Where to buy materials etc.?

Question

I am working on my fourth investment property and have been buying everything from the big box stores that was not supplied by my contractors.  Is there a better place to buy materials in Houston other than the big box stores?  That being said I understand I will probably get a better selection at a tile store than Home Depot, but will the pricing be any better?  Prebuilt cabinets, lighting, granite, lumber, vanities, appliances, sinks and faucets, doors, paint, etc. where are you all buying from for your flips/rentals?

J Frank Cole · Answer

@Paul ZofsakI was a contractor and an estimator for a handyman company in previous life, so I have a little bit of a leg to stand on here. The reason a dedicated flooring shop (lumber liquidators) or a dedicated tile shop has higher prices is because it's a better product. This is especially true with tile. A real tile shop carries "ones" which are generally the same dimensions relative to one another (i.e. square). Home Depot/Lowes carries "twos". These are tiles that may not be quite square but the tile manufacturer (the same company that makes the fancy "ones") will unload in bulk at a huge discount. Then there's wholesale establishments, we have one in Norfolk called Home Emporium. I don't know if it's a chain, but it's pretty cool. Definitely great for a rehab. These guys carry "twos and threes" and they can range from out of square to colors don't match to uneven tile. But if you're smart about it, you can save a ton of money. And in my experience, nobody seems to really notice it if it's minor imperfections.

Wood flooring is similar, but I would caution you on using laminate from a big box (I wouldn't use laminate at all, actually). It's an inferior product and if moisture becomes an issue, you'll have to redo the whole thing.

You can usually save a lot of money on lumber by buying from a building supply store (lumberyard) instead of Home Depot. You'll have to calculate the wood you need in advance, but it's worth it, you'll save quite a bit.

Hope this helps a little bit! Let me know if you've got any questions, I've definitely been there.

Wood flooring is similar, but I would caution you on using laminate from a big box (I wouldn't use laminate at all, actually).  It's an inferior product and if moisture becomes an issue, you'll have to redo the whole thing.

You can usually save a lot of money on lumber by buying from a building supply store (lumberyard) instead of Home Depot.  You'll have to calculate the wood you need in advance, but it's worth it, you'll save quite a bit.

Hope this helps a little bit!  Let me know if you've got any questions, I've definitely been there.

Kyle D. · Answer

Usually if its a mom and pop flooring store they work with you on the price or a appliance store they also work with you on the price.

Rico S. · Answer

Great question @Kyle Durso

What did you find to be the best option?

Thank you,

Rico

J Frank Cole · Answer

@Paul ZofsakYes, that would be a place to start haha.

Paul Zofsak · Answer

Thank you, I wasn't aware of the "ones" and "twos".  We have a builders surplus here that is probably similar to the home emporium you mentioned; commercials feature a guy yelling about how good their selection and prices are as he smashes a window with a hammer...

Dale Shin · Answer

I'm in the Los Angeles area and here we have the "Apartment Owners Association" which is a really terrific organization.  They publish a monthly newsletter where all kinds of businesses advertise.  In there, there is an ad for "apartment supply warehouse" where they stock those things common to rentals, toilets, garbage disposals, stoves, stove parts, etc., etc. that are cheaper than at Home Depot.

I'm sure your area has some kind of apartment owners association where they can refer you to other places where you can get materials.

Hugh Ayles · Answer

Floor & Decor has great prices on flooring.

For granite, you can probably get just as good pricing from a local shop as you could from Home Depot.  We just went Home Depot because we have a project loan card and are doing most of the flip with that.  Home Depot is taking about 6 weeks to get our countertops.

A local company would have had countertops in a few days to a week.

So Heng · Answer

I used to work at Costco, and I remember they used to sell flooring for really cheap.  I notice a lot of contractors buying pallets of flooring at a time.

Polar Prutaseranee · Answer

I'm in the southern California region and I usually go to wholesale stores. Having said that, it really depends on where you can find what you're looking for. We've bought from wholesale stores, to Amazon, to Home Depot, to random liquidator stores. For instance, we went from a wholesale store to Home Depot to back to a wholesale store, to now a different wholesale store for our flooring..and this is for the same property. In the end, we found a floor that we really liked. Not as cheap as the others we considered, but definitely a lot nicer..hoping to bring in more value in the end.

Where to buy materials etc.?

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