Crafty Beaver Home Center — Local services in Niles Township

I've been living in the community for over 20 years now and Crafty Beaver has always been my go to hardware store.

What I love the most about this store is the competent and personalized service.

From the moment I walk in, a very different experience from the big box stores await. Someone always greets me as I enter like good neighbors do. And when they see me looking around not finding what I need, they always come to my aid almost immediately. In a big box store, I'd still be trying to flag someone down 10 mimutes later.

No matter what I need to do or to fix, one of the employees has already been there and done it. They are always generous to share experiences and ideas. In fact some of their ideas had saved me tons of trouble and money over the years.

And then there's the lumber department. Not only is the selection wide and price reasonable, the service is unparalleled. One time the lumber employee walked me through the entire lumber yard looking for the perfect piece for a small repair, found it for me, then sawed it to the exact size that I wanted it in. Where else do I get that kind of service?

Finally, like good neighbors, all the employees have been very kind to my kid whenever he goes in. They would patiently answer his non-stop questions. Effectively treating him with the same level of respect and seriousness as they do grown-ups. My son loves "Mr Beaver" too!

And no I'm not affiliated with the store. I'm simply a fan of their...

Great lumber yard and DIY store. I’m replacing my fence and a friend said I should check out Crafty Beaver for lumber. But I went to Home Depot and Menards first because they are close… MUCH closer. However, they either had very little in the yard or their prices were way off for my budget. So… I went to CB. So glad I did, found the panels I wanted, $25 less per panel! All the posts and hardware too. Here’s the kicker… their delivery charge was outrageously low! I had to ask 2x to be sure what I was hearing. Lastly, my friends were helping me on a Sat so I called on Friday just as they closed to setup delivery. They said to call on Sat and they’ll TRY to setup delivery. Yikes! I thought for sure I was out of luck. Who calls and gets same day delivery? I do! And CB was so wonderful… about the whole thing. Ed came out with the goods just in time as my friends started pulling up. Back at the store, Mike helped me pick out the lumber, Steve worked to get the order delivered same day, and Ed did the driving. What a great bunch of people. I have a feeling my next project will start out driving past HD and Menards until I get to Crafty Beaver! Thanks to all at the Skokie store that helped get this project...

I ordered lumber a week in advance and asked for "morning" delivery, which they can do if the queue is not already full. I received an urgent phone msg yesterday asking if materials could be delivered "first thing", but not specifying any time. That would be GREAT, since it IS what I requested. Well, I didnt get the msg until 2:30pm because I was working. I called but delivery people had left for the day. I called a cell phone number provided on their voice msg but got no answer. I left a msg. I just called at 9am to check on my delivery. They said, "everyone is out. Maybe between 11-12?" I can only guess that I'm being penalized for not returning the call soon enough AND I'm sure they make a lot of deliveries where the person isn't on site. I'm sure this screws up their day. However, I am not at fault. I should not be penalized because OTHER people are screw ups. If I hadn't called on my delivery, then what? I mean if it gets here before noon, that is still morning....but I didnt request morning, because i want it...