Can anyone predict building materials prices?
- Thread starter reader2580
- Start date
DJF3
Well-known member
This spring when I was pricing materials for my build, 1/2" OSB was $11 per sheet. It's now $27. This is at Home Depot in Canadian dollars. Everyone else is about the same.
2x12x12 PT were $47.25 each! There is very limited supply. I was told with COVID, the chemical to treat the wood was in short supply. Guess the wife gets raised gardens next year lol.
My trusses were quoted and I went to order them a month later. They went up from $6100 to $7650. And the truss builder said he gave me a bigger discount to try and offset. Hmmm. He's also the only truss builder in my city, so he has a captive market. He told me truss quotes right now are only good for 14 days.
2x12x12 PT were $47.25 each! There is very limited supply. I was told with COVID, the chemical to treat the wood was in short supply. Guess the wife gets raised gardens next year lol.
My trusses were quoted and I went to order them a month later. They went up from $6100 to $7650. And the truss builder said he gave me a bigger discount to try and offset. Hmmm. He's also the only truss builder in my city, so he has a captive market. He told me truss quotes right now are only good for 14 days.
OP
reader2580
Well-known member
These paper mills wouldn't be shutting down permanently if they thought paper demand was going to increase if/when the pandemic ends. One paper mill talked about how they barely made a profit before the pandemic. Demand had already been on a down slide for years.
I work for a newspaper. Our use of newsprint is down by as much as 70% since the peak of newspapers. We shrunk the numbers of pages in our paper by probably 15% during the 2nd quarter of this year to save money. Our sports section was down to four pages instead of the typical eight to sixteen pages. The sports section is mostly back to normal, but I bet other changes will stick long term.
At least five or six big printing plants have shut down in my area in the last five years. That means a lot less paper used. My employer now prints other newspapers on contract. We probably couldn't outsource our printing as nobody is left locally that could handle the volume.
nadogail
Well-known member
IMHO, Unless you can cut your own trees and saw your own boards, you are captive to the laws of supply and demand.
Get used to it, or get another source of material.
Get used to it, or get another source of material.
I picked up 20 2x5x10' for form work. they will be reused in wall framing. They should have cost about 7-8 dollars but were just under $13/ea.
Ouch that hurt.
Ouch that hurt.
I went to lowes earlier... they have the 2x4x10 for $8.04 and the RTD at about $3-$5 cheaper than the HD two blocks away. Not sure how, they did it. their wood material stocks does not have that higher of turn over in my area though, and doesn't seems to be as good.. probably it is as good as HD wood stuff... just doesn't give me that feeling of it is. Doesn't matter over all still Up Up Up... dam I was crying when it was at $5.80 two months ago. I only got 15... still needed 175 more..
talking about kicking myself in the butts.
talking about kicking myself in the butts.
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38Chevy454
Well-known member
The correct answer is "it will change". I agree it is supply and demand. Lumber is a commodity, and right now demand is high and supply is low. Therefore high prices. I do predict that it will come down, but when? With the huge number of building starts, remodeling projects, and people now thinking to make their homes more to their liking with being home more, it could be a while. For OP, I don't think it will get a lot higher than current, but who knows. I don't have that clear view crystal ball.
Downwindtracker 2
Well-known member
There is a US tariff on soft wood imports. Then you can add transportation issues. These things will effect supply .And with everybody having time on their hands to do the little projects. This effects demand.
Oggy
Well-known member
Tariffs have actually dropped this year from what they were in 2017. Additionally, with tariffs being put in place in 2017, it wouldn't be the cause for price increases this year.
I would expect the increases in pricing being attributed to logistics and supply/demand.
We ship to Canada twice a week, and for a couple months our regular driver decided he didn't want to come into the US (commerce is the inly border crossing Canada is allowing at this time). I expect he wasn't alone.
Additionally, with people unable to pursue many of their regular activities, many decided to do home improvement projects they might have otherwise put off.
Don't forget the hurricane that just hit the louisiana/Texas area...
I would expect lumber prices to go back down as fall progresses, and into next year, as things, hopefully, return to (a new?) normal.
https://www.vancouverislandfreedail...wood-lumber-agreement-lost-amid-covid-crisis/
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You are not far from the truth IMO... but these recent events (COVID, weather, natural disaster, riot) have propel this bad to worse... even if they have remove this import things, the price will probably never be dropped back to the the good ole days. Greed is Good. If anything is normal, I would see 2022.
Holly Snits Plywood... WTF is going on.
Price went up again
WTF... even the sanded one that was hovering at $35 are now $45... Just came back from the local HD ready to buy buy buy... but they are not priced to sell
2x4x10' are at $9.50-ish... thought they dropped a couple of weeks ago down to $7-ish...
Price went up again
WTF... even the sanded one that was hovering at $35 are now $45... Just came back from the local HD ready to buy buy buy... but they are not priced to sell2x4x10' are at $9.50-ish... thought they dropped a couple of weeks ago down to $7-ish...