Reviews and Testimonials
From trees to finished doors
By Shilo B., Vulcan, Alberta homeowner
The initial thing is their customer service. As soon as you walk in they treat you like family. It's just absolutely incredible.
But then their products -- they're going from trees to finished products! The word is stunning. It's real. The doors they build are of solid wood. Everything is so real and genuine. And custom, too. I mean, our doors were custom-built, solid wood -- and really reasonably priced.
RBM pellets are the best
By Harold F., Kalispell, Montana
I've been heating with a pellet stove for over 10 years. I did it to save money on energy costs. I've had a lot of experience with pellets. Back in 2000 when I bought my first pellet stove, the pellets, most of them came from out of state. Either Oregon or Idaho. And they were mostly a soft pine wood or lodgepole. And then as the years went by I located a local company here in Kalispell, who made fir & larch pellets for maybe 5 or 6 years until they went out of business. That forced me to use other brands, that were inferior. Then I found that RBM Lumber makes fir & larch pellets, and I've been with them ever since... the last 3 years.
[What's different about RBM's mostly Fir & Larch pellets?] They create probably the best BTU's of any brand of pellets I've ever had. They have probably 50 percent less ash and non-burning pellets than any brand I've ever used. They are a tighter, harder pellet, and they have less sawdust in them. It burns almost 100%. Whereas the others, they don't. And they give more BTUs than the softer ones do.
I've had several pellet stoves, and bad pellets that give you a lot of ash and what they call "clinkers", that don't burn completely -- you constantly have to keep cleaning your stove and and your firebox out constantly. The sawdust from the other types of pellets {other than RBM's} put out a lot of sawdust in the grinder - they grind up more, and you get a lot of sawdust which clogs the grinder and then you're in trouble. And these (RBM) pellets don't do that.
So {with RBM pellets} there's very little maintenance that I have to do. Practically none.
[Have you dealt much with RBM's service people?] I've talked to a lot of people {at RBM}, and we've discussed how the pellets are doing, how the quality is. I'm one of the few {customers} that knows what good quality is in a good pellet. I've talked to the person who does the pellets out there. He's a very substantial person doing the pellets, he takes very very good concern and care for the pellets, he takes real pride in it. And that's nice really nice. Because there's many things that go into making a good pellet. It's the mixture of fir and larch. It's the weather which effects how they are produced, and the humidity. He keeps a pretty tight eye on it out there.
[Do you ever deal with RBM on other products?] Well I know they do a lot of things there. They have doors and flooring and cabinets and things like that... We're looking into some flooring there, in the future. If you can look around their lumber yard, if you're a construction person, you'll see that they have some pretty nice lumber there -- that you won't find somewhere else.
Making houses look warm
By Greg Eaton, Greg Eaton Homes, Whitefish Montana
I've been in construction for 35 years, I hate to say. 🙂 I've been doing custom homes for the last 20 years. And I do anywhere from a $300,000 home to a $4 million home.
[What kinds of things do you like to get from RBM?] It ranges anywhere from rough sawn timbers, siding materials, I get a lot of their flooring -- their circular sawn flooring is very popular. And I even get a lot of their trim packages because they do a nice job -- they have good wood and they're very reasonable.
[What have you recently finished with RBM Lumber's wood products?] I have a few houses {that I did recently} that are very attractive, that have some of their siding. We really stained it up -- colors we've done, it looks like old barn wood. I've just recently finished up on a house, an entry level house, we used a lot of RBM's white wood, their 1x materials that are rough sawn, and we're getting a lot of good compliments on how well the house looks. In fact a contractor working on the house across the street came over yesterday and asked me about the product because he thought the house looked so good.
[Do you ever use them for doors?] I haven't used their doors. When I get a call for the nice quality doors that they have, I certainly will. They have a lot of really nice-looking doors. And they're also branching into cabinetry, as well. And with RBM's connections they have such a wide selection of materials available to them, it makes more of which to choose from.
[What kind of service do they give you as a contractor?] You know, I think they do a great job. You get to know the people, they know you. They help you out, they take good care of you, their service is very good. Because I've been going over there so many years, it's a friendship and a business, and yet if I walked in off the street, I think they'd treat that person the same way they treat me.
[Is it accurate to say your clients choose the RBM products most of time when you're working on their house, or do you?] The majority of it is what I choose because I show the client the product and they're very happy with it.... RBM has a very wide selection of woods that make your house very warm.
Calgary Flame
By Steve Stumpf, Copper Penny Homes, Okotoks, Alberta Canada
Copper Penny does a lot of custom homes. We do a lot of contemporary homes but with a rustic feel. We're in Okotoks - south of Calgary.
