those of you who shop at menards

Unfortunately, that's about where I'm at, too, rambler. And we're one of those folks driving over 100 miles to get to Menards.
But it doesn't take long for that extra $2-4 per board to really add up.

I try to support my local businesses, but I can't afford to increase the cost of my house by several thousand dollars, just so I can subsidize their business.
I use my local yard for swing-in things like a couple bags of Quickcrete or the odd pound of nails...

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

so there's quite a disparity in opinions. I was just curious, as we sell lumber to many different companies. we have strict rules to follow, and each customer has their own requirements. I personally will buy a random board at the local store, but if I want a unit, I buy it from our mill.
I don't know where you get "farmed" logs that are fed fertilizer, but that's most definitely not done around here.

If we need something fast for a project, we'll go through the wood at Menard's or Sutherlands.

We try to keep a good stockpile of the "good stuff" we get from a fellow up in Gravity, IA. He dismantles old barns and other buildings, takes the nails out of the wood, and stores it in a couple of "warehouses" he built out of materials from the buildings he takes down.

Charges only about 1/3 the price of "new" materials, and has a much better product.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

I have always been disappointed the few times I've been to Menards. Seems like I saw lots of damaged, drywall, things were dirty, unorganized, boxes, opened, poorly repackaged, I didn't pay too much attention to their lumber. I've been pretty satisfied with our Lowes.

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"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow the fields of those who don't."-Thomas Jefferson

I can't help but wonder if it varies from area to area, and even store to store. Almost all the local mom and pop lumberyards have been gobbled up by the big box stores, and due to a certain arrogance on the part of the small vendor. Always made me think of that Garrison Keillor creation, Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery-- If You Can't Find It At Ralph's, You Probably Don't Need It. I find our local Menard's means more sorting than Lowe's, and Home Depot is somewhere in between. But if I want a nice selection of precut hardwoods, oak, cherry, etc, the place to go around here is Menard's. Seems like no matter how thick I buy the pine, it always bows when it becomes shelving, especially for books or canned goods. Red oak doesn't.

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‎"The trouble with quotes over the Internet is that you never know if they are genuine." - Abraham Lincoln

I can see that!
Have you tried getting quotes for larger quanities? Lots of small lumber yards in places like yours get used like a conveinace store , the locals buy one or two boards there but go to town for the big orders so they have to price for the single board trade. they might be able to do a lot beter on substantial orders.

I think it does.
But then the two Menards stores I shop at, both are in the city where Menards started, and has its headquarters.
So the stores are very clean and very helpful people, and very organized.
Sure you have to "pick through" the wood products from fence posts to 2 X 4's, but what Big Box Store don't you have to?
I have also showed at Lowes, and Home Depot, and Payless Lumber all 3 were in AZ. And everyone you had to sort through stuff to find good stuff.
Menards is no different.
And as a side note.
If I had not known Paul Menard was in Nascar I may not have started to be a Nascar fan. LOL

Absolutely. Just called two of my local yards on Tuesday, as a matter of fact. And they still didn't even come close.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Thats a bummer! The yard I hung around at can usually BEAT the big box stores on bunk lots....not by much since the margin is usually pennies but they are willing to try.

Do people actually build whole buildings/sheds/barns with the lumber from Lowes and Home Depot? I'm not a fan of either store. I get most of my materials from Menards, and some from the local lumber yard.

I was recently looking for good lumber to make some drying ovens for work. I planned on ripping the 2x's to make shelves/trays for part of it. I also wanted to get straight lumber for the carcass frames. I checked most store in town. Lumber yards, Home Depot, and Menards. I was willing to pay just about anything for high quality in stock lumber. Everyone's lumber was "bad", or not as good as I remember it being. Even the local lumber yards #1 structural lumber was less than stellar. Since I could only make one purchase, I ended up getting everything from Menards.

I have no problem paying for a higher grade lumber, and then just loading up however many dozens/hundreds of pieces I need. When I had the pole barn materials delivered, I didn't have more than a few pieces of less than great pieces. Still usable, but not up to the rest. Anyone that buys the "economy grade" lumber and complains about the quality should be ignored. Its a fine case of "you get what you pay for."

Michael