At a Glance
- VRBO Service Fee: 6–12% of booking total
- Lumberyard VRBO Score: 9.9/10
- Direct Booking Site: ouraycondos.com
- Direct Savings: $60–180 on typical stay
- Cancellation: More flexible direct
- Communication: Owner direct, not app
VRBO's Role: Discovery vs Booking
VRBO is genuinely useful for discovering The Lumberyard Condos — the platform's search and filtering surfaces properties by dog-friendliness, group size, location, and guest ratings. The 9.9/10 rating The Lumberyard has earned on VRBO is a real signal, built from hundreds of real guest stays. If you found The Lumberyard on VRBO, the platform did its job.
But the booking itself doesn't need to happen on VRBO. The platform charges travelers a service fee of 6–12% of the booking subtotal, and hosts pay a separate fee of their own. That fee funds VRBO's operations but adds nothing to your experience at the property. Once you know The Lumberyard is the right fit, ouraycondos.com is the smarter place to complete the transaction.
What Direct Booking Actually Saves
On a $1,200 booking through VRBO, the service fee adds $72–144 to your total cost. On a $1,800 booking for a group staying in multiple units, the fee runs $108–216. These are not small numbers — they're the equivalent of a dinner out in Ouray or a full day of hot springs access for your group.
Booking direct at ouraycondos.com eliminates that fee entirely. Some properties also offer a small direct-booking discount on top — even at the same base rate, the savings are immediate. For travelers who book multiple San Juan Mountain destinations in a single trip, the cumulative savings from direct booking across multiple properties can reach $400–600.
Flexibility and Policy Differences
VRBO enforces its own cancellation policy tiers, and platform rules about damage claims, resolution disputes, and guest protections can complicate situations that are genuinely simple. When something goes sideways — a late arrival, a storm that changes your plans, a question about whether the second unit is available — the platform's interface is an intermediary that slows resolution.
Direct booking means direct communication: the owner's phone number, a real email thread, and a human who knows exactly what the property offers and what flexibility exists. The Lumberyard's 9.9/10 VRBO score is built on that kind of responsive owner relationship — book direct and you get that relationship from the first inquiry.
How to Book Direct
Visit ouraycondos.com, check availability for your dates, and contact the owners directly. The process is straightforward — real-time calendar, booking inquiry form, direct payment options. There's no algorithm deciding whether your request gets a response, no automated rejection for ambiguous dates.
The Lumberyard Condos is at 55 4th Ave, Ouray, CO 81427 — five units, sleeps up to 10, genuinely dog-friendly, 9 blocks from the hot springs. The 4.94 Airbnb rating and 9.9 VRBO score tell you the property backs up the promise. Book direct, skip the fees, and call the owners if you have any questions before committing.