How to Prepare for a Lumber Quote
This page helps you put together a lumber or custom project quote request for Fresno Forest Creations. Tell the shop what you are building, the material or service you need, rough sizes and quantity, where the material is headed, and your timeline. Photos or sketches are welcome if you have them.
Sending a request does not confirm price, availability, timing, pickup, delivery, shipping, or project acceptance. It starts the conversation so the shop can review the work and follow up.
By Yori, Fresno Forest Creations | Published | Updated and reviewed
What to send for a useful quote
The shop truly needs just three things: your name, a phone number or email, and a few words about the work. Everything else on this list makes the answer better, so send what you have.
What you are building. A patio cover, a dining table, shelving, a fence. One sentence is plenty.
The material or service. A live-edge slab, beams, tongue-and-groove paneling, dimensional lumber or custom cuts, kiln drying, or delivery.
Species or the look you want. Name a species if you know it, or describe the look you are going for.
Rough sizes. Thickness, width, and length. Close is fine to start.
Quantity. How many pieces or boards you need.
Your name and a way to reach you. A phone number or an email address works.
Pickup, delivery, or shipping. Which one you have in mind, and the city the material is headed to.
Your timeline. When you hope to have the material in hand or the work under way.
Photos or sketches. Helpful whenever a picture explains the project better than words.
Details that help for specific requests
The core list covers most projects. Depending on what you are asking about, a few extra details make the review easier.
Live-edge slabs
Say what the slab is for, the species or look you are after, rough thickness, width, and length, and how many pieces you need.
Dimensional lumber and custom cuts
A rough cut list works best: the sizes you need and how many of each. Add a board-foot estimate if you have one, your timeline, and the pickup or delivery city. Mentioning whether the job is for your own home or for a client can help, though it is not required.
Kiln drying
Send the species, thickness, width, length, and quantity, plus approximate board feet if you have them. Note how wet the wood is or how it has been stored, and your timing.
Beams and oversized pieces
Include the destination and anything useful about getting material there. For oversized, custom, shipped, or time-sensitive requests, it helps to call the shop once you have your details together.
Pickup, delivery, and access
Whether you plan to pick up your material or want to ask about delivery or shipping, include the destination city.
For large or heavy pieces, a little context about the drop-off spot helps the shop understand the request: driveway or gate width, stairs, trailer access, and whether a forklift or an extra set of hands is available for unloading. These details help with planning. They are not a promise that delivery, shipping, or specific equipment is available for a given job.
What lumber pricing units mean
Wood is quoted in different units depending on the item. None of the units below is a price, and no price is quoted on this page. Knowing which unit applies just makes the conversation easier.
- Board foot
- A volume measure. One board foot is a board 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, or the same amount of wood in another shape. Slabs and dimensional lumber are often discussed this way.
- Linear foot
- Based on length alone. Common for some paneling and trim.
- Per piece
- One price for one item, such as a single beam, post, or slab.
- Project pricing
- One price for a complete custom job, settled after the size, options, and delivery are worked out.
Which unit applies depends on the item and the project. For a head start, the board-foot calculator turns rough dimensions into an estimate you can include with your request.
What happens after you send a request
After you send the form, you may receive an email acknowledging the request, and Fresno Forest Creations may follow up after reviewing the details. If you left anything out, you can reply to that email with photos, rough dimensions, species or look, quantity, your city, and timeline.
A quote request is the start of a conversation. Price, availability, timing, and whether a project is a match are confirmed only after the shop reviews what you send.
Reference
The board foot definition in this guide comes from Drying Wood, Publication FOR-55, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Glossary, page 6.
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