Albion, Mendocino Coast, California
Paul and Carrie Shandel run a small, serious lumber yard in Albion, California. Family owned. Nearly 30 years in the trade. If you need custom redwood — the kind nobody else will cut for you — this is the place.
Some places carry history in their bones. The Mendocino Coast is one of them.
Paul’s great-grandfather ran the steam engine at Albion Lumber Company — one of the original Mendocino Coast lumber operations. That was four generations ago. The old-growth forests shaped this coastline, and the people who worked them shaped the communities that remain. Paul grew up knowing that history. He didn’t just inherit the name — he inherited the work ethic behind it.
Carrie moved here from Orange County in 2020. She puts it plainly: “A lot of places, you can visit and not see any history. But when you come here, you can actually see it and feel it. We’re kind of like a place out of time.”
That’s what Albion Lumber is. Not a chain. Not a catalog. A real lumber yard, run by real people, on a stretch of California coast where the redwoods still stand and the work still gets done by hand.
Paul has been milling and manufacturing wood products for close to 30 years. He knows every logger on the coast. He knows where to source material for jobs that other mills won’t touch. And when he takes on your project, he sees it through — even when things get complicated.
This is what it looks like when a business is built from the inside out: deep knowledge, local relationships, and a commitment to getting it right every single time.
Read more about who we are — or better yet, come out to the yard.
Albion Lumber isn’t a big-box operation. You won’t find a catalog here. What you will find is the capability to manufacture nearly any wood product that’s ever been made — and someone who’s been doing it long enough to know the difference between what you asked for and what you actually need.
We work primarily with contractors and homeowners across Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa counties. Our customers come to us when the project requires something specific — a historical profile that has to match exactly, a beam that has to support weight for the next hundred years, a batch of siding that nobody else is set up to run.
We don’t mind the one-off jobs. We don’t turn away a customer who needs three boards to repair a historical building. That said, the projects we sink our teeth into are the ones with real scope: custom siding packages, architectural beam orders, full flooring runs for renovation projects.
If you’ve been told “we can’t do that” by another mill, call us.
We mill redwood in every grade — from fence-quality boards all the way up to premium luthier wood suitable for guitar tops. Whether you’re building a fence line in Hopland or sourcing tonewoods for a custom instrument maker, we can cut it to spec.
Redwood is what we know best. It’s the wood of this coast, and we treat it accordingly.
See all redwood lumber grades →
These aren’t decorative accents. Albion Lumber’s architectural beams are structural — built to be seen for hundreds of years. Gazebos, post-and-beam homes, timber-frame additions. The kind of work that shows up in the background of family photos three generations from now.
We source the timber, mill it, dry it, and finish it. You get one consistent supplier from log to delivery.
Explore architectural beams →
Custom redwood siding. Interior paneling. Flooring. One-off runs that most mills won’t bother with. We will.
People come to us when they can’t find the product anywhere else. That’s not an accident — it’s what we’re built for.
Custom redwood products →
This is the work we’re most known for. When a building has existing profiles — trim, flooring, siding — that need to be matched for a renovation or repair, we make the custom planer knives required to reproduce them exactly.
You pull up three damaged boards from a 100-year-old floor. You want to fix it, not replace everything. We can cut those three boards. We’ve done it before.
Historical renovation lumber →
Nearly 30 years in the lumber business teaches you one thing above everything else: your reputation is your business.
Paul makes it right — even when a complaint isn’t completely legitimate. That’s not a calculated customer service strategy. It’s just how he operates. If there’s a problem with an order, you won’t get the runaround. You’ll get a solution.
We serve contractors and homeowners across Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa counties. Our best customers are the ones who know exactly what they want, know quality when they see it, and want to work with a supplier they can trust to deliver. If that’s you, we’d like to earn your business.
The best way to start is simple: call the yard or come by.
If you’ve never ordered custom lumber before, here’s what the process looks like with Albion Lumber.
It usually starts with a phone call. You tell us what you need. Paul listens — actually listens — and asks the right questions to make sure he understands not just what you’re asking for, but what the project requires. If the material is in stock, we move quickly. If it needs to be sourced, Paul knows where to find it. He’s worked with loggers and landowners on this coast for decades.
Once we agree on price and scope, we take a 50% deposit to cover materials and manufacturing. Then work begins: sourcing, sawing, stacking, drying, planing, packaging. We’ll keep you updated at each benchmark — not every 15 minutes, but enough so you always know where things stand.
Delivery is available for orders of the right size. Smaller orders can be picked up at the yard. Either way, you’re getting a product that was made for your project specifically — not pulled off a shelf.
Both. We work with general contractors, deck builders, and specialty tradespeople regularly — they make up the bulk of our business. But we also serve homeowners doing custom projects, historical renovations, or one-off repairs. If you need three boards to match existing flooring in a 1920s bungalow, we can help. Don’t let the word “custom” scare you off.
Our primary service area is Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa counties. We’re happy to deliver within that region for orders of sufficient size. For large enough projects — and when customers are willing to cover shipping — we’ve worked with buyers further afield. But our focus right now is local. We want to serve this coast well before we expand anywhere else.
Yes — this is one of our specialties. We manufacture custom planer molding knives to reproduce existing profiles. If you’re restoring a historical building and need to match original trim, flooring, or siding, bring us a sample. We’ll figure it out.
We mill redwood in all grades, from fence-quality material on the lower end up to clear, vertical-grain luthier wood on the high end. The right grade depends on your project. Call us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
It depends on the project. Standard material that’s in stock can move quickly. Custom orders — especially those that require sourcing specific logs, milling, drying, and finishing — take longer. Drying alone can add weeks to a timeline, particularly in winter. Paul will give you a realistic estimate upfront. We’d rather set honest expectations than overpromise.
Yes. We require 50% down on all custom work before we begin. This covers the cost of sourcing material and beginning manufacturing. The remainder is due on delivery. It’s a straightforward arrangement that works well for everyone.
Serving Mendocino, Sonoma & Napa counties
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll tell you exactly what you need — and we’ll have it waiting when you get here.