We get it, exotic hardwoods are expensive. It’s natural for you to want to save your pennies and order just the right amount of material for your deck, but this is probably one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Materials like decking aren’t made to fit exact specifications; they are crafted on-site by cutting each board to meet the dimensions of your design. It’s these characteristics that necessitate ordering extra material just in case something happens. The extra material ordered is normally between 10% and 15% of your original amount and is referred to as “waste.”
If you’re not convinced that ordering waste is important, here are 3 reasons that’ll change your mind.
- Save time just-in-case boards arrive damaged from freight. Sometimes packages, including large items, get damaged during delivery. If you have some extra material to immediately replace the damaged ones, you can continue your building without having to stop.
- Have extra material just-in case you measured wrong. Sometimes building a deck on paper doesn’t translate to the actual deck you’re building and you can end- up ordering less than what is needed. If you order extra amounts, you won’t have to worry about being short and being forced to stop construction.
- Accidents like breaking boards or cutting the wrong length boards are not unusual. If these accidents happen and you only ordered exact numbers, an accident can cost you both time and money.
Sometimes saving money up-front can ending-up costing you more later down the road. Spending that small “extra” amount so you can have a comfortable buffer of extra wood during your project will alleviate the pain of possibly having to wait for more wood, or needing to have your contractor come back at a later date. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy your beautiful new outdoor living space without any setbacks!
Thank you for explaining that ordering extra materials for your deck can help if you run into any accidents while building. I’ve been wondering if I should order it in exact amounts to help with saving money. It seems like this could actually save us money, so I’ll start looking into how much materials I should get to make this deck a reality.