Just as there’s two sides to every coin, finding the best prices for your building materials is a combination of trust and bargain hunting. Trust your general contractor to get the best price through his or her relationships with local suppliers. 

For fixtures, appliances, and amenities, enjoy this opportunity for a big shopping spree. Walk the showrooms, talk to manufacturer reps, and cruise the Internet to find the best values available. They may be available locally or some remote outpost in cyberspace.

Trust Not Bust

Just as you depend on your contractor for core knowledge about completing your new house, purchasing the infrastructure items—lumber, trusses, paneling, and so forth—is best left to your contractor. After all, you chose your builder because you trusted her or him, right? (If you answered “no,” stop and read Checklist for Choosing a Builder). 

Your builder has developed relationships (and discounts) with building materials suppliers, and you want to take advantage of those professional associations. 

“If I’m building a home, I let the contractor do it,” says Mark Pearsall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Berkeley, California, lumber and building materials dealer, Truitt & White (see this month’s Expert-of-the-Month Interview). “He’ll get more service. If there’s a problem with any of the materials, you’ll get faster remediation."

Avoid One-Stop Dead Ends

Avoid one-stop shopping at building supply hardware superstores. They’re a lot like car dealers—each one has a limited selection. So don’t dread bargain hunting. You’ve already committed to your new house project. You have a budget. Go out and enjoy this opportunity to go on an extended shopping spree. 

You’ll still want to check the superstores, but also investigate local showrooms, climb inside bathtubs, try out your favorite faucet, run your hands over carpet samples, and talk to the home building supply reps for specials and discounts. Don’t see what you want, ask about special orders. 

Not sure about prices? 

Make notes and then go online for price comparisons. Shipping might eat up the comparative savings or you may be able to get a discount for ordering online and pick it up locally. And don’t get stuck on brand names. Consider other choices, talk to your professionals. Getting equal but lesser-known products for less means more money for other household items.

Balancing Service and Bottom Line for Best Value

When you’re choosing a contractor, ask your candidates about the subcontractors they use. Inquire with these subs about how they acquire fixtures and supplies. Often, plumbers, electricians, and other trades people want to buy the fixtures because of the relationships they’ve established. Plus, it’s another way they make money. 

You need to know if their contract limits their liability if they don’t purchase the materials. They may be willing to install but not guarantee products that you supply. At the very least, you should know what the fine print stipulates about their responsibilities. 

To get the best values, you’ll probably do a combination of things. This requires balancing rock-bottom prices against the good relationships you have established, or want to establish, with your general contractor and subcontractors.

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