# Home depot vs lowes



## Dustincoc

cabinetsnj said:


> Interesting, I have never seen hot girls at the Home Depot.


We've got some fairly good lookers at both Home Depot & Lowes. Lowes I think has more though, being in a town with 2 Universities.


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## Dirtywhiteboy

cabinetsnj said:


> Interesting, I have never seen hot girls at the Home Depot.


OH man we have some hotties over here :thumbup: Employees and customers Lauren Makk and her puppys can be found in there a lot of the time:whistling


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## Mountaindew

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> OH man we have some hotties over here :thumbup: Employees and customers Lauren Makk and her puppys can be found in there a lot of the time:whistling


What he said! I spend to much time wandering around looking up and down aisles I have no business being in.:thumbup:

All of our lumber packages come from Gray Lumber though!


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## Tylerwalker32

Rich D. said:


> Tinted paint is non returnable by me. Also special orders cannot be returned.
> 
> I also saw 3 gallons of a 5 gallon bucket of paint returned. Guy said it came that full. :laughing:


I've returned special orders several times. They don't like it but they do it.


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## Buildtech

I prefer to deal with local lumber yards (we have 3 great ones within 10 miles of each other) and hardware stores (2 well stocked stores with very knowledgeable staff). 

As far as the Lowes vs Home Depot question that's simple. Home Depot has cleaner restrooms! That's the best I can say about either.


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## hdavis

Choosing one or the other as a major supplier would be a tough call. It probably goes to HD around here. Lowes used to be best around here for PT SYP, but it isn't carrying as much #1 as it used to. HD's #1 PT SYP has been #2 grade as far as I'm concerned. Local lumber yards don't do any better. 

Lowes is generally better for plumbing than HD.

At least one of the local electrical supply companies was put out of business, mostly due to wire prices at HD and Lowes.

Lowes has a better selection of fasteners than HD

Generally around here, Lowes is a more of a HO store and HD is more of a a contractor store.

One thing that's easier to find at HD is some of their deals. Bought a whole bunch of doug fir 2X4X8s at HD for 20 cents less than buying white wood. Beautiful stuff - straight, clear or almost clear. You never can tell what they'll have that's a good deal.


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## black95gt

When i see the comments about the help being unknowledgeable, what exactly are you looking for? 

When i go there, i have a list of items I need with quantities. I know where to go find the stuff, pull it, buy it and have some kid load it if need be. Pretty painless and convenient in my book. The local yards dont open until 7:30. I can have my supply runs done and be on the job site by then, particularly during the hot summer months.

On the rare occasion i need help with electrical or plumbing, there is usually an older, probably retired tradesman working them isles and have helped me with the small stuff.


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## Driftweed

black95gt said:


> When i see the comments about the help being unknowledgeable, what exactly are you looking for?
> 
> When i go there, i have a list of items I need with quantities. I know where to go find the stuff, pull it, buy it and have some kid load it if need be. Pretty painless and convenient in my book. The local yards dont open until 7:30. I can have my supply runs done and be on the job site by then, particularly during the hot summer months.
> 
> On the rare occasion i need help with electrical or plumbing, there is usually an older, probably retired tradesman working them isles and have helped me with the small stuff.


I had an issue with their cheapo tig laminate. Went wednesday to verify they had it in stock for a purchasw on friday. Needed 620 sqft


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## Driftweed

Ugh.. cell phones...

Anyway verified they had it in stock and memorized the location. Came back friday and it was moved. I kept pointing at the pallet up on top rack and the guy called me a liar. After arguing with him for 20 minutes, he finally had someone pull it down and prove me right.

Just for that, I made him stack all 26 boxes onto a fresh pallet and load it on my truck.


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## TNTRenovate

Menards all the way. In fact I start a job for them tonight. I am in there so much I am there go to guy. We are rebuilding their flooring displays. It's three to four overnighters. Wish me luck!


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## Red Adobe

bLowes and Home Cheapo are both the wal-marts of our world.

They have just enuff to draw you into a cheap project but never enuff to do it right let alone complete it.

In my town we have is a BLowes and they have changed the town in a bad way , guys who used to work the REAL YARDS are now monkeys and cater to those who want housplants. The YARDS have closed and or sell cheaper crap


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## Millworker

I prefer lowes even though they are few and far between around here. Home depot second and RONA never. Private hardware stores have ridiculous prices same goes for private tool places. I buy online when I can too.


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## renov8r

It really depends on the area where I am working. I try RONA as I have a trade card with them, I get 3% back of my purchases at the end of every year plus free delivery. However, if HD or Lowes is around the corner to the site I will go there. I ho have my local home building center like 5 min away from my house, which I will get stuff from there too. 

I always make sure whatever job I price that I will be purchasing materials for, I quote it at retail cost for materials plus whatever I will charge for labor. If I happen to find it cheaper at my local lumber yard I can buy from there and pay the delivery cost.


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## bcf

If there is no money on the company card, I can call the boss from the register for a phone payment at Lowes. Home Depot makes you go to the contractors desk. But they do sell Makita.


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## MCCarpentry

You really can't choose between the two because they both have horrible customer service and carry mediocre products. Aside from that, a good local lumber yard will go out of their way to ensure that you have what you need on the job in a timely manner. It may cost more than lowes or the depot on some things, but any time that you or your men can stay on the job and out of a harware store or lumber yard is priceless.


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## Calgaryfence

In Calgary when contractors order pressure treated wood from Home Depot you actually get it drop-shipped from the supplier direct to the delivery address. Delivery is free on orders over $1000 plus they give about 10% discount over shelf price. Lastly I can and do return several pieces of lumber per job (unusable due to defect or just left over).

None of the local lumber yards can match the price or terms.


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## MCCarpentry

Calgaryfence said:


> In Calgary when contractors order pressure treated wood from Home Depot you actually get it drop-shipped from the supplier direct to the delivery address. Delivery is free on orders over $1000 plus they give about 10% discount over shelf price. Lastly I can and do return several pieces of lumber per job (unusable due to defect or just left over).
> 
> None of the local lumber yards can match the price or terms.


Local lumber yards can't match the price, but if you were a board short on a project that was 45 min away and you were short on time, they would run it out to you. I like the idea of keeping carpenters cutting and installing, and keeping suppliers supplying. I buy my tools off a guy who drives around to job sites every week (not the guy selling used goods for a 1/4 price either, he's legit). He has the best tools(fein, stabila, etc.) and if something breaks he takes it and fixes it, or takes care of the warranty. I rarely need to leave or pay a guy to drive because we need materials or tools. I know I can order tools online and cut costs, but I appreciate my business relationship with my suppliers and they have been there for me in return.


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## svronthmve

MCCarpentry said:


> You really can't choose between the two because they both have horrible customer service


Agreed



> and carry mediocre products.


Disagree.

My HD usually carries a higher grade product than Lowes. 

HD usually carries many of the same brands my local suppliers have.

There is a financial convenience to me by using HD. The have many of the things I need under 1 roof instead of having to make 4-6 stops on a supply run.

Plus, often the price I pay @ the depot is cheaper than I can get it @ my trade supplier.


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## MCCarpentry

My target market is homes worth over 1M. I can't put homedepot paint on their walls or homedepot harware on their doors... but thats just the market I am in. The fact of the matter is that homedepot vs lowes really depends on your business - much like the homedepot/lowes vs smaller more specified suppliers conversation. It all comes down to the type of work you do and you can build a thriving business in any market if you have the right plan.


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## svronthmve

I don't put HD paint on my customer's wall either!


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