Where are you located? Places I can think of: Ace Hardware, Menard's, 84 Lumber (if they still exist). Do you have a local lumber yard in your area?

HD is always the place I use to benchmark lumber prices for a project. Because I know I can get it for less at a lumber yard when buying in bulk.

 

I second Menard’s. And they’re almost never out of whatever it is I need, unlike Home Depot and Lowe’s.

 

I live here in Florida .....I do have Ace....I think 84 lumber is dead an gone.

HK

 

Do you have any unlicensed sawmills in your area? We have a few that sell rough-cut planks.

You can not use rough-cut lumber for anything that needs to be inspected, but it is good for all else.

In my state, we can not source certified/inspected lumber, except for lumber coming down out of Canada. Which seems odd given this state is over 92% forest. But for a sawmill to be federally certified requires that they pay the wages of the inspectors. It is much cheaper to import lumber, up in Canada they subsidize the sawmills [to make it cheaper for export].

 

Never seen any federal inspectors in sawmills, OSHA comes through. A saw mill 2 counties over had 2 fatalities- I’m sure OSHA was camped out there.

The grading is done by graders certified indirectly under the American Lumber Standards Committe- these guys are normally mill employees, but only structural lumber is required to be graded- all the architectural pieces, flooring, siding, etc doesn’t have to be graded. If you aren’t a grader, you can hire one- a friend and I did this when we would saw wood beams. I did this for all the wood in my shop trusses- just in case I wanted to insure it. I think it cost me $40- 2 hrs at $20/hr- plus I let him fill the back of his truck up with bark slabs- I have a report that states all the lumber marked with a red/ yellow crayon ( aproximently XXX bf) meets the standard- since it wasn’t in commerce, no stamp required.

State governments usually prohibit any sort of structural grading other than that approved by the ALSC. Never heard of any federal government involvement until you get fraud.

Sawmilling SYP here is big bussiness. Canada may be the go to source for white wood 2x4s, but when it’s pressure treated, there is a strong preference for SYP.

 

No rough cut unless oak planks....thats about it for the south

HK

 

Do you mean you can't get any rough cut other than oak planks. or you can't build with it?
I have a small band mill and mill all of my own lumber now, unless I need treated for something.

In most parts of the US a local sawmill is going to be the cheapest route, if you have one around.

Check out local building supply houses too, we have a Mennonite owned place locally that smokes Lowes on price for pressure treated pine.

 

You might find a construction contractor and see where they get their lumber. I have a friend that can get it for me when I need something.

 

Do you have any idea of % of savings?

HK

 

Let duckduckgo be your friend:

lumber yards in florida at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

Google lumber yards in your area, call them with your material list and see what the difference if any on pricing is.

 

I collect lumber from dumpsters all the time. I’ve gotten picky and only take good stuff. I know it means nothing with a project, but there is lots of cast off lumber out there.

 

No kidding. For some of my latest projects, you don't know how much good wood ended up in the dumpster(s). Materials shipped in from Germany, palletized. The lumber is real 2x4 and 2x6. I have no issue with the guys salvaging it for backing, etc. on their other projects.

 

Look for a local builder supply. I have one 3 miles from me. They beat Home Depot's prices many times.

 

Locally ace has always been very expensive.
There is the price you pay when you walk in and buy a few sticks and when you have a materials list they can bid on.

 

I like 84 Lumber and Ace.

 

My only local building material supplier is more expensive than HD or Lowes.

 

That goes for just about anywhere. We love a local yards and they try their best to compete on price but 99% of the time they are more expensive. Our yearly material purchases are in the millions and HD gets 80% for that very reason. That said a small outfit will usually get better service at a lumber yard but almost never the better price.

 

Home Depot sells their waste lumber at 70% off. Its usually got a purple stripe on it. Its haphazard as to availability. If you are in no hurry to build your lean to then you might be able to get enough lumber over time.

I picked up 6 ft pine fencing, 4x4s, 2x4s and other stuff over time. Enough to build a 6 ft pine board fence 150 ft long. They also sell busted concrete quickrete bags and busted sand bags at 50% off. Sometimes the concrete is in their orange 5 gal buckets. You buy the bucket and the quickrete is free. I have 20 plus bags/buckets waiting to go into a small slab. Already used some for the posts for the fence.

Check it out. Lowes does it too. Lumber is 50% off. Sometimes the limber is 100% good. other times its warped a little or a lot. Other people are after it too so you have to check regularly. I have checked on a Sunday and gone back on Monday with the trailer and it was gone.

 

Lowes used to give 10% off of a HD material quote when you brought the paper quote into the lumber dept. office.

 

They also give you a discount if you are a veteran at least where I live anyway.

 

Not really. You may be able to save a little shopping around, but not much. Inflation is real.

 

There's got to be a local supplier where you live. In my part of the world it is Parr lumber and there is a whole lot more without even really looking hard.

 

I can appreciate the OP reaching out to the herd for assistance. I have on several occasions. This is one of those times though where those of us who don't live in Florida are going to be of little help beyond some of the national names provides. Even here in my neck of AZ-land, I'm not trapped with the two big names. We even have Foxworth-Galbraith up here.

