The desert weather at Burning Man will dry lumber, causing it to shrink, bend, or twist, and so I’m starting with kiln-dried (KD) 2×4s. I had intended to find KD wood locally sourced, but as I visited the area’s lumber companies, I was surprised that all had only green 2×4s. Then I saw the price of kiln-dried “white wood” at The Home Depot. Ah. That explains it: local yards can’t compete with The Home Depot’s $2.56 per 2×4. While I wanted to buy local, I couldn’t.
I already had bought the project’s plywood at a local lumber yard, where I had it cut to size. I had been surprised at the price of plywood (the cashier also was surprised and insisted that we review the price per sheet before I ran my credit card—but all plywood prices were high). I didn’t think to check the price of plywood at The Home Depot. I’ll rationalize my choice by claiming that The Home Depot doesn’t do as extensive millwork as the local lumber yard does, but I wonder if local yards can’t compete on plywood prices either.