How do contractors buy construction lumber?

[John Baranowski]

The only reason I ever go to the BORG is because I know that I'm encouraged to look around (vs. lumberyard where I need to know what I want because everything is squirreled away in a warehouse without prices listed).

this is the same reason I go to the BORG as well. No prices or labels drives me nuts.

The "squirreled away in a building" you mention is actually an efficient system that is fast, but yes, you do have to know what you are after. What you are after is just another Borg.

I am a homeowner, not a contractor. Knowing every grade of construction lumber is more than I care to memorize, but I can tell good stuff when I see it. And having prices there enables me to determine if paying the extra $xx per board is worth it for the simple garage shelving i'm building vs the high end shed with all the trimmings.

[Ryan Mooney]

In case you haven't figured out what I am saying, I would suggest that you ask some better builders where they purchase their lumber, and go there.

Larry

This got me thinking that on the flip side if you're hiring a builder, maybe asking them where they buy their lumber is a good way to weed out builders as well...

[Greg Portland]

them: "We only do business with plumbers, not guitar builders"
me: "I install guitar shaped plumbing systems for eccentric millionaires and I have cash. Do you want to make a sale or not?"

I've found that most businesses will sell to me (non-business) if I'm paying via card or cash. To open an account they are a bit more picky. As long as I have my act together (e.g. model, part number, quantity) there has never been a problem.

[Erik Loza]

My wife and I recently finished a 6-month remodel to our home. We had a contractor handle since both of us work full-time and the thought of a divorce did not appeal to me. Regarding the lumber-thing, our builder uses a local lumberyard ("McCoy's") for all the lumber, Tyvek, OSB and ply, Hardie siding, etc. From the conversations I was part of, it seemed like one phone call from their office to McCoy's and the material was at our site the next morning. Now, the builder we hired is a small, local firm and I can absolutely see how the fact that they are more than likely long-standing customers of McCoys made sure everything was on time and was what they needed. This yard is open to the public and I have been in there several times. Interesingly, it is never as busy as the Home Depot or Lowe's which are nearby, so that leads me to believe that most of their business is builders like ours. Probably because those two big retailers cannot offer the level of service that the independent place does. So, it seems like they have a good niche worked out for themselves.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Dan Friedrichs]

I am a homeowner, not a contractor. Knowing every grade of construction lumber is more than I care to memorize, but I can tell good stuff when I see it. And having prices there enables me to determine if paying the extra $xx per board is worth it for the simple garage shelving i'm building vs the high end shed with all the trimmings.

Exactly. I can't stand how, at "proper" lumber yards, finding a price seems to involve someone typing away at an ancient PC for 30 seconds before being able to tell me. It would be REALLY nice if they'd even just print out a current price list (or put it on their website).

[Jim Becker]

The GC who did our addition only works with a local, full service lumber yard and now I buy from them, too. Even if you're only buying a few sticks, the folks pulling the lumber carefully choose the best pieces in the stacks...one by one. Very little waste and top quality. For only a few pennies, if that, more than the 'borg's "hula" lumber.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I am surprised there are still lumberyards or even wholesalers who won't sell to the public.. That mantra died a long time ago.. I would suspect that its dead but just hasn't fallen down yet in some areas.. lol

Really?
Not in my area.
The "trades only" places are doing pretty well - all things considered, such as the building slump.
When the borgs hit town in force, it had little effect on them since - they didn't compete for the same market share...

[Ronald Blue]

I guess it's all about how much it's worth to you to be coddled. If your a contractor I understand that the contractor oriented yard has big benefits. For everyone else it's what this is worth to you. My son is considering building a new home. He will act as the GC. The local yard was $20,000 higher on the framing lumber,exterior sheathing and siding, and roofing. Inside was drywall and sub floor. That's quite a few pennies more. Since he works a couple miles from 3 major borgs it isn't an extra trip to work out issues. Big difference on the bottom line. Everything comes at a price. For some reason it eludes me how buying fixtures at the local yard would assure you they will never be discontinued. I personally don't mind sorting through the pile to find what I like. I think most of this thread is a rant and a slam to do it yourselfer's but that is just my observation. Ironically I thought woodworkers were the ultimate do it yourselfer.

[Rich Engelhardt]

For some reason it eludes me how buying fixtures at the local yard would assure you they will never be discontinued. I personally don't mind sorting through the pile to find what I like. I think most of this thread is a rant and a slam to do it yourselfer's but that is just my observation. Ironically I thought woodworkers were the ultimate do it yourselfer.

They (trades only places) buy from places like Progress and/or Nora, not from Utilitech..
Progress and/or Nora will discontinue items also -but -they don't leave you high and dry with what you already have..
It's no different than trying to find parts for some off the wall brand tool vs a name brand. I have a wonderful magensium framed Tradesman 18 ga. brad nailer. O also understand that if someting breaks in it, all I'll have is a real nifty fire starter....

Also - the decision to carry or not carry an item is made at the local level, not by a buyer in an offce a couple thousand miles away.

