May 28, 2021

How To Save Money On Lumber

If you have been planning any DIY projects, you have probably noticed how high lumber costs are right now. Getting what you need has been a little tricky as well. With all that said and done, we have been planning our summer projects for over a year now. So it’s go time regardless of the price. Here are a couple tips that have helped us keep our lumber costs down, in fact one of these tips saved us over $100 in an instant! Here is how to save money on lumber!

How To Save Money On Lumber

1. Create A Visual Drawing Of Your Project

Creating a sketch allows you to figure out exactly how many boards you need. The last thing to do right now is buy more boards than you need. I did this with my raised garden beds and with our egress well. It allowed us to have a visual plan for our project and then get exactly what we needed! Even if you aren’t great at drawing, doing a quick sketch of your project will help!

2. Price Out All Different Board Lengths

For the raised garden beds I am making, I needed 16- 8 foot cedar boards. I priced that out, and was basically ok with it (even though it was really expensive). On a whim, I priced out 8-16 foot cedar boards and it saved me more than $100! Yes, it was a little trickier to get home and it required some additional cutting to get them down to 8 foot… but for $100 it was totally worth it. I Then priced out the 12 foot boards verse two 6 foot boards and the price was similar. So you never know! Try pricing out all different sizes! You may save some money!

3. Price Out Different Stores Or Online Marketplaces

It’s easy to stick to the home improvement store you typically go to, but with lumber prices so high, make sure to price out every option. Also keep an eye open on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for new lumber. At the end of a project sometimes people have leftover lumber which you can pick up for a bargain!

4. Use A Linear Cut Sheet Optimizer

Programs are out there to help you figure out how to cut all your lumber with the least amount of excess. You enter in all your required board sizes and how many and then it tells you how to cut it out. This is very helpful, especially when lumber prices are so high. Go To Cut Sheet Optimizer *this is a free site that we found and used. I am not an affiliate.

The cut sheet optimizer allows you to put kerf (width of the cut) in as well, which makes sure you have the lengths you need.

Here is an example of the cut sheet we followed. Each length is color coated, I still like to double check it though and make sure all the lengths are correct. One drawback is this free cut sheet program doesn’t consider price. So if it suggests two 8 foot boards and you know the sixteen foot board is cheaper, then simply make that adjustment.

Project Planning Sheet

I whipped up this little printable a few months ago and I absolutely love it! I have it printed out for every single project we have going; siding, egress well, garden expansion, and pergola roof! It helps us make sure everything is ordered, it helps us price out each project…it just keeps us organized! If you are planning summer projects, print this sheet off! It will be a big help. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Saving On Lumber Costs

Right now, if you DIY you are definitely feeling the increased prices. I hope you found these tips helpful. I have several more printables to help with planning projects, so make sure to check out my free project binder guide as well!