Lumber

Any building project requires building material and mine happens to be wood. I didn’t realize it in the beginning, but there’s a vast amount of different lumber types and grades. Now, I’m not going to get into the different types of lumber, domestic, exotic, hard, soft, or the different grading systems because I’ll save that for another day. However, my first experience in the lumberyard was less than ideal and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. We’ll forget about the brick & mortar hardware stores for now because, generally speaking, they carry mostly engineered woods like plywood and lower grade hardwoods.

Now, I live in the American southwest so my experience with lumberyards is unique to this area. As far as I can tell prices are higher and we have less inventory and selection. The closer you live to the source, the cheaper and greater the selection may be. Unfortunately, for me, I only have one lumberyard in my area.

First time I walked into the local lumberyard I was confused and lost. I could see all the beautiful wood slabs and boards, but how do I choose? More importantly, how much is everything? There were no prices displayed anywhere. I asked a worker in the warehouse and they had no clue. It’s difficult to shop around on a fixed budget when you don’t know how much something costs.

Nervous and intent on not getting in anybody’s way, I grabbed a board of Alder. I knew nothing about the wood, the grain, it’s properties, or it’s viability for my project, but I needed something. A worker in the warehouse measured it up and sent me to the office with a little slip of paper with the board footage. I handed that to the fellow inside the office and he spit a number at me. Then, and only then, did I finally know the cost of that board. Thankfully it was in my budget so I paid and took my board.

I did this dance for awhile until I was finally able to understand which woods were expensive and which woods were cheap. I also realized early that prices changed, and often. I started keeping a list of the board foot costs of each type and grade of wood so I would at least have a relative idea of how much a project would cost in lumber. Unfortunately, this is still the method I use as it’s the best I have for now. At least now I can walk into the lumberyard with more confidence and find what I need.

My lumberyard seems to cater more to large builders that know what they need, not hobbyists like me. They probably assume I am until I speak up so I learned quickly not be afraid to ask questions. I would offer the same advice for anybody intimidated by their lumberyard. I’m sure most are happy to help.