Yeah, I personally wouldn't hesitate to use them for a job like that... unless maybe you had some complex tiling pattern you were going for and wanted to be confident that it was going to come out right (I'd want to see prior work in that case). But simple flooring & trim, I wouldn't hesitate.

Thanks, this is insightful. I had a feeling they pick off a list of contractors but wasn’t sure. If figure sort of the same with one stop shop ease, but was having second thoughts on if it’s the best call. It’s simple flooring and trim, so hoping that makes it better vs. drywall and a remodel like you mention.

They've done my carpet before and as much as it pains me to do so, I'd recommend them. I honestly hate Lowe's - especially the one here (some of my worst customer services experiences in Columbia have been at that Lowes). I had Home Depot do it last time... and honestly, I liked the Lowe's contractors better. I thought they did a cleaner job on the install, and the Home Depot people had to come back because they didn't being enough carpet. I've had Home Depot's contractors do plenty of good work for me in the past though.

It's all pretty dependent on who it is that they are contracting with - but I've found that no matter what type of work I am having them do, both of them tend to hire very capable contractors who operate very professionally at a reasonable cost. Can you find better? Absolutely, but I find them to be an "easy button." I wouldn't necessarily hire them to do a big remodel or anything major project - I'd go find someone independent.

Both Lowes and Home Depot contract to different independent contractors from various companies in the area though... it's hard to review because one person is likely working with a different crew/company than another.

The problem is that any answer you get may be outdated or just wrong. They sub out to one (or more) other companies to do the actual work, and I assume it's under NDA until they show up at your door.

We’ve visited this guy, but not for a few years. Call beforehand, great selection. Guild discount.

timberline

Beyond that, woodcraft mentioned below. I know there is a store in Beltsville but the name escapes me.

HC library has a few tools you can check out, I think from the savage location.

I agree with everything said including Frederick Lumber. I am also a HCWG member. I am working to improve the online experience as well but I think it’s going to take some convincing.

I learned a lot from youtube. Also Woodcraft in Rockville has classes. They are worth the money imo, but they aren’t cheap. I took the Japanese wood working class. I talked several friends into going and we had fun and learned some hand tools.

When you're starting you mostly want to build with pine since it's cheap. You can get decent wood at Lowe's and Depot. You will want to look for boards that are labeled "Select boards" or something similar. Most of the wood sold in box stores are meant to be hidden or painted. "Select boards" are the better looking boards and are appropriate for finishing with the wood grain visible. They are more expensive than general lumber, and you'll still need to poke through them to find the best. They also have a small selection of Poplar, Oak and sometimes Walnut, Cherry and Maple. It's a crapshoot from store to store what types they actually carry. The hardwood in Depot is usually along the back wall behind all of the lumber.

If you want to find pretty much any type of wood you'd like I'd recommend going out to the Frederick Lumber Company. They have good prices for hardwoods, can mill stuff for you for a price, and also have a lot of very nice common and exotic hardwoods pre-cut and milled. Don't be intimidated by going there. The people working there are extremely nice and helpful.

https://www.fredericklumber.com/

As mentioned by some other people you can really learn a lot from youtube. Steve Ramsey - Woodworking for Mere Mortals is a great place to start. He even has some paid online classes.

I actually have bought wood from both big box stores, but mostly pressure treated boards and plywood. If you pick through, you can normally find something straight and not full of knots and defects, but it can take some digging. Almost everything they offer is crazy wet still, so I often sticker it and let it dry a bit in whatever environment it's going to end up in. Hasn't caused too much warping for me yet. I've bought some poplar there, too, which was actually in really good shape, but was way overpriced.

Beyond that, I've had really good experience with John Wilson Lumber in western Howard County, and Freestate Timbers in Timonium. Freestate has a pretty crazy selection of slabs and boards, JW has more sheet goods. Both can cut things for you.

Beyond that, check craigslist and Facebook marketplace. There are often either small mill operations or people getting rid of a fallen tree or downsizing their board collection or selling leftover stuff from projects. Obviously selection can be rough, but you can get some great deals.

Apologies for the rookie question, where do you get your wood? I've been curious in trying, but in my experience with Lowe's and Home Depot there's not much quality.

Amazing! Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’ll look into everything you’ve mentioned.

Howard County Woodworker Guild is a thing. Hcwg.org. They have almost no online presence in terms of making themselves known, but I think it's like $50 for the year or something fairly cheap. It gets you access to their shop at the Bain Senior Center. Supposedly, if you go there, they'll teach you how to use all the tools/machines, but the shop hours are terrible. They're only open 9:00am to 12:30pm on weekdays, which isn't particularly helpful for most people. They did a member survey recently and that's the number one thing I suggested they change, so we'll see. You also get access to classes/presentations from master woodworkers. I haven't attended any, so I'm not sure the skill level they are aimed towards.

OpenWorks in Baltimore has a bunch of classes and way more stuff than just woodworking, but I think that may be more expensive, though the hours are definitely better. They have much more in depth safety training from what I can tell.

Honestly, I picked it up entirely from YouTube at this point. I'm not great, but I've made myself a face-frame cabinet that is supposed to look like a built in TV stand, a small deck, an art table for my daughter, a stool, floating nightstands, my workbench, Cornhole boards, cheeseboards, a wall mounted frame for a monitor, some marking gauges, and a few other smaller projects, all with basically a circular saw and hand tools. I had no experience prior to jumping in with the nightstands beyond shop class in high school 15 - 20 years ago. Rex Krueger, Steve Ramsey, Stumpy Nubs, Bourbon Moth are all great channels and their videos should recommend videos from a lot of the other big woodworking YouTubers. So much of woodworking comes down to problem solving, and nothing develops that skill better than picking a starting reasonable project that you have most of the tools for and jumping in.

Thanks! I’ll check it out.

Woodcraft of Rockville is a bit of a hike but it’s great

Thanks M_R_861, I will give this a shot!

Oakland Mills/Stevens Forest is a nice area - lots of woodsy walking trails with tot lots.

Rent has gone up to 3000+ for a townhouse

I’m a Spanish language learner and I know how tough it is to find a good language partner. Are used to use italki, but they eliminated their exchange feature and now they only support tutoring and lessons. I found this though which seems interesting and I think I’m gonna try it:

> Many people who use Couchsurfing are searching for a place to sleep in a foreign city. However, what’s lesser known is that the website can also be helpful in finding language partners. The majority of Couchsurfing members don’t actually host, but rather have their status set to “Coffee or a drink“. In the advanced search function you can find potential language partners simply by selecting your current city and setting “language” to your target language (in this case German). With over two million members on Couchsurfing, success is very likely. Plus, it’s free!

Maybe it’ll work for you too

Huntington Square Apts literally on a paved trail, in a park. On unit w/d. Definitely I'm 2k range for 2 bdr/2/ bath

This entire area isn’t really budget friendly. I’d recommend looking in Carroll county or Baltimore. You get more for your money there

The Greens in Columbia is a nice apartment complex. But for $2k you won’t get any decent 3 bed room apartment in Columbia…

Thanks sooo much, definitely going to check it out!

It’s not in the heart of Columbia but highly recommend Brompton House in Elkridge (about 5 minutes from columbia and all the shopping centers. 10 minutes from the mall. I lived there for 2 years and paid $2000 for a 3 bedroom townhome with a garage. That includes all the amenities so a gym, pool for kids and other little things! The community is extremely family friendly and the complex is tucked away and there is a ton of places to walk right next to the apartment!

Lawful-Chaotic Option: Doormat pressure-activated airhorn. Animals hate loud noises.

All that the Ring video picked up was her with a bat and a paper.

Coward