Complete Guide to Buying Lumber (2015)
None of these points address the hardest parts of buying lumber for a beginner. The hardest parts are in no particular order<p>* knowing the maximum dimensions you can fit into your vehicle.  Are you sure it&#x27;ll fit in through the door or hatch and you&#x27;ll be able to close it?<p>* knowing what cuts you can make at home, and which ones you need to have done at the lumber yard &#x2F; big box retailer.<p>* if you need cuts done at the store, does that store offer that service? For example the Menards I shop at has an amazing selection of wood, but they won&#x27;t cut any of it for me. The Lowe&#x27;s has a smaller selection, but they do cuts for  free.<p>* if you&#x27;re having cuts at the store, make sure the saw is working before doing the hard work of choosing your lumber. Too many times to count I&#x27;ve spent 30 minutes getting all the pieces loaded on the cart and then noticed the &quot;Out of Order&quot; sign and had to leave empty handed.<p>* are you strong enough to lift the piece? Plywood comes in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets, and they can be heavy and awkward to move. A store employee can help you, but at some point you&#x27;re on your own and will need to do it yourself, have some help, or fashion some tools to assist you.<p>* For cuts at the store, do you know what dimensions to tell the employee to cut at? Store cuts should be considered rough cuts than you true up later on. Make sure you account for this when dictating the cuts.<p>* Lastly, just assume you&#x27;ll make mistakes early on. Luckily construction lumber in the US is pretty cheap, so you can afford a few lessons.