 

My entire working career, 45 years, was in wholesale building materials distribution.
I’ve handled most everything in the world of lumber, trim, roofing, etc. I know what I’m looking at.
Some of the big box store lumber is ok, most of it has been picked through so many times the good stuff is gone.

I prefer to buy my lumber at the Ace Hardware in town. It’s locally owned so my money stays in our community. Yes, it’s a little bit more expensive, but since Lowe’s and Homer D are an hour drive one way any savings there is eaten up in fuel and my personal time.

 

Not my whole life,but also work at a construction supply house.
Folks,I can personally attest price jumps and supply issues are still real.
For example,yesterday I unloaded 13 lifts of drywall..had to get it from H,D.,none was available from our longtime wholesalers(Nation Gypsum being one).
Of course,it cost us more,and had to pay for delivery.I don't know if the boss will pass it along,or eat it to have it available for our long time customers.

For the O.P.,I also watch my pennies.
In the big picture,2200$ to 2700$ in nothing to the big stores or contractors,but is to me personally.
If your friend can get a discount,and deliver it,jump on it.Buy him a pizza and six-pack.
Time vs. money.
**** around for months to save a little,or get it all at once and be done with it...only you can decide.

 

A couple of years ago I happened to be in our tiny small town that has a hardware store. They had bundles of different lumber laying outside on the street. Asked what was going on. They were clearing out loose stock; twisted boards, etc. I bought abut half of their clearence, hundreds of boards at about 10-20% of normal price at the time, 2x4; 2x6; 2x8' treated and untreated. Fine for sheds, deer blinds, animal pens, etc. Keep your eyes open, talk to the hardware and lumber yards that you are intersted in 'helping' clear out their culls.

 

We used to have a used/reclaimed lumber yard where they would pull nails out of boards and cut to lenth so they could be reused. Great for sheds, chicken coops and other simple structures.

I do have to say I have never, ever seen Ace Hardware listed as a good place to buy anything. The best part is they are convenient but higher than a cats back on any and all prices I have seen.

Here in the Burleson/Cleburne area we have McCoys and in Cleburne a Stewarts Lumber. They most of the time had a little better prices but add in the drive and you lose all you gained. I am NOT a fan of HD or Lowes. I don't like either one of them. Back in the 1980s and up through around 2000 or so we had Payless Cashways and I always felt fairly treated by them. But they are long gone.

 

Local lumber yard has not been able to beat HD Prodesk and vet discount. Only thing I hate about them is if you order a lot of 2x4s or a bunk- and your not there to observe- they will grab the warped up **** that everyone picked thru and put to the side. Cool thing is they have online sales only sometimes (on welders and such). Then you go to the store and the sales price is much higher. Just pay online and p/u at store. Reason I say that is because it seems as though it’s an error or somthing cuz the store confirmed that they would never sell it so low

 

Local lumber yard has not been able to beat HD Prodesk and vet discount. Only thing I hate about them is if you order a lot of 2x4s or a bunk- and your not there to observe- they will grab the warped up **** that everyone picked thru and put to the side. Cool thing is they have online sales only sometimes (on welders and such). Then you go to the store and the sales price is much higher. Just pay online and p/u at store. Reason I say that is because it seems as though it’s an error or somthing cuz the store confirmed that they would never sell it so low

You can avoid this by purchasing entire skids of lumber... You will still have some rejects but at least nobody has picked through it.

 

Speaking of Ace,we send a couple customers there every week.
They come in with a deer in the headlight expression,holding a screw(or whatever) and say I need 3 of these.
Sometimes we even don't know what it is,or carry it.We can order it,in bulk,and they have to wait a week or so,or maybe we can't get it at all.
Even Home Depot can't carry everything,but Ace seems to have some 'oddball" stuff.

There are 2 here,and I've been to both for stuff I need.The 2 I go to,its rare to see a teen working the aisle,heck,some are older than me.
They are knowlable,and have good advice.

We are a small shop,but our regulars can be in and out before they can even park and get a dolly at Home Depot.I got to Home Depot also,so I'm not exaggerating...much.

 

Speaking of Ace,we send a couple customers there every week.
They come in with a deer in the headlight expression,holding a screw(or whatever) and say I need 3 of these.

Thats the one thing I really miss about old time lumber yards. You could buy a single screw or bolt without having to buy a whole blister pack for $5 with more than you need. I miss spinning the metal bin with nails and screws in them that you loaded and weighed in a paper bag and only had too buy as much or as little as you needed and not have to pay for the box.

And Ace normally has someone in the plumbing dept that actually knows how to plumb in case you need a tip or help.

 

I used to work at a small local mill. While I was building my house.

Even with my employee discount, It was cheaper to shop at the nearest lowes, 60 miles away, than at my own place of work.

 

Just returned from HD where I bought $165 worth of purple stripe lumber (70% off) for $48. None was warped; some had a few rough spots with bark and a few cracks. Check out HD foer purple lumber - the culled stuff. They also sell busted bags of quikrete and playground sand for 50% off.

 

Habitat for Humanity Re-Store gets a lot of overrun donations.
Good prices the last time I checked.