Best deal ever on lumber :) that I've seen anyway...

[speakup4kids]

I was having the hardest time getting my coop done, mostly due to lack of funds to buy lumber. I was going to Home Depot and Lowe's, alternating between the two stores every couple days (they are right across the street from each other) and buying a 2x4 or a couple of 1x3's, etc... In the meantime I was starting to get depressed having my chickens in my tiny makeshift coop outside that was really WAY too small for them. So one night I was at Home Depot and on a whim decided to ask for their extra scrap lumber. HOLY COW!!! The sales associate took me to the back of the lumber section where there was a cart full of wood of all different sizes. I got ALL of the wood for my coop and only paid $2.00!! There were a couple of full size 2x4's in there so the guy charged me $2.00 for them but gave me everything else for free! I was so happy!! My dh not so much but oh well

I have since gone back 3 more times and gotten lumber for free. Just little odds and ends I needed for other projects. I have even had them cut my free wood for me and they were happy to do it!!

 

[SeaHen]

That is the coolest thing! Congratulations on your ingenuity! We were doing the same thing as you, buying a couple of boards here and there, and getting really discouraged. Then my kids answered an ad on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago for a free chicken house, and the thing turned out to be massive! They had to dismantle it and make several trips to bring it home, but it will be awesome if we can ever get it back together again. Free or cheap is GOOD!

 

[momofspoiledchicks]

Wow! That was a great deal! We go to Lowe's or Home Depot & ask for thier cull lumber. It is usually a pretty big pile of misc. pieces of lumber, lattice, etc... for pretty cheap.

 

[donniedodgen]

THANKS FOR THE TIP

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[ranchhand]

What a deal! Thanks for posting it.

There is a farm implement and equipment supply store in our little town. They have just started putting their packing crates out on the side of the highway, for free. I got 2 huge ones and have started turning one into a coop already. They even loaded the crates for me with a massive forklift. Cheap, rough lumber but very sturdy frames for a coop.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Well done!! I try to use as much recycled stuff as I can. I get heaps of things from work that would just be thrown in the bin. And its totally free!! We have wooden packing cases shipped to us at work from India- I make them in to nesting boxes for chickens and donate money from the sales to my Poultry club. Its amazing what you can get for so cheap- or even nothing.

 

[rcentner]

nice! I love that they cut the wood for you too! thanks for sharing!

 

[joebryant]

Typical!
Isn't Home Depot great!
I like it a lot more than Lowes or Menards where you have to go looking for a clerk. Home Depot's highly trained/skilled clerks come looking for you and bend over backwards to provide the best of help/service that they can.
You should fill out the questionnaire on line for the employee(s) who helped you so much (see the bottom of your receipt). They get a $15 check reward if you tell their name and how they helped you in the space provided near the end of the questionnaire.

 

[SandyK]

We are finding 84 Lumber to be less expensive on certain things. We alternate between them also.

I hit the jackpot a week ago at our local dump. We have a swap shop area where people drop off things that are still good and you can take them free. Anyway, I got a brand new huge roll of linoleum for the flooring, we could hardly carry it, door for the side to go into the run, full lights, so this will let a lot of light in the coop too, a 51" long straight Corian counter top to go next to my sink!!!, a couple lights and a mirror. I was so excited about all my goodies. It was like the Lord just had them there waiting for me.

 

[crj]

I love HomeDepot for the scrap lumber. I check it out every chance I get. It's my private little stash..... that's what I call it..... LOL. Problem is, there is a new manager back there or some new sales clerk. Everything use to be .53 cents. You could get sheets of plywood 4x4 too which was wonderful. Now some idiot cuts it into 2x4 pieces and it's good for nothing. They are even asking over $4.00 for it!!! Lets just say the scrap lumber hasn't been selling. They've been cutting it all up. Even the 2x4's, 2x10's, etc to 4 foot lengths or shorter. What good is that? Oh, and they won't cut the wood to the size you need either. You have to buy a good piece of lumber to do that. Makes not sence. This is just in the last month. I asked a guy about it and he go snotty saying it's always been the store policy. He didn't believe me when I told him what I have bought in the past. He claims he had been in that store for 16 yrs and I told him how funny it was that I had never seen him before. Hopefully the other guys will come back. You have to hit it just right to get the right prices now. It has taken the fun out of it for me

There is just no place else that does this. Lowe's doesn't do it. They take a bunch of stuff that they can't sell and get enough of it to fill a pallet and sell the pallet of goods for $150. I prefer the scrap pile. Craigslist is also another good place to find stuff.