Good time to build!

[Possum]

I was checking lumber prices at the local big box load it yerself twice yard and noticed everything seemed cheaper. I thought maybe I had had a stroke but guess not!

http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN1019864220080110

-Zach

 

[jgira12]

Yea, and copper being down to half what it was a year ago should translate into greatly reduced prices on copper tubing, but you won't see it....it's kind of like gasoline should drop at the same rate as the price of a barrel of oil.

 

[Weedwaka]

Wire is down quite a bit here and lumber is super cheap. Trades are cheaper too because everybody stopped building and they are starving big time.

 

[Buck]

Every little bit helps. I started my detached garage project late August. I'm doing all the work my self so while its been slow going, its fun to see it come along and lumber has dropped since I began. FWIW, 1/2" OSB is $5.65 a sheet here last time I checked. Studs are under 2 bucks now.

 

[nova65ss]

Now is the perfect time to build. Contractors are doing stuff for next to nothing just to get some work.

 

[jmack]

Now is the perfect time to build. Contractors are doing stuff for next to nothing just to get some work.

This all seems true in theory, but does anyone have any hard examples of this? Ex. Did you have a quote to build a deck for $5000 and now they offered to do it for $3000 or something like that?

 

[nova65ss]

My father just had gutters and soffits, concrete driveway, and a new fence installed down in FL. He had a quote for the concrete from a year ago, talked to the same guy and he was much less, after that he got to calling around. One guy was several thousand less than the original guy.

The fence guy said if he did it the next day he would give him a deal because they had no work.

I see it around here in my industry as well. Companies quoting ridiculous prices just to get the job and keep their guys busy.

 

[JB740i]

My wife and I finished ours in October and got around to getting sod laid recently. We were going to do it ourselves but the guy said if we took the 4 pallets he had on hand he'd let us pay the guys to lay it directly. So we paid them like $65 instead of the $400 he would have charged us. Nice markup on labor, huh?

 

[Identaltech]

with my luck as soon as I would start building the price would go though the roof

 

[tfi racing]

Now is the perfect time to build. Contractors are doing stuff for next to nothing just to get some work.

I would have to agree with this,judging by the number of tradesmen stopping by my new garage to offer their services,and by the response to my CL ads for framing and roofing help for it.(Funny there has been no electricians,but we all know what arrogant jerks they can be) .Material prices are coming down,deals can be had due to cancelled orders,and all building trades are cutting personnel to the bone.Cash is king at the moment,if you have it, there is a lot to take advantage of right now.The construction industry will pick up slightly(very) in the spring,now would be the time to get your best deal.

 

[ddawg16]

A good example is concrete. When I was pricing my foundation about a year ago concrete was going for about $130-140/yd delivered.

When they poured my foundation in Oct, it was at $100/yd. 5 years ago it was $80/yd.