Hi Everyone,
 My name is Wayne...,this is my first posting on the site. By the way, I think it's great and I only wish I had found something similar, when I bought my Finca about 3 years ago!!!....,as I have found a lot of useful tips just from reading other people's experiences.
Anyway folks..., here's another one that maybe someone could offer me some advice on.
As I said before, I bought my place some 3 years ago, but I still live and work in the U.K. In general terms we (my wife, daughter and I), only come over during August..., to fit in with the U.K. school holidays, so I have to try and cram as much work as I can into my short stay each summer.
Since buying my place, I have generally dealt with one builders yard...without naming names..it's the big(ish) one on the main road towards Xerta (past Sabeco).  I have always paid cash for my materials, and at first I always used to get a receipt. Over a period of time, and particularly on my last visit in August 2006, I noticed that i no longer get a receipt anymore....,and sometimes I have been in 3 days on the trot, and bought the exact same items+quantities....AND ended up with a different price every day!!!!.
I'm ashamed to say that it's probably partly my own fault, because my command of the spanish language is not good enough for me to enter into a debate with them about the bill.....and I think they know this, and take the p#ss a bit??. SO...I have a couple of questions
1) Has anyone else noticed a similar kind of thing with them???....,and if so, can you recommend another merchant withn reasonable distance....that doesn't rip you off??
2) I have noticed that most of the builders yards I have been to seem to have an unlimited supply of all manner of "masonery" type stuff...i.e sand, cement, blocks etc etc,,,,but not so much timber products??
I now need some timber roofing joists & floor joists etc....,any idea where I might get these from??
all advice gratefully recieved,
Wayne.      

Hi Wayne,

There is a big merchant on the left just before the first roundeabout in Mora (coming from Tortosa). Always get a receipt over there and they are very friendly to us amateur-builders  There is one guy who speaks  English also (the foreigners are fighting for his attention, so waiting for him could take some time    They don´t sell much wood but they have about everything else.  Ferreteria Rodriques (at the second roundebout from Tortosa to L´Aldea) has some wood for floors and garden.

Regards,
Mark

If you are prepared to travel onto the delta for your wood there is an excellent lumber yard on the main raod (as opposed to the bypass) between Deltebre La Cava and Deltebre Jesus & Maria.  If you are heading from the former to the latter it is on your right in a quite built up area.  (Its hard to know where one Deltebre starts and the other finishes).  As far as I know there are no English speakers there but having explained what you want form the guys on the ground they give you a document saying what you've had and you go upstairs to the office and pay.  There is a certain element of faith in this as the guys on the ground don't get involved in pricing - and there are no prices displayed anywhere that I've seen.  Having said that I've not been upset by what I was charged.  The office staff refer to a price list rather than 'inventing' a price based on your nationality.
Hope this is of use.
Mike
PS  I have heard other people getting diddled at the builders' mercahnt that you refer to (but the plumbers' merchant next door is very good).