Y'all Been Checkin' Lumber Prices?

[stephenh]

Yeah I tend to use our small-town local lumber store, except for...lumber. I've been buying there 40 years and everyone I know complains of the same thing: no matter what you need that lumber for, they don't let you pick any out, they just grab the boards on top of the stack and that is what you get, period. Therefore, if I need some straight pieces, I drive some distance to a big box where I might have to pick through 30 pieces of wood to get something that will work, at least I can do that.

Otherwise, fortunately I haven't had to buy much of any lumber past couple years, and additional benefit is I've gone through my stash of set-aside pieces about fifty times and managed to get done what I wanted to do. I am now down to pretty much zero set-asides....

 

[Midniteoyl]

I have no choice but to drive. My local, and all of those in between, shut down.

 

[gstrom99]

Yeah I tend to use our small-town local lumber store, except for...lumber. I've been buying there 40 years and everyone I know complains of the same thing: no matter what you need that lumber for, they don't let you pick any out, they just grab the boards on top of the stack and that is what you get, period. Therefore, if I need some straight pieces, I drive some distance to a big box where I might have to pick through 30 pieces of wood to get something that will work, at least I can do that.

On a project this big (one part of the order is 56 2x4x10) sorting through the stack and hand loading them on my trailer, ain't gonna happen. Their lumber has always been of a pretty good quality. I'll take the few, with issues.

 

[gstrom99]

I have no choice but to drive. My local, and all of those in between, shut down.

When I bought this place in '17, there was a big lumber yard in town (5 miles away). I thought: great, I'll be there often. It burned down the following year, and did not get rebuilt. The one I'm using now, is about 15 miles away. Decent place/guys, but not as big, though.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

It always amazes me that people will drive 40 to 50 miles to the big box store and purchase lumber there, as the local store is just pennies more. But the quality of the lumber is so much better, always less culls at the local store.

Not always the case. BBS during the pandemic were almost 30% less price.

 

[ning]

My local stores help me pick through stuff and don't wait for me to decide something's too warped, they're like "you don't want that one"

Reminds me of one time I'm in the local grocery and I'm considering the fresh corn in the produce area and a guy in a green apron (store employee) just says "you don't want the corn"

It's stuff like this which keeps me shopping locally - I've a strong preference to pay extra in return for not being disappointed with purchases later, and it's not that much extra either.

 

[mred2]

At most lumber places here, if you have a larger order delivered, the will take back the bad/unused.

 

[Midniteoyl]

When I bought this place in '17, there was a big lumber yard in town (5 miles away). I thought: great, I'll be there often. It burned down the following year, and did not get rebuilt. The one I'm using now, is about 15 miles away. Decent place/guys, but not as big, though.

I had one less than mile away that closed almost 5 yrs ago. The next closet is now Lowes ~26mi and Home Depot ~33mi in the complete opposite direction. Shame too as Johnson's consistently had some of the best lumber I have seen.

 

[riptides]

For my last years (or two years ago) porch project, I could not find lumber at the big box stores. I found a local supplier who wanted a premium price. It was then that I noted the quality difference. Wow. I did not have an issue with any board, knots, straightness, anything. I ended up using them again for other projects. The big box stores, I use for framing and work I will not see, LOL.

 

[gstrom99]

At most lumber places here, if you have a larger order delivered, the will take back the bad/unused.

Yep. The special order trusses are not returnable. Everything else is, if not used. I won't ask 'em to come and pick 'em up, though...