How to find the best lumber for your build ?

[schiada]

I'm just about done with the dreaming part of my planing.  Now, How do I find "GOOD" lumber and at a fair price ? I'm in the Glendale ,AZ area. Is their a trick that the "GOOD" builders use?   

Randy

[MushCreek]

I found that local lumberyards had better stuff, and slightly cheaper than the 'big box' stores. My contractor said that they buy about 20% over, and return the worst stuff. To be honest, after struggling to get my barn the way I wanted it, I wound up using very little lumber on my house at all. ICF walls, truss roof, I-Joists for the floor, and steel studs for the internal walls. The steel studs were actually cheaper than wood- again, bought from a local drywall supplier as opposed to Big Orange.

One key to using lumber is to hand select it, then get it in place and secured right away before it can move on you. Pressure treated is particularly bad for warping.

[UK4X4]

I guess it depends on how much your buying !

I certainly prefer to hand pick my lumber whenever possible, get a straight batch of decking V's persuading the screwy bent stuff can save you literally hours of time, same with studs, everything goes together so much quicker when its good quality and straight.

X 2 as well on the quicker its out of the pallet and into the frame, the less things move around, I have a bunch of sheet goods at the house now for my un started kitchen, its all piled on top of each other with some beams "hopefully" holding them all flat !

[rick91351]

I echo MuchCreek and the PT lumber - but I have reservations about picking and choosing one's own lumber if you do not know lumber.  So if you decide to pick your own down at the big box store -- What do you look for other than straight?  I would rather have framing lumber with some wane the edges missing or looks like they were chewed off by the the giant chewing machine.  That is better much better in most cases than knots that make a board unsound.  Tight pin knots don't count  nor do tight larger knots so much as as those cut or run cross grain.  I would shy away from any cut from the pith or the center of the log especially with todays short cycle trees.  I would not buy anymore than what I am going to use for the trip or the day or two at the job site.     

I like lumber yards and I stay completely from the box stores unless I have to use one.  I have used the same lumber yards for years now.  My favorite everyone knows me.  Before I built this house I was receiving a contractors discount.  I have such a good relationship with the owner he has delivered to me free lumber when we were building the house.  Stuff others rejected but were great for bracing and cutting up for blocking.  He says he knows I can use it up here at the ranch and if I can't just turn it into firewood.     

Most lumber yards around here if you are going to build anything of any size will offer a discount.  Two if they deliver to you unusable lumber you have little recourse than pick up the phone and have them come pick it up.  But be fair.  If it was good lumber when you received it and you did not immediately use it and left out out in the hot sun uncovered for even a day to two not even a week you best expect the corkscrew effect of today's lumber.   

Don_P will also tell you they do not make lumber like they used to.  One - most timber now is not grown long enough to become the older good trees of yesteryear.  This coupled with changing in grading dimensional lumber is just not what it was.  So how do you beat the system?  One keep your lumber under warps....  Two do not even unband it until you are ready for it.  Do not buy it until you are ready for it.  Do not think that if you leave it unbanded and in the weather for a day or two it is going to be the same nice straight board you bought  ---  especially this time of the year summer being the worst of course. 

BTW There is no secret pile of good lumber they take to the contractors.  They are faced with the same 'good stuff' you are only worse because they go through more of it.   

 

                         

[Windpower]

The carpenters here used ProBuild exclusively

The lumber was consistently excellent -- very very few rejects and the prices were better than Lowes or Home Depot

did I mention free delivery if you set up an account and paid it off every month

(there was a charge for delivery of drywall and a small one for the oversized  35 foot span and 12:12 pitch trusses that had to be trucked in from IA  -- I think it was $150 )