Construction lumber

[DaveO]

I normally buy my 2x4's etc. at the BORGs for little projects around the shop. But I have a big deck project coming up and wanted some advice on where y'all thought I could find the best prices on the lumber. I will need about $1000 in materials, if that makes any difference in where I can shop.
Thanks in advance for any tips.



Dave

 

[D L Ames]

Dave, it has been awhile since I bought any large quantities of construction lumber but you might check 84 lumber if you have one up in your area. Also, one thing you might ask about when shopping around is if any of the lumber yards offer free delivery. You should be able to have them deliver that amount of lumber for free. Just be careful where you have them drop it because they have a tendency to gouge up the yard which will result in big DaveO having to put his landscaper hat back on.:lol:

D L

 

[cmartinson]

"84" does have a possibillity of offering some kind of volume discount. But, for the most part all places are competitive. If you do go to the BORGS do it during the week. Prices can jump unexpectedly when uneducated weekend warriors shop after watching diy or hgtv.

 

[Splinter]

If you have a Contractors Yard in your area you might compare their prices. They were owned by Lowes but were bought out about a year ago. I used them during my house remodel for several large deliveries. They don't charge delivery fees, or didn't when I purchased from them last year. And they use a very agile front end loader to unload and take the material and drop it where you want it. This keeps the big truck out of the yard.

But if you are only getting $1000 worth of lumber at today's prices you probably could put that in the bed of a pickup.:-(

 

[Ozzie-x]

When I built the deck here, I made up a material list with a cover letter soliciting bids on the material package. I faxed it to four different lumber dealers, 2 family lumber businesses and 2 BORGS (HD & Slowes). It was about $4K of stuff, so it was probably enough business to get some attention. I got the prices back and there was a pretty good spread between the numbers. (Slowes ignored my letter and took prices off the shelves, and ignored several other terms and conditions, and I enjoyed telling them about themselves - numb skulls, plus they were nearly the highest). Anyway, I ended up getting the material from one of the family lumber companies and it was pretty good material as far as treated pine goes. Just an angle you might want to think about. I suggest you do the picking especailly on the floor decking material that ou'll want pretty good clear straight material on. Another tip, 2x6's are cheaper than 5/4 decking and will make your deck a lot stronger. -Just a few tidbits from last year's deck building.

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Dave,

84 lumber does have great prices on lumber a lot of the time, esecially when dealing in volume (not sure how big "volume" is with them though). Also as some of the others said some of the family owned lumber suppliers are really good. In this area you can deal with the family owned suppliers and get better lumber at the same time. It will also give you the opportunity to build up credit with them, and when things are busy you can have the lumber delivered and just drop them a check in the mail.

 

[Joe Scharle]

What'a a BORG?

 

[NCPete]

Big Orange Retail Giant. AKA Home Despot, sorry, Home Depot

 

[HardRock]

There's a family lumber company in Mocksville that specializes in treated. On anything other than 2X4X8's they were way below the borg prices. Their 2X4X8's were competitive, but were much better quality......didn't have to pick through 25 to get 10 good ones like at the borg's.

Seaford Lumber 336-751-5148

 

[davel_ral]

If you are using treated wood, I'd seriously consider talking to the guy at Tarheel Wood Treating on 54 in Morrisville. It was a few years ago, but I built a deck and one of those kids playgyms....his lumber was FAR superior (fewer knots/twists/warps, etc.) to anything that I found at Lowes/HD/Carolina Builders, etc. He has different grades, different sizes, all the right fasteners, and was very helpful.....and his prices weren't significantly better or worse than anyone else....

At the very least, it's worth a call. I was really impressed with how helpful the guy was to a weekend warrior like me.

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Thanks Dave, I have known of that place for a while but didn't know if they would deal with the little guys like me. If this job ever gets approved (dang HOA) I will check out their stock.

Dave

 

[davel_ral]

Yeah...his yellow pages ad even says "WE SELL RETAIL". Besides, the worst he can do is call you a frog...

Dave

 

[hpetty]

Big Orange Retail Giant. AKA Home Despot, sorry, Home Depot

Actually BORG isn't an Acronym, but then again it does seem to work. Here's the true definition, check out the last sentence:

The Borg or Borg Collective are a group of cyborgs in the Star Trek fictional universe. They are known both within and beyond Star Trek fandom for their relentless pursuit of what they want to assimilate, their rapid adaptability to almost any defense, and their ability to continue functioning after what may seem a devastating or even fatal blow seemingly unaffected. As such, the Borg have become a powerful symbol in popular culture for any seemingly unstoppable force against which "resistance is futile".

 

[NCPete]

Ah hah! Thank you Hugh for the re-education. nearly 30 years ago, I read the original softcover print of The Making of Star Trek. Then I gave it to a friend who has since made a livelihood out of writing technical manuals for Trek and Star Wars vehicles....:BangHead:

 

[WILLOWBENT]

if you are looking for great price on treated materials look for a store called Builder's Discount Center.they have several stores along the eastern part of nc. cheapest place i have found for lumber. look under www.buildersdiscount.net

 

[DaveO]

Thanks, I ended up getting my lumber through a wholesaler Plunket Webster. I found a dealer Select Forest Products that hooked me up with his supplier. I actually got all the wood for cheaper than I estimated.

Dave

 

[Ray Martin]

Hey Dave,

Just in case the deck project does get approved...

I use a LOT of pressure treated stuff. Each house has a deck out back and and some front and back stairs. Sometimes the front porch is a deck too. We (Habitat) get loads of the PT wood from the big box retail places and I've seen some really wild variations in the quality of the wood. Gets real frustrating when you get a small load and half the sticks are so warped, twisted, riddled with loose knots, that the boards are not usable.

If you're not going to pick the boards yourself, you should be VERY specific about what you need... and understand the policy of the store / lumber yard for wood that you can't use.

(Don't really mean to sound like a sour ol curmudgeon...)

Ray

 

[Kyle]

you will save a bundle if you buy from a local sawyer and the material will look better and be a true 2x"??" The only issue that comes into play is whether you file a permit to build your project then the grade stamp is necessary to pass code.

 

[Ken Weaver]

When I did my deck ($1,300 in PT), bought from a "local", delivered and dropped where I wanted it. Owner took pride in the quality he delivered so unuseable pieces were minimal. I'm a long way from you but it would be worth talking face-to-face when it comes down to the buy decision. My $.02.