Any woodworkers?

Just paid $25 for a 1/4 sheet of 3/4” plywood yesterday at Lowe’s.

 

$39 for a sheet of 7/16" OSB is what blows my mind the most.

 

Just a couple of days ago, I paid $10.47 each for PT 2x4x8’. Insane pricing. Just last summer, I paid $3.47 for them and I thought that was high. Did trees get an infection too?

 

$40+ here...was $6 last jan

 

2020 was not a good year for west coast lumber mills. One in CA was lost when Northern CA was on fire and I think a few in Oregon burnt down too.

 

High demand and low supply. Read an article that said lumber futures are up 181% since this time last year.

 

Add in to that covid-related staffing issues at mills, and un-foreseen construction demand as people want to move out of multi-family and in to single-family homes.

 

Further compounding the issue. I just want to build my nightstands and end tables dammit!

 

I understand the west coast issues, but plain pine plywood is from the gulf coast and northeast(GP). Pressure treated wood is from fast growing timber. No fires, floods or major hurricanes to destroy it. SE Texas and SW Louisiana had some major damage from a few hurricanes but that should not have impacted the prices to where they are today. I’m just glad I am not building a new house at this time.

 

$56 CDN for 1/2" fir std ply , $56 CDN for 7/16" OSB and $56 CDN for 3/4" C2 Birch

 

Ouch. How much increase from last year?

 

Is the high lumber prices hurting your business?

 

look at current pricing versus 2020 and 2019 averages

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/f...prices/forest_product_prices_-_2021-03-12.pdf

 

I haven't actually been doing much of any client work for like the last 10 months , start a new house build next month

 

Those prices are 3-4x higher. With prices like this, not many people will not be able to afford to build a new house. Even a small remodel could be extremely expensive.

 

Yep i was going to build a small shed but not now.

 

as a percentage of the total build the framing package material is not that much but the prices are pretty nuts right now

Fortunately for me my lumber supplier is awesome and keeps me in the loop on prices and trends , I pre-purchased the bulk of the framing package for my next build , plus all the cedar soffit and siding material , fascias , and exterior trims back in December from his current stock and he is holding the material in his yard for me till I need it , also didn't need to pay for it till end of Feb

 

Wow! You can’t ask for better than that.

 

I’ve also read that it has to do with the lumber mills being affected by Covid. Many slowed down or shut down and laid off employees when the pandemic started and then now that things are opening back up and everyone wants to build they are having trouble ramping back up to meet the demand. I need to put a new roof on my shed but after seeing the cost of plywood, hell no, I’m gonna tarp it and it can wait

 

I am in the process of trying to have a new home built and the sticker shock has been substantial. I understand that lumber prices are like gas prices and most other things, when demand is high and supply is short prices will rise quickly, then take much longer to settle down, never quite seeming to reduce back to the price they started at. From those in the industry what does your experience tell you about this surge in prices? Here to stay? Returning back to pre-pandemic prices? Care to take a guess on when the prices will drop?