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I commented earlier about recent copper pipe price increases and came to the conclusion that had the increase occurred in advance of my compressed air piping project I probably wouldn't have moved forward with it. My next project was to add onto a shop mezzanine but after looking at current lumber prices I may delay that or cancel it altogether. Anyone else faced with this dilemma? Will prices eventually drop to what they were before?
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It's certainly a concern relative to construction type projects. It's also causing me to consider alternative materials/methods. It's not likely going to impact any of my woodworking projects because in the scheme of things, they are small potatoes and I make decisions based on intended end-result rather than materials cost.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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We had been planning a full gut kitchen remodel this year but are considering postponing it. Cost is part of it, but availability of things like appliances, fixtures, cabinets, etc. is of more concern since a kitchen remodel can be so disruptive. I don't *know* that availability is an issue as I haven't dug in that far yet, but I've heard so many stories that I strongly suspect it will be.
I don't expect to see prices revert to pre-covid range anytime soon. It always seems prices are quick to rise, slow to fall, and the hot housing market will keep upward pressure on prices while it lasts.
As Jim said, haven't altered much in the way of shop projects. I buy most of my lumber direct from a sawmill and haven't seen much increase to date, and generally not talking about huge dollar amounts anyway.
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I just finished my kitchen remodel. I really didn't notice much of a price difference on the things I needed. Appliances were a pain to get. I had to source them from several different places and took up to 4 months to get some of them. Not a big deal because I worked alone and I am slow. I don't have anything big planned. I am making baseboard for the whole house now. Non framing materials haven't risen much from what I can tell.
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Yes. I have a active deck permit that I'll have to file for a extension on. The only thing done is the footings (last october.) I was waiting on lumber to drop before I moved forward... yeah right. 508sqft with 228 of that being screened in under a roof.
Yes. On the upside several of the major builders have called a work stoppage in this area due to costs. Suddenly all those things you couldn’t get at the home store are readily available. Hopefully this is the beginning of the pendulum swinging back to wherever it’s going to eventually land.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
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I have to repair some siding on my garage, so that will continue. Other outdoor projects are on hold. A precut 2x4 is $9.59 at Menards now. At least $6 higher than what I paid in the past. What started as a way to get fire pit kindling for us has now turned into recycling lumber. Local commercial architectural glass company has a place where they stack crates as free for the taking. Everything from 10' 2x6s to 2' 4x4s. Some still goes to kindling, but getting a nice stack of lumber for small projects. You sure need the proper equipment to pull those spiral nails!
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If dimensional goes up any higher im going to replace the studs in my walls at home
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I was looking for a sheet of 1 1/8" Advantech and of the 3 places I called none had it in stock. On the occasion I want to see just how bad it is I'll hop on a box store website and see what's in stock. Simple things like 2x4s or plywood. If I had no choice I'm sure I would just pony up and pay the price but next spring the prices are going to be half what they are now.
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Originally Posted by Alex Zeller
Lets hope prices go down, but knowing the wood products industry they will keep prices high if they can get away with it. I built a house addition and shop about 5 years ago and used Avantech subflooring and Zip system wall and roof sheathing. At that time, I paid about $30 a sheet for 3/4" Avantech and it was hard to swallow the huge premium over regular OSB. I can't imagine what it costs today, but I'm sure $30 would seem cheap now. It got rained on several times and never swelled. Great products for the midwest where a gusher thunderstorm can hit you about anytime in the summer.
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Building a garage extension of 16'x22' onto the existing garage. I did a shed project last summer/fall as prices were spiking in an attempt to fix the space issues without having to spend a lot of money on lumber given the current prices. I also figured that the shed would be a good addition regardless of whatever else I did.
At this point it's been over a year, and I don't know what will drive prices back down again, or when it will happen. Since I am building the extension to avoid tripping over bikes and other stuff I am okay with moving forward, even if it does add some costs, rather than waiting. For those who are waiting, what do you think will cause prices to fall again? In the summer/fall falling prices made more sense to me, since it was a short shock, but now it's been long enough for people to start accepting those prices, making decreases less likely.
The catalyst for a fall in prices, IMHO, would be another crash in the housing market, but that seems unlikely given the K shaped recovery, at least until interest rates rise to 3-4%. The last ten years, and the trap the Fed is currently in makes it more likely we'll see some form of Yield Curve Control before that happens.
Last edited by Andrew More; 04-08-2021 at 11:48 AM.
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I'm going back and forth on a shop extension to add a finishing room and more storage/office area. It won't likely be more than 24x14 (after that I would need to deal with variances etc), so the cost increase due to lumber, though unpleasant, isn't unbearable. The main thing is the longer I wait it becomes, in theory, less valuable to me as I will get to use it one year less.
I probably will make some design changes like using 2x4s with 3/8 plywood for walls rather than 2x6s and 7/16 OSB and then potentially adding a layer of foam board to make up for the lost insulation space. Heck if the prices of panel products go up much more, it might be cheaper to sheath the building in #3 pine.
I've been finding even furniture lumber prices going up 20%-50%. I got a quote for 4/4 S/B H+M white oak last year at about $4 a board foot. When I bought some last week it was $6 a board foot. Cherry was up around 25% in that time as well.
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I'm putting off those two projects because I have plenty of other stuff on the to-do list to keep me busy. Over the 46 years that I've been in the building stuff business, I've seen material prices do a Lot of fluctuating. This is the biggest jump I can remember, but lumber future prices are already starting to go down. Material prices aren't keeping me from doing anything, but I'll watch for a while, to see where they go.
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Nobody can say for certain but I'm pretty sure it will come down. When prices are high mills are trying to get as much wood as they can to make as much as they can. That means loggers are seeing a high demand so they are out straight. If there was a shortage of trees to be harvested I could see differently. If it was shingles and the price of oil was high I could see the price staying high. The biggest problem i can see is finding workers.
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 04-10-2021 at 12:31 PM.
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I was going to convert my attached 2 car garage 22X24 into more space for my breakfast room, and add another bedroom and bath. At $68 for 3/4 plywood and $8.50 for one 2x4 rethinking the project. Additionally, I read windows are getting harder to get with lead times of 10 to 12 weeks. The Question I can't reconcile in my mind will it be less expensive after the summer? Or are prices going to be the same or higher at the end of the year?
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