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Here are some pics of one of my lumber yards. I use 3.
This yard is in a town of 1,100 in rural Iowa.
I did business with them over the phone only for about 5 years before I meet anybody but the drivers. i would even order kitchens and countertops with just a phone call.
They are amazing they service a big area with quick delivery service. I have had them deliver a couple of tubes of caulk. Yes sir we’ll get it there.
In the pics these are the city streets, not the alley ways of the yard.
In the next post I will show you some pics of the inside.
Rich
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More inside pics.
The last shot is of the sales counter. It's about 40' long.
All the windows in the background are of offices for the salesman and owners.
I stopped in Dec. to buy some things and I popped into one of the owners offices, he didn't recognize me until I spoke. Too much phone contact.
Rich
the interior is several steps up form mine
but about on a par with Arnold
Arnold is tipped to the homeowner market more than JT's
did Marcus reconfigure themselves to answer the competition from the big boxes ?
That's what happened here in RI.... the lumber yards all answered the bell and decided to outservice HD & LowesMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike
The nearest big box store is 50- 60 miles away from Marcus in one direction. To the east there isn't a big box for probably 100 miles.
I have done business with them for 20 + years. Prompt delivery has always been their theme. In a town of 1,100 you aren't going to do that much business. They have aggressively gone after the business in the bigger neighboring towns.
When it is busy they have crews that just load trucks, a driver that takes the truck 1/2 way out and meets the driver that brings it to me.
They had a very nice big store, big for IA standards. About 4 years ago they had a fire in the showroom area.
The new building was already underway, but they bumped it up and it is now like a small big box store in there. They must have 10 full size kitchens set up. I didn't show you the door selection area. They must have 15- 20 interior door styles set up in a hallway of doors all hung with knobs. Very impressive.
All of there inventory is scatter in a 1/2 dozen old feed buildings and a couple of new pole buildings.
No 2x3s, but I can get channel drain steel roofing (38") in white 8' through 28', in stock. With a shears for cutting at no charge. They have 8-10 shears for use ($800 charge until returned).
My hometown yard carries no steel at all. My other 2 yards carry a large inventory. More farm oriented.
I'll have to call on the 2x3s.
Rich
all that wood and not a 2x3 in the bunch
View Image
looks like our Arnold Lumber, they have three yards like that
and JT's Lumber ( my lumber yard ) also has three yards
all of the original yards were on rail sidings , but nothing comes in on rail anymore
Mike
I called them about 2x3s. They said " A what?".
"You are the only person that has ever asked for that."
Rich
that is so weird.....
i probably use 40 of them in every house... there are so many places where a 2x4 is just overkill
but i bet you are not alone.. there are a lot of things we take for granted in New England
like 1x3 spruce furringMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I recall one time ( 80's maybe) that a 2x3 was MORE exp. than a 2x4.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
yeah... i've seen that happen tooMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Sphere
Our prices
2x2 .40 LF
2x3 N/A
2x4 .28 LF
1x3 .22 LF Spruce ??? I don't know
1x4 .36 LF
So for furring out a barn roof we use 2x4.
Rich
Strange izznit? Must be the extra handling and loss..I've seen the 2x2 pile at our yard..half are pretzels in a day from popping the bands.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Sphere
You've got the same 2 x 2s we have here.
For basements we have gone to friction fitting full sheets of 2" EPS over the basement walls and then attaching 1 x 3s with long screws.
Traditionally in this area you would attach a 2 x 2 then a 14.5" EPS and then repeat.
Bending the 2x2 into postiion of course.
With the 1x3 we have to plan our outlets so only one wire feeds to each box, say from a J box in the ceiling.
This method gets us a better insulation package too.
2 x 2 metal studs (any metal stud) are a special order item around here.
Rich
Got lots of relatives just south of Hampton (Geneva,Ackley) and I really like it down there. Seeing those pics reminds me of why I don't visit them in the winter.
roger
Roger
It's been a long winter.
We go an ice storm after Thanksgiving and it's still here, along with all the other snow and ice.
We have had more ice damming and heaved concrete than I have ever seen.
If it is an average Iowa year, then winter will linger until April, spring will be here for about 2 weeks and the hot humid summer will start.
Rich