Cost of lumber

[Alfred Hoffmann]

Just went shopping today for some dimensioned lumber - pine boards to be exact. I haven't done that for about a couple of months. I was surprised to see the prices. I thought, because of the housing slump, the cost of lumber would have come down. Not so. They seem to have gone up instead. What has been your experience in your part of the country? I am in West Michigan.

[Adam Wissman]

here in st. Louis everything went down except for a few. RO i only buy for $1.75 bf, cherry went up and is at $5.75 bf, Hard maple is $3.00, pine i don't know since i have not bought it in a few months, white oak $2.25 bf, and walnut is just a bit higher at $5.50. all is S2S prices

[John Keeton]

I normally buy only from small sawmills, and then usually green wood. The phenomena that I have noticed is that the mills just simply aren't cutting any wood. They are afraid to buy logs because they can't move the milled wood. As a result, I can't locate much wood - regardless of price. Fortunately, I have a pretty decent stash, but always on the lookout for more.

I do understand some of the larger suppliers are cutting prices and cash talks.

[Julian Nicks]

I buy from an old retired farmer who owns a bandmill. He's got at least 100,000 feet of lumber in his shed that your free to pick through. All for $2 a bd ft. He also only charges 25 cents to cut your logs, and only $6 per blade if he hits metal. I love going to the mill. I can't come home without an empty wallet.

[glenn bradley]

I just happened to go to the yard this morning; QSWO - $3.08, Cherry - $4.63, Lacewood and Goncalo Alves - $6.00 per bf.

[Larry Edgerton]

I just figured a 24x32 garage and the cost of the lumber was over 15K. Material costs are crazy, and it is killing me. I had to give this guy a price of over 30k for a garage! Home Depot and the rest of the box stores are not as cheap as my local yard, so you may want to check at your local yard if you have one left.

[David Keller NC]

"Just went shopping today for some dimensioned lumber - pine boards to be exact. I haven't done that for about a couple of months. I was surprised to see the prices."

The price of lumber has gone down just a little in North Carolina, but the quality you can get has increased considerably. A couple of years ago, you'd have gotten laughed at if you wanted 4/4 FAS Walnut that was over 12" wide. Now, because the veneer mills aren't buying, wide, clear walnut is again showing up in the lumber outlets.

But also it's worth commenting that even in a severe recession, the cost of raw materials isn't going to move all that much, and nowhere near as much as manufactured goods. Generally speaking, the supply of raw materials can be cut drastically and very quickly when the demand drops - one just doesn't dig it up out of the ground or cut it and mill it.

[Gene Howe]

A sawyer told me that the loggers have all but shut down. That leaves just the stock on hand at the mills. That's going to be a -supply/+demand situation. I wouldn't look for drastic drops in prices. If anything, they could rise if demand is there.

[joe milana]

Birch & Maple in Kansas City is nearly $7.00/BF and IF you can find a straight piece, take it home and rip it, it's most likely case hardened!

[Jim Rimmer]

Here's what I paid in Houston a couple on months ago:
$/Bd Ft
Ash $2.45
Cherry $5.60
Hickory $2.30
Mahogany $4.75
Pecan $2.30
Walnut $5.60

Haven't checked lately

[Tony Bilello]

Where in Houston do you go for your hardwoods?

[Jim Rimmer]

I go to Houston Hardwoods up on 290 just nw of 610 - the West 34th Street Exit.

[Norm Koerner]

I'm in Springfield, IL. Phone 217-787-8795

I have more lumber than I will use in my lifetime. Good deals on ash, sycamore, maple, aromatic red cedar, and some walnut, cherry, hackberry, persimmon, etc. All of is has been kiln dried, kissed on both sides with a planer, and wrapped in plastic to retain dryness. Reasonable prices from $1.50 to $3.00 bf. About 4,000 board feet total.

Oh, I have some true Honduras Mahongany, too. Under 200 bf, but widths up to 18 inches. Of course I'd have to get a tad more for it.

Norm Koerner

[Dave Lehnert]

I just figured a 24x32 garage and the cost of the lumber was over 15K. Material costs are crazy, and it is killing me. I had to give this guy a price of over 30k for a garage! Home Depot and the rest of the box stores are not as cheap as my local yard, so you may want to check at your local yard if you have one left.

Not just lumber. I have also noticed that the big box stores are not so cheap any longer. IE: I was looking to buy a small chain saw. I thought Stihl from a dealer would be too much but stopped in to look. Turns out I got a saw, gased and ready to go, with dealer support for about the same price as a saw in a box at HD.
Other items like battery , Light bulbs and such I am now getting from a small local place MUCH cheaper.

[Rick Fisher]

The BORG has the highest gross margin today, that they have ever had..

The normal building supply yard is usually cheaper on all the small stuff, but higher on about 600 items.

Dimensional framing lumber is dirt cheap right now. The cheapest its been in a decade or more.. Construction grade plywood is 50% the cost it was 4 years ago...

The combination of a lousy market and record low pricing has made selling lumber a gruelling business..

[Chuck Isaacson]

I just figured a 24x32 garage and the cost of the lumber was over 15K. Material costs are crazy, and it is killing me. I had to give this guy a price of over 30k for a garage! Home Depot and the rest of the box stores are not as cheap as my local yard, so you may want to check at your local yard if you have one left.

That is absolutely crazy!!! I am building my garage right now and I think that I paid, including trusses that were prefabed and delivered, for a garage that is 24x61, I think I paid less than 8K for my building materials.

Chuck