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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / Lumber prices have spiked!
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OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 08:57
Reply 


There is a lot of speculators driving up the price of lumber right now. Me too I guess, because of jobs I've booked, I had to order ahead and couldn't risk a big increase in costs.
All lumber is going up in the US, but Canadian red cedar Jumped the most and it was my biggest cost even before this happened.
Owen

neb
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 09:24
Reply 


I will be adding on my shack and thought the prices were high. I haven't bought much in the last 5 years so I really had nothing to compare with.

Why do you think cost is going up?

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 09:55
Reply 


When I built mine, in 2008, lumber was in a slump and they were giving it away. I was able to get 4X8 sheets of actual plywood for $15 (1/2") and I remember 3/8 was under $10. Also, when I went into the local Home Depot where my cabin is, they had nothing but the best douglas fir lumber and cheap too. I was told when the building industry is booming, they get the seconds, ie white wood such as hemlock, pine etc. In fact, I have never seen lumber as cheap as it was when I built my cabin.

Littlecooner
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 10:06
Reply 


Lumber prices are directly related to the housing market and after years of a slum in the US of A, there is an upturn. Supply and Demand. In my area, there is a lot of new residential (single family) construction taking place and the contractors who survived the crash of 08 are booked up. With increased demand, so go the prices. Great for the property owners with standing timber being near harvest age, not so good for those looking at building a cabin or residence. Cheap prices are gone for a few years.

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 11:21
Reply 


This is likely impacted by the pending Softwood Lumber Trade Renegotiation which is underway and not looking good for the Construction Industry if they tax the heck out of lumber...

Pretty dumb idea if someone is trying to kick start an industry, to tax the krud out of the products used within the industry... Maybe even more Canadian Lumber will be exported overseas as opposed to next door.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-us-softwood-lumber-duties-1.4069893

KabinKat
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2017 20:48
Reply 


Yeah, even though I am still in planning/buying land phase, shopping around for prices, I see the price increases in lumber.

Makes me wanna hurry....but I can't rush it...

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 16 Apr 2017 01:05 - Edited by: bldginsp
Reply 


Earth First- we'll log the other planets later.

Here's a Nasdaq chart showing lumber prices over time

http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/lumber.aspx?timeframe=4y

Eddy G
Member
# Posted: 16 Apr 2017 09:55
Reply 


I was picking up a dozen 2x4x8's for the cabin yesterday and mentioned this to my wife.
$2.79 for a 2x4?.....when did that happen? We are in the lumber yards and home depots all the time so we aren't strangers to it...I think we we're paying $1.79 last summer and up to $2.29 around Christmas...

NorthRick
Member
# Posted: 16 Apr 2017 11:46
Reply 


I can easily explain why the price is going up - I'm getting ready to build another cabin. Every time I have a lumber intensive project, the price goes up. Don't know why but it just does.

Borrego
Member
# Posted: 16 Apr 2017 21:25
Reply 


And then if you're in the Republic of California, there is an extra 1% wood tax!

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 18 Apr 2017 19:10
Reply 


I've always found lumber is cheap when you don't need it and high when you do.
I just became part of the problem. because I had many jobs sold , I ordered $20,000 worth of western red cedar, you know if hundreds of us all do that the price will get worse.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 19 Apr 2017 16:58
Reply 


Boy,i'll say!I love 6"toung&groove pine but it use to be 35 cents a foot last time I bought some,now it's 65 cents a foot,,,yikes!

Wendigolake
Member
# Posted: 22 Apr 2017 11:46
Reply 


Trump verbally took aim at the softwood lumber deal between Canada and the United States again this week. Like Steve_S said, if your going to tax our lumber more when it is exported into the USA then the price is going to go up. Conversely, prices here in Canada may drop in the short term, if our exports slow down from a higher export tax and our domestic market gets flooded.

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 22 Apr 2017 12:18
Reply 


$3.09 a stick for 2x4x8’ stud grade here
Nuts

Thing is, on top of the price, our local Home Dopey has developed the immoral habit of neatly restacking culled lumber on top of a newly place unit of studs

Heavy, water logged, knotty, warped studs

Takes me awhile to throw it all off into a not so neat pile
But throw I will, for $3.09 a stick
I’ll prolly have a confrontation about it one day
Hoping for it

...and

hardware
Is following suit
A 3/8 flat washer (approx. size of a quarter) is $.19 here

Think I’ll start puttin’ the extra washers in my loose change jar

Better investment

Tonerboy
Member
# Posted: 22 Apr 2017 15:18
Reply 


The lumber at Home Depot is not owned by them. A distributor actually handles the load-in, culling, etc. Quite allot of the areas in HD and I am guessing the other big box stores is set up that way. For instance, the small brass fittings display in the plumbing department. The brackets, straps, etc. in hardware. These companies just rent space in the store.

Wilbour
Member
# Posted: 24 Apr 2017 09:25
Reply 


Quoting: Wendigolake
Trump verbally took aim at the softwood lumber deal between Canada and the United States again this week. Like Steve_S said, if your going to tax our lumber more when it is exported into the USA then the price is going to go up. Conversely, prices here in Canada may drop in the short term, if our exports slow down from a higher export tax and our domestic market gets flooded.


