices are good.

I accidentally left some of my shopping on the counter- the till assistant chased me half way down…read morethe road to give it to me! So kind and friendly. Great service!

My builder is very upset after using Chris Stevens for over 20years he will not be returning. One…read moretin of paint increased in price by £2 in 8 days and then again by another £2 in 3 days. When questioned the staff gave feeble excuses. Dans advice don't pay by cash

Chris Stevens may not look posh from the road (it is geared towards tradesmen, so they didn't…read morebother to make it pretty) but you'll find everything you need for DIY projects. Our neighbour is a plumber, and he recommended that we come here and have a look at their stock. They have a huge selection of paints, some really good tiles, excellent value flooring (we saw nice-looking solid oak floorboards that worked out under £30 per square meter...we might have to come back!!) They even have a selection of baths/ showers/ loos/ bathroom fittings. It is CHEAP!! I thought Tops tiles was good value, but this place made their tiles seem expensive!! *Pro-tip: Be careful if you want to park near here! We saw a traffic warden wandering around and all the parking spaces seemed to be for residents only!!

This is such a cute little store, it has lots of things and cute decorations for your bathroom and…read morefor you. This is the shop to come to if you are decorating your bathroom in a cute chic motif. They have really cute baby/toddler robes and cuddly pyjamas too. You can get an old fashioned styled shower cap, neat little toilet paper holders, scales, robes, stuff to do your nails, I had no idea there was so much to do in the bathroom besides the obvious. If you need a little gift for a gal pal I would pay a visit to this shop.

A cute shop of housewares, particularly accessories for bathrooms. Sounds strange to devote an…read moreentire shop to such a thing, but it's nice to know that whether you need a toilet seat cover or a dressing gown you can do so by supporting a local shop. In addition to fixtures, they also sell soaps and linens. If you have a fondness for the new rage in furniture - dilapidated old pieces made shiny and new with a thick coat of pastel paint - this is the place for you. They have regularly rotating stock of individual pieces. They're still pricier than if you went looking for a piece to paint yourself, but a lot cheaper than the shiny new pieces with uneven scufffs to add that aged look sold by the high street chains. People with a fetish for interiors - and anyone who enjoys a long soak in the tub - will love this place.

A very good selection of plants and garden furniture and accessories but what i love about it most…read moreis their Christmas displays,as well as lots of decorations and trees to buy and themed room settings iin the main part of the garden centre there is a Santas grotto at the back of the nursery which is large room decorated and usually themed like a wonderland, there is a small charge to just wander round or more if you want to see Santa and get a present. The displays are spectacular and we quite often just go in for a wander round, it is very magical for the children. You will usually find Rudolph in there somewhere along with other woodland creatures, lots of Christmas trees with brightly coloured lights, well worth a visit if you haven't been before.

This is a large garden centre with a wide selection of goods…read more There is a large indoor area which contains many houseplants and all the necessary accessories, an outdoor area nicely set out in alphabetical order of hardy plants. It also has a pet shop, gift shop, cafe, and a branch of the Edinburgh Woolen Mill. Has its own large free car park, and can be very busy at weekends and the run up to christmas, as they have a large area devoted to trees and decorations during the run up to christmas