Like most full-time carpenters, I occasionally do a bit of side work for friends and neighbors. Most of these projects involve sketching up a plan and doing a lumber take off and cost estimate (an expense of time that my “clients” don’t seem to recognize.) Last year I made a lumber cost spreadsheet with unit costs for a variety of softwood, hardwood, and sheet goods so that I could do some rough estimates without a lot of phone calls or trips to the lumberyard. Now, of course, it’s way out of date. It would really be great if somebody maintained a local or regional database on lumber prices — not quotes but a rough estimating guide. Has anyone heard of such a thing?
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Replies
It would probably be difficult to keep current as the prices can fluxuate rapidly at times.
For myself, I watch "Random Length" prices, a weekly mill wholesale price list published in Eugene, Oregon but providing price levels for softwood lumber and plywood nationally. Since it's always nearly real-time, I can anticipate price fluxuations at the yards as there's usually a week to 2 weeks lag-time between manufacturers prices and retail. The markup from mill to yard is usually 25 to 40% (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the retailer) and I've found my estimates for framing lumber are usually pretty close.
Of course, when doing estimates for a customer, you want to put a "this quote good for days" to cover your butt.
The yard I use gives monthly price list on standard items.
Ask to be on the list, most yards will. (If they want to sell to you)
Every job is different . Too much to try to control.
Make a take off estimate and fax it to your lumber yard and they will fill in the blanks and fax it back while you are working on office stuff. Let them do the work.
Tim Mooney
One of our suppliers maintains a website with current prices and inventory available for almost everything they carry in stock. The prices are not always as competitive as they will give when quoting a specific job but it is available at 5 am when you wake up thinking about an estimate that is due.
Thats a cool idea! Im gonna tell !
Tim Mooney
I know I'll catch crap for this but... Home Depot offers this free software that comes with their "Pro Book", also free. It has a spread sheet where you do your take offs and then automatically connects to the internet and gets the current prices right back to you. It's usually a safe bet for me because HD's prices are a little higher than my lumberyard usually is. I use this for estimates so when my lumberyard comes in with a lower price a few weeks later I look like the good guy. It's a quick easy and free way to get a decent +/_ estimate.
and the link to get that software is......
Excellence is its own reward!
I've been using it for years.
It's great for stuff you remember their name for. But, for example, if I need pressure treated, I know my local HD has it but the sizes are often "greyed out" and no prices, so I have to call them anyway.
Still, for what it does, it's a real time-saver and you can get the PRO BOOK CD at your local HD Pro Desk.At my age, my fingers & knees arrive at work an hour after I do.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Piff, not sure of a link, but just walk up to the "prodesk" at your local HD and ask for a Probook with the corresponding software. It's free and quite simple. I haven't had the problem of pricing being "greyed out" that was mentioned previously. Maybe I'm just getting lucky. It's nice to have the book for reference (with pics) as I often need to remember proper name of "that molding with that funky ogee profile that's like 5/8Wx 1 1/4" know what I mean? Also, on the off chance that I am actually ordering from them, I can get my tile, backer board, tile spacers, subfloor with adhesive, nails, possibly a new trowel etc. without ever having to deal with a human at HD or trusting proper placement of my order to an HD associate which can sometimes lead to unsavory problems! Generally speaking I enjoy the human interaction involved with my local lumberyard but I find with HD it's best to do everything I can myself and let them just bill, pull, and deliver.
I make out a list, fax it to my supplier, and he faxes back a priced quote in a day or less, but I do a lot of this estimating evenings and weekends when he is not available so the HD CD would be handy. It is not so easy for me to just walk up to the pro desk tho. I am a ferry ride and fifty five mile drive from one. so I thought somebody might have an online link to download it. Maybe I'll try a seaarch later. Anybody got the name of the file?.
Excellence is its own reward!
The program is available only on CD, and even has different versions depending on area of the country(mine is the Great Lakes(EAST) edition. My CD has a phone support number (760) 438-3254 listed, you might call them. Otherwise, you can call the HD nearest you and ask them to send you the CD. The nice part about it is that you can update prices through the internet at any time.
I just went to HD to get the disk. Guy at the ProDesk didn't have a clue what I was asking for. He started searching the cabinets and found a small stack buried in a bottom drawer. Wonder why they don't advertise the CD? Seems like a good way to improve business relations, if not business itself.
now doesn't that sound just like Home Depot?
Take something that can improve customer relations and hide it in the back of the cabinet (right behind the pile of excuses).
Excellence is its own reward!
28083.13 in reply to 28083.12
"I make out a list, fax it to my supplier, and he faxes back a priced quote in a day or less, but I do a lot of this estimating evenings and weekends when he is not available so the HD CD would be handy. It is not so easy for me to just walk up to the pro desk tho. I am a ferry ride and fifty five mile drive from one."
About my same problem as Im 70 miles from one . Im going to use to info though on Lowes and the private yards and see if I can shake the bush. Sometimes fruit falls.
I asked for a new building last week for the scouts because they didnt have a place to meet. They spent 1.5 million however on the boy and girl scouts and spend 100,000.00 per year to maintain them. They gave us a building . I was told I was a skeeter on an elephants leg. But ,....David slew Goliath, Im picking equiptment I want now.
Tim Mooney
I don't know why more business don't put their database on web site. Most companies are running inventory on computers any how. It would cut the the need of having two or three people sitting at a desk pricing out material for people who want an idea what it is going to cost.
The lumberyards I deal with send out a fax the first of every month with prices for their most common items. Typically, they only do it for contractors here. But it might be worth asking wherever you do business.
Even if they don't have a monthly fax, they can set up a bogus "estimate" in their computer system. The bogus "estimate" has one each of all the things you want to keep up on the pricing for. Then they can just pull up the estimate and print it out whenever you need it. Items can be added/deleted as necessary. Doesn't take much effort on their part once it's set up.
Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?