This sort of policy makes all of us unhappy. Americans pay more for something that Canadians won't be able to sell. This is only the beginning.

Wendigolake
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 00:10
Reply 


Today Trump threatened a 20% tariff on Canadian Softwood lumber. This is going to get nasty and serious pretty quick. Canadian Government is considering options to fight back. Everyone is going to lose just because Trump wants to pick a fight with the USA's best friend.

Jim in NB
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 07:05
Reply 


The tariff issue has been a long standing one - back and forth since I started in forestry in the 80s. It will continue to go on as long as there is a lumber industry. And why - because there is some merit to US industries claims. Sorry but it is true.

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 07:38
Reply 


Interesting to note... I just did a quicky check and here's what I found...

HomeDepot.com (Rochester, NY, USA) 2x6x8 SPF = $5.10
HomeDepot.ca (Ottawa, ON, CA) 2x6x8 SPF = $4.90

IF Trump wants to improve US Economy, increase building, create jobs etc... BUT he's going to add 15-20% on the cost of material... Well, that will UP the cost to build, increase cost to buy, increase debt loads on the taxpayer BUT may also cause construction to slow as the costs are already too high....

Seems a bit Self Hobbling but of course that will be blamed on someone / anyone else...

Wilbour
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 09:04
Reply 


Quoting: Steve_S
HomeDepot.com (Rochester, NY, USA) 2x6x8 SPF = $5.10HomeDepot.ca (Ottawa, ON, CA) 2x6x8 SPF = $4.90


Steve,

Were these dollar values in each country's currency? So the $5.10 is $6.89 Canadian?

Sheesh. That's harsh.

Steve_S
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 09:29
Reply 


Yep... $5.10 USD for 2x6x8 in New York & $4.90 CAD in Ontario for the same piece of wood. They dropped a 24% Duty on Lumber an hour ago and the CAD $ dropped a bit more to 0.7354 and is projected to drop a bit more through the day now...

Talking to the boys at BMR ( you could not pay me to buy lumber from HD) and they think that our local prices will drop for now and that likely best to get sooner than later as production will be cut back pushing prices up.

Also noted that PPB for oil dropped again BUT the price at the pump went up simultaneously... 49.00 a barrel & pump prices from when it was 110 a barrel... The New Economy Math is just so danged confusing....

Wilbour
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 10:47
Reply 


This is insane. Steve, local gas prices in Kanata (I think you know where that is) are $1.15/l. It costs me over $300/month for gas just to get to and from work in my Highlander.

Now I drive a Smart Car whenever I can. Saving half the $ even when you consider it takes premium gas.

Cannot wait until freedom 55 in 2.5 years!

Sorry to hijack the post.

Wendigolake
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 12:37
Reply 


If the Canadian mills cut back on production, prices on both sides of the border will eventually increase. In Canada they will go up as supply tightens and in the USA the price will go up because of less competition and tighter supply too. Nobody is going to win in this situation.

NorthRick
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2017 15:34
Reply 


Quoting: Gary O
Thing is, on top of the price, our local Home Dopey has developed the immoral habit of neatly restacking culled lumber on top of a newly place unit of studs


Our HD does that too. So does Lowes. But, we have 2 HDs and 2 Lowes within a few miles of our house. If one has a pile of pretzel studs on top of the good ones, I move on to the next store. I'll often see evidence of someone like you having already been there - a pile of crappy boards laying off to the side and that's when I pick what I need.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 27 Apr 2017 08:25
Reply 


News this morning: Trump will not dissolve NAFTA at this time. Lumber prices should settle down.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 27 Apr 2017 08:54 - Edited by: KinAlberta
Reply 


I don't think that news will impact lumber prices. They are going up due to a new tariff.

Small impact anyways:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/25/trumps-canadian-lumber-tariff-could-cost-us-homebuyers -about-1200.html

Wendigolake
Member
# Posted: 27 Apr 2017 19:38
Reply 


CNBC estimates $1200 USD increase in the cost of a new house. Saw another report that thinks it could be as high as $2000 -3000. Also the job loss estimate on the Canadian side could be as high as 15,000. This is a long running dispute that never seems to go away. Every time the agreement runs out we seems to have this same scenario play out only to resolved by a "new" agreement. Then when the "latest" agreement runs out the same old reasons for applying tariffs are brought out once again.

ColdFlame
Member
# Posted: 28 Apr 2017 10:26
Reply 


This is just the start of this topic. Christie Clark is now looking to ban US Thermal Coal from being transported through BC to get to port. Apparently there is a shortage of US port capacity, so much of the coal is shipped up here to our ports:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-moves-to-ban-u-s-coal-transport-in -retaliation-for-softwood-duties-1.4086688

Jabberwocky
Member
# Posted: 4 May 2017 08:39
Reply 


I'm getting ready to find out how much it has gone up. I'll be purchasing my lumber materials tomorrow...

Jabberwocky
Member
# Posted: 5 May 2017 12:19
Reply 


Welp, my bill came out to $1630.00. Better than I expected by about $200 so I'm pleased!

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