👋🏼Hi there!
Are you wondering how you'll get lumber you've purchased for your landscape or garden edging project all the way home?
You say you don't have a car? No worries!
If you don't have your own car, truck, or van (and you don't have a friend, neighbor, or family member with transportation whom you can cajole into helping you out), here are several ideas for getting your lumber from Point A to Point B.
(If you do have a sedan, hatchback, station wagon, or SUV and want to ferry your lumber home in it, or on it, we have something for you. Check out "How To Secure Lumber in Your Car & To Your Car's Roof".)
Delivery By Your Point of Purchase (Possibly Free!)
Many big box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc.), lumber yards, and hardware stores will deliver lumber to you. Some will charge for delivery, and some offer delivery for free.
Depending on the length of your lumber, you may also have the option to have it shipped to your home - and free shipping is a possibility.
A couple of lumber yards that I've either received free delivery from or have heard offer free delivery: Big C Lumber (locations in Indiana and Michigan); 84 Lumber (operates in over 30 states).
It pays to shop around. When shopping online, keep an eye on the shipping and delivery options in your cart.
Finding Delivery Help Online
Nowadays there are many ways to get lumber delivered including online platforms that can connect you with independent delivery drivers as well as delivery companies.
Craigslist
I've had luck (and fails) with Craigslist in both urban and rural areas. A search in the "Labor/move" area of the Services section typically turns up a number of options.
I tend to put feelers out to several options to get started. I've never had a problem with delivery folks I've found through Craigslist though the process can be tedious - lots of texts and voicemails - to finally nail down a good fit for my delivery window. Persistence and savviness pays off.
Definitely proceed with caution when using this platform - here are some safety tips from Craigslist.
Task Rabbit
Craigslist is a wild west option compared to other platforms that have fail-safes built into connecting customers with suppliers. For example, there's Task Rabbit.
What I like about Task Rabbit is you can get a sense of actual performance and personality of taskers by reading past reviews.
Costs are more transparent as taskers list how much they charge and their minimums as part of their profile.
And the platform's messaging system keeps your privacy intact until you've made a decision to work with someone.
Yelp
Helping connect customers with service providers since 2004, Yelp continues to be a solid option for finding and securing services.
I think of Yelp as a combination of Craigslist meets Task Rabbit meets Google. You get the reviews and the messaging platform of Task Rabbit; the ability to communicate directly with providers if that's your preference; and you get the functionality of a pretty good search tool.
A search on "Couriers & Delivery Services" tied to your locale should get you moving in the right direction.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a community bulletin board type platform. It's a little different from a Task Rabbit or other customer-oriented platform in that you have to be invited to become part of your locale's board or you have to verify that you live in a locale to join the conversation.
It's worth going through the verification process hassle. Nextdoor is a treasure trove of valid referrals and reviews of all kinds of services available in your neighborhood.
A quick search on "deliveries", "hauling", etc., can turn up great options to get your lumber delivered. Or post your own delivery request and watch the suggestions and recommendations - or "steer clear" alerts - pour in.
Finding Other Platforms
There are other platforms, too. Many serve a particular locale only.
For example, here in the Chicago metro-area we have Dolly.com which I've used with good results.
The Dolly platform makes communicating the job to be done, complete with photos, easy and sets expectations on both sides.
Not sure where to get started? A search on, "I need large items delivered to (your city/town)" will likely turn up options.
DIY Truck Or Van Rental
U-Haul
DIY options include renting a van or truck and, of course, U-Haul comes to mind.
U-Haul outlets are everywhere and rental is straightforward. Bonus: renting a truck or van for a few hours or even a day is pretty inexpensive.
Big Box Store Vehicle Rentals
Many big box stores - Home Depot, Menards, Lowes - offer truck and van rental and the rates are pretty low. This option can be a little more difficult than renting from U-Haul or the like because the fleet is usually quite small - just a few vehicles available per store.
Also rentals tend to be first-come/first-served, meaning you could be waiting around for a vehicle. And it's typical to have the vehicle for a few hours max - this varies by store.
U-Haul vs Big Box Store Rental
The benefit of renting from a big box store is you remove one hop from your self-delivery journey.
With a U-Haul rental you have to (1) get to your U-Haul center, (2) then to the lumber pick-up point, (3) then to your lumber drop-off spot, (4) then back to U-Haul to drop the truck off, and (5) then - finally - back home.
With a big box store rental you can drop one hop: (1) get to the store, grab the vehicle and load up, (2) then to your lumber drop-off spot, (3) then back to the store to return the vehicle, (4) return home.
Conclusion
So there you have it.
I hope that this has been helpful to you. If you have a sedan, hatchback, station wagon, or SUV and want to ferry your lumber home in it, or on it, check out "How To Secure Lumber in Your Car & To Your Car's Roof".
If you're wondering how many 2xEDGE Staples you need for all of that lumber you've just had delivered, check out our calculator and example projects.
Thanks for reading!
PHOTO CREDIT: aboodi vesakaran on Unsplash