[How did you hear about RBM Lumber?] One of my inspectors for the town of Okotoks was down there and told me about RBM. So I went down to check them out and it went from there.
[What attracted you to their product?] Well, it's a different product. Like their circle sawn, skip sanded texture, or wire brushed flooring. And the doors are nice. The hardwood? People just love it. And they've got the nosing to match the stair treads. Because we usually use the nosings to match the hardwood and then do tiles on the risers and treads.
Copper Penny likes to put tiles into the stairs, with fir stair noses from RBM.
Fir being a "soft hardwood", you know, so on stairs we usually put the tiles on the nosing to be a little more durable. It looks good, too. And that took off for us.
And then we get RBM's doors a lot. Custom doors, they do custom doors for front entrances and such which is nice. And then the best thing about it too is that they have all the trims to match. The different moldings.
[How would you describe RBM in a nutshell?] They're well equipped. good stock, and good selection.
[What's the main reason as a Canadian contractor that you buy from RBM? Are their prices better?] Their prices are actually really good. But the main reason is up here in Alberta it's hard to find fir. We've got a lot of spruce and pine trees but not a lot of fir. So to find somebody who's actually going to mill it too, for hardwood, it's just about impossible, eh? So it's either British Columbia or RBM here. And with RBM the prices are a good price, they're consistent, and they're not up and down off the map there. That's the biggest thing. When you try to get the fir -- it's there at a good price. I can get maple, other hardwood I want, but it's hard to find fir.
[Do you ever buy slabs?] No, I've been tempted a few times now. But they've got the beams -- 8x8's, 6x6 those are really nice. We've actually used some of their timber up here. But I'd definitely use their slabs if they come up. Mostly I'm using RBM for the hardwood flooring and doors.
[How is business in Alberta?] Business is good here. I don't build in the winter... I don't like pouring concrete in the winter. So I just do it in the spring, and go into fall. In the winter I finish up houses, work inside and wrap them up. There's a lot of custom woodwork. By then we're busy planning for the next spring.
They're very particular
By Peter Hoveland, Mountain High Construction, Bigfork, Montana
Mountain High Construction is a full service construction company. We do mostly remodels and new construction. 70-30 residential to commercial.
We're located in Big Fork, Montana. We do all levels from entry-level to complete custom... Our price on houses will range from $125/sq ft. to $250. It just depends on the customer.
I've been working with RBM for at least ten years. It goes in spurts. Their product is attuned to a more rustic style. We use quite a bit of their flooring, siding, beams.
[What percentage of the time do you source your lumber through RBM?] It varies. We just had two projects where we used a lot of their material that were back to back. I might go six months and not use them for anything, and then use them for a bunch of stuff.
They're very particular about their products and what they send out. They do a good job of, if I'm short some pieces and in a bind they'll fit me into their production schedule.
And they've been working on expanding their product line over the last few years, and that's a good thing. I have not used their doors yet but I've looked at their doors and considered it.
I get a lot of rustic mantle and counter top materials from them. Their selection of log slabs for counter tops and tables and things is by far the best between here and Missoula. They've got several hundred of 'em cut and are happy to go through them with you until you find the right size and look that you want.
[Beams and rough lumber?] Price is comparable, and availability is right there, sometimes faster than I can get it through {regular} lumber yards because they'll have to order it and Lonnie will have it sitting in the yard at RBM. Obviously they're a small mill and if they're not cutting what you want you may have to wait a few days to get it, but that's reasonable.
Interior showing RBM's fir & larch flooring
[Flooring?] Their flooring quality, as far as tongue and grooving, is superior to some other sources, as far as how their tolerances are. It installs well and I don't have trouble with it later, which I've had with some other local products. They are very particular about the dryness of the material when they send it out. They won't let it out until it's ready to go -- try as I may because sometimes I'm behind the 8-ball -- and they won't ship it out ... "Not until next week." And you know, I respect that. That, in the long run, just makes my life easier.
I think what I enjoy about them is that ... I don't shop price. I use the same plumbers, same electricians, my dimensional lumber and sheet goods all come from the same supplier all the time. And when it comes to rough-sawn material I don't call anybody else, I call RBM. I know what I'm gonna get ... I know the quality of what I'm going to get, and it's going to be in a reasonable time and it's going to be at a reasonable price that I'm getting it. It may be a few cents more than I would pay somewhere else but I don't even know that because I don't go somewhere else. I know that when I call I'm going to talk to somebody who will take care of it. So, that's how I treat my customers and, you know, I deal with people who treat me the same way.
