Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he buys all his lumber from a local mill for half the price

I was in line at Home Depot in Springfield and the guy ahead of me was telling the cashier he only comes here for small stuff now. He said he gets all his 2x4s and plywood from a family-run mill just outside town, and it costs him about half of what the big box store charges. I never even thought to look for something like that around here. Has anyone else found a local supplier that beats the chain stores on basic materials?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_thomas8220d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly used to think the big stores were the only game in town for that stuff. Tbh I figured local places would be more expensive. Then my neighbor had a bunch of rough cut lumber delivered from a mill a county over. Ngl the quality was way better, and the price really was a lot lower for the same amount. Makes you wonder what else we're overpaying for out of habit. Might have to start asking around.

the_mary20d ago

Way better quality" for rough cut? That stuff needs a ton of work. It's not even the same product as the planed lumber at the store. You're paying for your own time to finish it. Half price sounds great until you add in all the extra hassle. Not sure it's the huge win people make it out to be.

the_lucas13d ago

Remember my buddy who built that shed last fall? He found a guy with a portable mill who set up in his yard for a day. They cut up a couple of pine trees from his own property that were coming down anyway. He ended up with way more wood than he needed for the project, and the cost was basically just paying the guy for his time. It was a crazy good deal.