So, you've decided to tackle the project yourself. Now, you are trying to find good places to get your supplies. The goal is to find the best quality materials at the lowest possible price. Aside from home improvement brick and mortar stores, there really are many places you can get deals on home improvement materials. However, home improvement stores offer a big selection for a price any homeowner can appreciate.



Home Improvement Stores

The national chains of Lowe's Home Improvement Stores and Home Depot are wonderful places to shop and get estimates for your supplies. They have a large selection of products and offer catalogues for those products they do not have in stock. They also have professional installers who can estimate a job for you, in case you decide you want to have someone else do the work. Some offer store credit cards that even offer special financing on occasion. Sign up for their newsletters to be told about their special promotions.

Lastly, don't forget to check their online specials and compare them to the in store specials. It doesn't require a trip to the store and sometimes they offer online coupon specials you can print on your home computer and use in the local store, thus avoiding shipping fees.

Habitat For Humanity Stores

If you have a Habitat For Humanity Store in your area, you can get very good cast offs from large construction projects for a fraction of the price. They have anything from adobe roof tiles to, literally, the bathroom sink. Some even have used furniture. The only issue is that you cannot come back and buy more of the same later as they are not inventorying products for retail. They are collecting cast-offs from large construction projects and if they don't have sufficient quantity of material for your project, then you can't use it. Unless, of course, you can find out where it was bought and buy some additional in-stock items from the regular stores.

Online Discount Sources

The Internet has made buying home improvement products at a discount fairly easy. Flooring is particularly easy to order and have shipped. You have a wider selection and many of these stores will send samples if you ask for them. You can buy unique countertops that are shipped, carpeting, flooring, and paneling – just about everything imaginable. You may want to discuss the possibility of damage upon shipping to see what their policies are on returns.

Be aware that because the product is being shipped that you may have to pay shipping charges. This can offset the discount price if you are somewhere that is fairly remote. Get a quote for the shipping before you commit to buying your materials online. You don't want to agree to a discount price only to find out you are paying more once the shipping is added in.

Warehouse Clubs

Places like Sam's and Costco's may not have a large selection of home improvement products like flooring or carpeting, but they do have a good selection of tools at great prices. While you may not end up doing a whole lot of home improvement shopping at a warehouse club, you can get some good deals on tools to do the job.