Saving Money on our Lumber Order
Because we're such clueless Owner Builders, some of this may sound lame - I noticed my writing sure didn't flow well after reading it, but it's written in the best way I could understand it. If you need clarification, just send me an email or call.
Before you can get bids on the lumber, you have to have a detailed list of all lumber you will need and the hardware such as hangers, tie-downs, etc. that you will need to fasten, and hold the lumber. If you have purchased your plans, they should come with what is known as a "Take Off List" Often this list is made by a professional who does nothing but look at plans all day and create "Take-Off" lists for each set of plans. Also sometimes, your contractor, Architect or Designer can supply the list, but often for an additional cost. At least that is what we have learned. BUT for those of us who do not have a list, maybe because we designed the structure ourselves, and then had them drawn up on a CAD program by Draftsperson,, or what ever other reason, you can have your lumber company make the list from your plans. But beware, because they will charge you a fee and then refund the fee if you order the items on the list through them. For us, the cost was going to be $350 for the Take-Off list from one lumber yard, another one said they will do it, if we commit to buying lumber through them. Well, we went with the second offer. We had the lumber company do our Take-Off list, but it's what we did with that Take-Off list, that helped us save at least $3000 dollars on lumber.
We took our plans to the lumber company, and at no charge, within a week, we had a full, detailed list of every item we needed to build our garage/apartment. We knew we would most likely be buying something from that list from them, as they are close by and it would only be fair in exchange for the Take-Off list. BUT we are not obligated to buy EVERYTHING on that list from them. So, that's where a little bit of work on our part comes in.
Using the Take-Off list (which was in a spreadsheet format), we created a spreadsheet using the itemized information (I've created a generic Excel file here). In the first column we listed each item from the Take-Off List (exactly as it was written), then at the TOP heading area of the following three columns, we listed the three local lumber companies.
Anyway, we printed out only the list (not showing the columns with the lumber company names at the top obviously), and sent the list off to three local, reputable lumber companies. When we got each bid back, we inserted their price for each of the items. We were then able to compare apples to apples, with the totals for each company at the bottom of their column. It was amazing to see how much the costs differed, many things ended up being several hundred dollars difference. This whole experience also gave us more education as to what was needed to build our structure, and by becoming more familiar with each item, we were better able to control and monitor how and where it's being used along the way. For instance, when the contractor says he needs a couple more PC44's (hangers), we'll know what he's talking about. AND we'll know when it's time to order the lumber for the second floor phase of framing.
The lumber companies take-off list also grouped the items by location in the structure. This really made it nice for us, because we could limit our orders based upon the phase of the construction. For instance, "First Floor" items were listed in a group. We were able to order ONLY the first floor items to be delivered now, because they won't be ready for the second floor lumber, or the rafters for another few weeks or so. No sense in that lumber sitting out in the rain if it doesn't have to, and it keeps the jobsite less cluttered, and less chance of things being stolen. Again, this grouping of items by their location within the structure, REALLY helped us learn what the item was for, by looking up its location on the plans too. It's was actually fun, almost like looking for Waldo! . . . never mind.
This may have been a lot more work on our end, but it paid off sweetly and really didn't take long to do. It just took some "data input"; something even your teenager could do if they can type better then you. Heck, if you're a geek like me, you might even "OCR" the lumber yard's list!! - Better Yet! :-)
We were amazed at how many items were several hundred dollars in difference, a couple of items were almost a thousand dollars in difference - go figure. We then went through and highlighted the lowest prices under each lumber company. From this, we were able to create an order for each lumber yard, knowing we were getting the lowest price on each item. With all the lumber, from joists, to redwood and special order beams, we saved several thousand dollars this way. And the three lumber companies were happy to have our business, regardless of the size of our order.
We highly recommend setting up a credit account with each lumber company and even your local Home Depot for odds and ends (Home Depot IS NOT always the cheapest and the lumber is not as good of quality, so keep that in mind). This makes it so easy to just call up and have them deliver particular items the next day, and they give you better service as you are considered a contractor. Pssst, tell them to deliver the lumber with "stickers" these are boards or whatever else they use placed on the bottom of the lumber so that your lumber is better protected from the damp ground.
Oh by the way, apparently it's common to run a little short on your first draw from the bank. They expect you to have some kind of reserve to help pay for the initial lumber - and GOD knows how much you paid in county fees! AND beware that you will also need to place your order for windows and doors at the same time you start your foundation work. Our window order required 50% down - A big OUCH! if you didn't plan on that big expense on your first draw on the loan. Pozzi, Marvyn and Andersen windows for instance can take 6-8 weeks for delivery too, so keep that in mind regarding your scheduling.
Lesson Learned:
When you fax your order in, be sure that all of the pages go through. We had two pages that did not go through and we ended up with missing joists and ridge beams. Our paticular beams took several weeks to get, so this set us back by three weeks on the joists and 4-6 weeks on the Alaskan Yellow Cedar ridge beams (Stain Grade). Ouch!
Be sure to find out what items on your list will take the longest and get them ordered right away. Also, make sure to tell the lumber yard that you want stickers(?) on the bottoms of the lumber to protect them from the ground. You should only have delivered the items you will be using right away, as they are better protected at the lumber yard from the elements and theft. But be sure they are ready to be delivered when you need them! Oh yeah, buy lots of tarp ahead of time - if you might have rainy days ahead.