I've been very fortunate to be busy throughout the economic downturn -- I think because of how I treat my customers -- and so I look for vendors who will act accordingly.
A local superior product
By Leif Haugen, Red Hat Carpentry, West Glacier
I'm a carpenter, builder and fire lookout as well. I work for the Forest Service in a fire lookout -- a cabin on top of a mountain -- for 4 months each summer. It's outstanding! I love it.
I've been working with RBM since 2001. And even moreso when I built my own house in 2002-2003. Because I'm a carpenter and builder a lot of the Forest Service relies on me to maintain and restore the lookouts. During the fire season I do some writing, a bunch of reading, and work to plan, design, draw the projects that are coming up for the fall and winter. I get plans together, put budgets together. It's a nice break from what I do for the other 8 months.
The majority of what I purchase from RBM is interior finish wood. I've bought siding. For rehabing lookouts we're buying a lot of exterior wood, but I would say the vast majority I buy is interior finish wood: trim, for cabinetry, tongue & groove paneling, furniture,, flooring. I also buy siding and beams, but mostly I'll buy tongue & groove paneling and a whole trim package.
I certainly encourage my clients to buy from RBM. First because they are local. The wood is local, and they provide a superior product, especially for trim work. And they have so many options. Whenever I send a client to their mill they are always amazed at how much product and how many choices they have there. Unless a client specifies something different, usually we're trimming out from RBM. Or if I have to match, say its pine trim that might not be from RBM, oftentimes I'll buy it from RBM and have them mill it to match.
They have a wide array of stock items. As long as I can get something close I can modify it. And that's what's great about RBM. Like this job I'm on now. When I mocked it up for the homeowner he said, "I love it all but I want this piece thinner." So I said I can either run it through the planer in my shop, or I can go to RBM. So I went to RBM and said, "Can I get all this in 3/8"? and they said, "Sure." So I'm saving labor on my end, and it comes out the door at the same price. It saved the client money in labor and it saved a lot of time for me.
Their doors are very distinctive. And the last few times we've had projects with doors, we've thought seriously about them but haven't yet. Only because I haven't had customers ready to buy all new doors.
The word is stunning
By Shilo B., Vulcan, Alberta, Canada
We're near Vulcan, Alberta Canada, about 300 kilometers north of the border. In the country, a farming community.
A contractor who was helping us said "I bought this lumber from a mill in Montana ... you should go check it out." So the next time we were at Whitefish we stopped by the mill, and just were blown away. I guess the first thing is customer service. As soon as you walk in the door... they are incredible. Their products are incredible too.
We purchased our interior doors there. Our wood flooring. Our entire house has hardwood in it. That was all from RBM. We have a feature wall that is wood from RBM. We have a huge wrap-around deck that has beams from them. We also have beams inside the house that we used for framing doorways and such -- cedar beams. And then I also worked with Janeth, who deals with the kitchen cabinetry. She helped me design my kitchen. I got all my cabinets through her -- all my kitchen cabinets and all my bathroom cabinets. So we've done a lot of work with them!
Usually we drive down and pick up the products we purchase. Their doors, they delivered to us ... my husband met them at the border.
[What do you like about their products?] The initial thing is their customer service. As soon as you walk in they treat you like family. It's just absolutely incredible.
But then their products -- they're going from trees to finished products! The word is stunning. It's real. The doors they build are of solid wood. Everything is so real and genuine. And custom, too. I mean, our doors were custom-built, solid wood -- and really reasonably priced.
They treat you lile family
By Shilo B., Vulcan, Alberta, Canada
The initial thing is their customer service. As soon as you walk in they treat you like family. It's just absolutely incredible.
Very good to work with
By Peter Hoveland, Mountain High Construction, Bigfork, Montana
They're very good to work with ... and I don't know if that's because I buy a fair amount from them or because that's just how they are. They [just] seem to be very helpful [people]!
My clients are always amazed
By Leif Haugen, Red Hat Carpentry, West Glacier
Whenever I send a client to their mill they are always amazed at how much product and how many choices they have there.
Love my door
By Owen Kindig
Terrific door. Love the vertical grain. Everybody comments about the spike knots... Thanks!
Circle sawn
By Greg Westenkirchner
Finally got our flooring installed and it's great. So glad we went with the circle sawn look. Thanks Rob for your help!
Inspired
By Beth Kindig
We just took a Tiny House seminar this past fall and I just wanted to say how excited and excited I am to include your paneling, flooring, beams and siding in my plans. Can't wait to make it a reality!