My uncle Dave told me to always add 15% to any lumber quote back in 2018

I thought he was just being paranoid. But I just finished framing a 12x16 shed in my backyard and that advice saved me twice. First time I cut a header beam wrong and had to redo it. Second time I found out my original estimate for studs was way off because I forgot to account for the double top plate and cripples. That extra 15% meant I wasn't running to the lumber yard mid project. Has anyone else had a relative give them a random number rule that actually held up?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_coleman2117d ago

Is your uncle Dave adopting any time soon?

victor_jones9916d ago

Man, that's really cool you got to see that transformation up close. It's wild how a stable home can flip a kid's whole world around. Those siblings are lucky your uncle and his wife stepped up like that. It makes you wonder how many other kids out there just need that same chance.

scott.drew17d ago

Honestly I used to think the whole adoption thing was kind of overhyped until my uncle Dave did it. He and his wife adopted two siblings from the foster system a couple years ago and it completely changed how I see the whole process. The kids are thriving now, way more than anyone expected, and he says the support from the agency was actually pretty solid. It opened my eyes to how many kids are just waiting for someone to step up and give them a chance.