Good real life example here. All Builder's Square stores were shipped a few skids of barbed wire. Why? Barbed wire is a big seller in Texas.
Barbed wire happens to be against the law to sell in Parma Hts. Ohio...for all I know, those skids of barbed wire are still stiing in an empy building..
Product mix/items carried by the borg are made at a corporate level and the individual stores have little to say about what they carry.

I don't see where it's a slam to a DIY'er that there are jobbers out there that cater to a specific market.
Is it just becaus it's wood/kumber related, or does it bug you also that there are kitchen and janitorial suppliers that do the same thing?

I personally don't mind sorting through the pile to find what I like

No offence intended - but - it's not all about you and what you don't mind.
While you're culling material, you're holding up the guy on the forklift that wants to pick 3 bunks to fill an order..

[Matt McColley]

a lot of good info has already been posted.... I'll share my DIY on steroids experience, having build a house, a large add'n and a pole barn....

Make a detailed list of the lumber you need... add a small percentage for damage, miscuts, etc...

send the list to a couple lumber yards with good reputations and get quotes... then, try to deal with the same outfit on future projects and you'll build a good relationship with them..... (remember, these guys know the industry very well and can give you good advice, recommendations, etc...)

I set up a cash account with one yard, so that they could track my purchases and I could get a little discount.

I found that the quality of lumber at a good lumber yard is SOOOO much better than the big box stores....

Also, on my add'n, I had the contractor desk at HD quote my project and they were ~15% high.... and they don't deliver.

Make sure you have delivery details clear.... having the deliveries made in an organized manner, with the drops arriving at the right time and right place will save hours of your labor. Request a boom truck for delivery of panel products and roofing materials and have them plopped down on your second floor deck or roof...... I could have saved myself a hundred trips up and down a 20' ladder with bundles of heavy architectural shingles on my shoulder if I had only asked for a boom truck :^(

include nails, subfloor adhesive, typar, etc.... in your materials list.... make it as exact as you can.

Many lumber yards have one particular guy who works with the truss manufacturers and engineered material suppliers. He's the guy you want to talk to to speck out LVLs, Glue Lams, and trusses.... or at a the very least, double check your selections.

Who's going to do that for you at HD?

[Jim German]

I like the BORGs. I like having a website where I can check prices, check stock, check hours and locations. I like being able to wander around the store and look at products at my leisure.

I'm too intimidated to go to most trade type stores. I hate having to ask for a product without know the price, or being able to see it. I hate having to call a salesman.

[Bob Rufener]

We built our house a number of years ago-before the advent of the borgs in our area. We have a local lumber yard and I would definitely do the same thing. The lumber yard was sold by the owner to his employees and they are a good bunch of young guys. They are knowledgable and helpful. They have staff that will take your plan and come up with a close approximation of what sizes and quantities you will need for construction. They also bundle and deliver and will take returns on any unused lumber without questions. Good quality as well.

[Jim Andrew]

Near 40 years ago, I started my building business. At that time there were no "borgs", and the town I worked in had 4 lumberyards. I was a small builder, just doing 1 or 2 houses at a time, and the yards had their favorite customers, who got their material first. And they did not have salesmen to call on builders. It was a struggle to get the stuff on the job as I needed it, if we ran short, I had to get in my truck and drive to the yard, get a ticket and usually load it myself and haul it back to the jobsite. Usually killed about 1 1/2 hours. And those hours added up, and they did not pay. The first yard that got a salesman got my business. He came by to see if I needed anything, trying to pick up some business. I bought a few things, he made sure the price was right, and pretty soon I was buying everything from him. Things they did not have in stock, he would track down and even if he had to get them from a competitor, he would get and deliver. Got so he stopped by twice a day, and for me it was great. Like having a full time unpaid employee.

[ben searight]

Exactly. I can't stand how, at "proper" lumber yards, finding a price seems to involve someone typing away at an ancient PC for 30 seconds before being able to tell me. It would be REALLY nice if they'd even just print out a current price list (or put it on their website).

Believe it or not, lumber prices fluctuate constantly as do any other commodity. If you want constant, posted prices, you will pay more as the supplier would have to build in fluff to account for price increases.

I agree with you about the attitude at some supply places. A few years ago, the hardwood supplier I buy from would hardly give me the time of day, even though I was spending a few thousand dollars a year there. I was viewed as an annoyance because they were selling primarily to custom cabinet shops that were buying a truckload at a time. Now they call me every week to see if I need anything, even though I'm not a business. It's amazing how a lousy economy will improve customer service.

[Jim German]

Believe it or not, lumber prices fluctuate constantly as do any other commodity. If you want constant, posted prices, you will pay more as the supplier would have to build in fluff to account for price increases.

I don't care about constant prices, I care about having the price visible before I decide what I want. I don't understand how people make decisions on what to buy without being able to compare prices. I suppose if you don't care about it and just pass all the cost onto your customer it wouldn't matter to you. Still that seems like an easy way to lose customers.