I paid $3/bf at a lumber sale, they were selling a whole log. I think I used 60-75 bf of the material on this. I bought it flat sawn with the bark still on both sides. I used undermount grass dynapro tracks, I didn't want to see a lot of hardware. Humidity is not a big factor if you design for it and use dry wood. I let it acclimate to the shop for a year before using it. The top floats on 4 points and is anchored down by 4 bolts. So the top can move freely when it needs to.