Free Lumber Consultation
Thirty minutes with our team can save you thousands of dollars and weeks of frustration. We help you choose the right material, calculate exact quantities, and plan your budget before you spend a dime.
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Fill out the form below and our team will get back to you within one business day.
Why Book a Consultation?
Reclaimed lumber is not like buying standard construction material from a big box store. Every piece has unique characteristics, and the right choice depends on your specific application, budget, aesthetic goals, and performance requirements. Our free consultation ensures you start your project with complete confidence in your material selections.
Whether you are a homeowner planning your first renovation, an architect specifying materials for a commercial project, or a general contractor pricing a bid, our consultation gives you expert guidance at no cost and no obligation. We have helped hundreds of customers across the greater New Orleans area avoid costly mistakes and discover options they did not know existed.
What We Cover
Every consultation is tailored to your project, but these are the core areas we address with every client.
Material Selection
We help you choose the right species, grade, and cut for your specific application. Whether you need structural beams capable of spanning 20 feet or decorative shiplap for an accent wall, we match the wood to the job. We consider hardness, moisture resistance, appearance, workability, and compatibility with existing materials in your space. For renovation projects, we can identify the species and profile of your existing woodwork and source matching reclaimed material.
Quantity Estimation
Ordering too little lumber means project delays and potentially mismatched batches. Ordering too much wastes money. We calculate exact board feet requirements based on your dimensions, accounting for waste factors specific to the installation method (straight lay, diagonal, herringbone), the grade of lumber (lower grades require more cutting waste), and the profile (T&G has overlap that reduces coverage). We provide a detailed material list with precise quantities.
Budget Planning
Reclaimed lumber pricing varies significantly by species, grade, age, and availability. We help you develop a realistic budget by identifying where premium material is worth the investment (visible surfaces, structural elements) and where character-grade or rustic material delivers the same performance at lower cost. We also advise on phasing strategies for large projects and volume discount thresholds that can reduce your per-board-foot cost.
Design Advice
Our team has worked on hundreds of projects across every style, from restored antebellum mansions to modern industrial lofts. We offer practical design guidance on board widths and patterns that complement your architecture, finish options that enhance or mute the natural character of reclaimed wood, mixing species for visual contrast, and orientation choices (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, herringbone) that affect the perceived proportions of a room.
Sustainability Options
Every board foot of reclaimed lumber you use is a board foot that did not come from a living tree. We quantify the environmental impact of your material choices, including carbon sequestration credits, landfill diversion tonnage, and embodied energy savings compared to virgin lumber. For projects pursuing LEED, WELL, or other green building certifications, we provide documentation of material provenance and chain-of-custody records.
Structural Assessment
For projects involving load-bearing reclaimed timber, we evaluate each piece for structural soundness. We check for hidden decay, insect damage, cross-grain that reduces strength, and fastener holes that may compromise critical sections. We can provide span tables for common reclaimed species and dimensions, and we work directly with your structural engineer to ensure all materials meet code requirements.
How to Book Your Consultation
Reach Out
Call us at (504) 298-5783, fill out the contact form on this page, or email us with a brief description of your project. Let us know if you prefer an on-site visit or a phone/video consultation.
Meet With Us
We schedule your consultation within the same week in most cases. On-site consultations take place at your project location or at our yard at 4443 Michoud Blvd. Remote consultations happen via phone or video call at a time that works for you.
Get Your Plan
After the consultation, we provide a written summary including recommended species and grades, exact quantity calculations, pricing by line item, and a timeline for processing and delivery. This document is yours to keep regardless of whether you order from us.
What to Prepare
You do not need to prepare anything formal -- we can work with whatever you have. That said, the more information you bring, the more specific and useful our recommendations will be.
Project Plans or Sketches
Bring architectural drawings, floor plans, or even rough sketches with dimensions. Photos of the existing space are extremely helpful for renovation projects. The more detail you can provide about the scope of work, the more accurate our recommendations will be.
Measurements
Room dimensions (length, width, ceiling height), wall areas, and any other surfaces where wood will be installed. If you are matching existing lumber, bring a sample piece or clear photographs showing grain pattern, color, and profile dimensions.
Design Inspiration
Photos of completed projects you admire, magazine clippings, Pinterest boards, or material samples from other sources. Knowing the aesthetic you are trying to achieve helps us recommend the right species, grade, and finish.
Budget Range
Having a general budget range in mind (even a wide one) helps us prioritize recommendations. We can usually find solutions at multiple price points and will always show you options, not just the most expensive choice.
Timeline
Let us know your project start date and key milestones. Some species and dimensions require sourcing lead time, and kiln-drying and custom milling add processing time. Planning ahead ensures materials are ready when you need them.
On-Site or Remote -- Your Choice
On-Site Consultation
- ✓We visit your project site to see the space in person
- ✓Take measurements and assess existing conditions
- ✓Bring material samples so you can see and touch options
- ✓Identify existing species for matching purposes
- ✓Available within the greater New Orleans metro area
Best for: renovations, matching existing materials, large projects, clients who want to see samples in situ.
Remote Consultation
- ✓Phone or video call at a time that fits your schedule
- ✓Share photos, plans, and dimensions digitally
- ✓Quick turnaround -- often same-day availability
- ✓Available to clients anywhere in Louisiana
- ✓Written summary emailed after the call
Best for: initial planning, new construction, budget discussions, out-of-town clients, quick questions.
What Past Clients Say
“We had no idea what species our 1890s shotgun house used for the original floors. The team at Lumber New Orleans identified it as old-growth longleaf heart pine and sourced a near-perfect match from a demolished schoolhouse. The new boards look like they have been there for a century.”
Sarah & David Tran
Bywater shotgun restoration · Residential
“I came in thinking I needed 3,000 board feet of clear-grade cypress for my restaurant build-out. After the consultation, we switched to character-grade heart pine for the dining room and saved almost $12,000. The character marks actually look better than clear wood would have in the space.”
Chef Marcus Delacroix
French Quarter restaurant renovation · Commercial
“The quantity estimate was spot-on. We had exactly 47 board feet of flooring left over after installing 2,800 square feet. On our previous project with a different supplier, we had to re-order twice and ended up with visible batch differences. That will never happen again.”
James Watkins, General Contractor
Garden District home restoration · Residential
“As an architect, I appreciate working with suppliers who understand design intent. The consultation helped us select a mix of three reclaimed species for our office feature wall that created exactly the warm-but-modern tone we wanted. They even provided sample boards for client approval before we committed.”
Anna Kowalski, AIA
CBD office buildout · Commercial
Our Follow-Up Process
Within 24 hours of your consultation, we email a detailed summary document that includes everything we discussed: recommended species and grades for each element of your project, exact board foot quantities with waste factors, line-item pricing, and estimated processing and delivery timelines.
This document is yours to keep and use regardless of whether you choose to purchase from us. We believe that providing genuinely helpful information, without strings attached, is the best way to earn your business. Most of our consultation clients do choose to work with us because they see the depth of knowledge and care we bring to every project.
If you decide to proceed, we reserve your selected materials in our inventory and begin any required processing (kiln- drying, milling, finishing) immediately. We stay in communication throughout the processing period and coordinate delivery timing with you or your contractor.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation today. There is absolutely no cost and no obligation. Just expert advice from people who genuinely love wood and want to help you find the perfect material for your project.