Y'all Been Checkin' Lumber Prices?

[caver]

Ken's Karpentry says they have gone up. I noticed a plywood I want to use went up 2-3 dollars a sheet after a steady price for months.

 

[DieselBound]

There's the value of the currency to consider. Again, this has to do with relativity. If the currency is getting weak then prices are going to go up: think inflationary forces (more money printing). If the currency is getting strong then prices are likely going to go down: deflationary forces (money pulled from circulation). Watch pricing through the lens of USD vs precious metals.

Again, "time is money." If you have time then fine, wait until you feel it's time (and hope that it does in fact hit the mark). I had a significant design cooked up on a house and was on the verge of hiring an architect to draft up plans. A physical set-back happened and though I've recovered time has passed and the sketchiness of markets added up to nix the project. For me "time" killed the project: I had a slim window and that's now passed: I was to manage and do all except concrete (slab) work myself.

What is certain is that there will be price fluctuations and that there will be set-backs (negative impacts on time).

I'll note that there's always used materials out there if new prices are too great. Takes a fair amount of time and effort to round up.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Building now seems like a good bet.

1/2" plywood is $21-$23 and 1/2" OSD is $15. 2x4's still seem to be a $1 or so higher than before, but much better than they were. The days of $1.80 studs and $15 plywood are gone.

 

[MossRoad]

I got 1/2" OSB for about $12 a sheet a month ago. It's $15+ today at the same place.

 

[KubotainNH]

Mike, what matters more is affodability. Price could be up (inflation) as well as one's income (inflation) OR price could be down (deflation) as well as one's income (deflation). Price is relative. Look around and see if there's a building boom going on around you: you could check your county's active building permits. If there is then the prices are going to be higher and then likely settle down as the building activity diminishes. Also keep in mind that if you are older (as am I) time starts becoming more important: I recently did a huge car restoration project because I couldn't wait around for the car I wanted to pop up (used car, of course); after 7 months I've only seen one car that was similar and it wasn't a color I would want (work to change would be too much; and the overall condition wasn't as good).

Income hasn't gone up lately but it would be nice if it did. I'm mid fifties and just done with lying on frozen ground to fix a car. My backup thought is a metal building but I prefer stick built.

From the other replies it seems like the price is relatively stable. I don't care about a bit on the high side but 2 or 3 times more than it was is kinda nuts. Like most things, if you wait for the perfect time it will never happen.

7/16 OSB shows as $18, 19/32 is $25, both at the orange store. That's better than $80 during Covid times. Thanks for the replies!

 

[wolc123]

Income hasn't gone up lately but it would be nice if it did. I'm mid fifties and just done with lying on frozen ground to fix a car. My backup thought is a metal building but I prefer stick built.

From the other replies it seems like the price is relatively stable. I don't care about a bit on the high side but 2 or 3 times more than it was is kinda nuts. Like most things, if you wait for the perfect time it will never happen.

7/16 OSB shows as $18, 19/32 is $25, both at the orange store. That's better than $80 during Covid times. Thanks for the replies!

Wow, 7/16 OSB was $5.98 last time I bought it there (2019). I bought a bunch to cover the loft floor on my new pole barn. I thought it was reasonably priced then.

I’m thankful that I put that barn up when I did. Prices on everything building related went nuts within 6 months after.

Fortunately, that is the only lumber I needed to purchase for that job. All the other stuff was repurposed from a couple of my great great grandfathers old “1883” post and beam barns that I dismantled to make room for the new pole barn.

 

[KubotainNH]

wolc123, love the look of that barn.

 

[wolc123]

wolc123, love the look of that barn.

Thanks, it was quite a project, and is still a work in progress. The outer structure is a Stockade building (from Ohio), 36 x 50 x 12 ft, with (2) 25 x 10 ft porches.

I had originally planned on using the back porch for firewood storage, but it seems you can never have too much inside storage. My latest “addition”, was adding a 7 ft wide lean-to on the back of the back porch, which I now use for my firewood, freeing up the original back porch for more tractors, etc..

Stockade capped each bundle of metal siding and roofing metal with a green colored sheet of the same size and gauge, to prevent scratching during shipment. I used those “extra” green sheets of metal to cover the lean-to, which was otherwise entirely made from materials recovered from my great great grandads old barns. That woodshed thus cost me nothing for materials:

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Is it time to start talking lumber prices again? Tariffs, trade wars with Canada. Not to mention all the lumber that is going to be needed to rebuild LA and western NC. This might not end well for lumber prices and building materials. I am glad I did my addition last year, that's all I know. I haven't been following the prices at the big box stores, are they up?

 

[mrmikey]

If not up now, give it time. Here's some prices in Canuk bucks. Multiply by 0 .7 to get US price

 

[Rockbadchild]

If not up now, give it time. Here's some prices in Canuk bucks. Multiply by 0 .7 to get US price
View attachment 3197494

I am no expert but I don't think we will see the same affect for lumber prices in Canada then the USA... out here they are talking about shutting down the lumber mills (for some time) until the demand kick back up, which means the price will stay down for us.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

If not up now, give it time. Here's some prices in Canuk bucks. Multiply by 0 .7 to get US price
View attachment 3197494

Right now a 2x4x8 at Home Depot is $3.84. So trending right along with the CAD price.

 

[arto98607]

Maybe it's time to begin preparing to re-start some idled US sawmills?

Plenty of Douglas Fir for sawmill logs available in our area once there is a demand.

 

[MossRoad]

Maybe it's time to begin preparing to re-start some idled US sawmills?

Plenty of Douglas Fir for sawmill logs available in our area once there is a demand.

If they restart mills, that'll put more lumber on the market, which will lower lumber prices, which will lower their profit, so I'm guessing that won't happen.

 

[drumminj]

If they restart mills, that'll put more lumber on the market, which will lower lumber prices, which will lower their profit, so I'm guessing that won't happen.

Only true if demand is static. If demand goes up due to lower prices, overall profit could go up

 

[arto98607]

Many US sawmills were shut down over the years because of cheaper foreign govt. subsidized competition and various restrictions on
logging in USA.

It's been going on for a long time.

There is lot more to this story - it also had a detrimental effect on pulp & paper mills in the Pacific Northwest because they were using residual wood-chips & sawdust from those sawmills for raw material.

I worked all my life in the paper industry as a supplier of equipment and saw this happen first hand.

Sad.

No politics please.

 

[arto98607]

Only true if demand is static. If demand goes up due to lower prices, overall profit could go up

The demand for domestic lumber will increase due to imported lumber prices going up.

 

[ultrarunner]

Many US sawmills were shut down over the years because of cheaper foreign govt. subsidized competition and various restrictions on
logging in USA.

It's been going on for a long time.

There is lot more to this story - it also had a detrimental effect on pulp & paper mills in the Pacific Northwest because they were using residual wood-chips & sawdust from those sawmills for raw material.

I worked all my life in the paper industry as a supplier of equipment and saw this happen first hand.

Sad.

No politics please.

The huge paper mill in SF Bay Area with port, co-generation, rail, etc was dismantled and sold including the power plant… decline in raw material availability a factor.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Lumber here has been the same price for 24 months

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Maybe it's time to begin preparing to re-start some idled US sawmills?

Plenty of Douglas Fir for sawmill logs available in our area once there is a demand.

What idled mills. All the idle mills around me got, taken down and shipped to Canada. Except for one, which went onto a ship, which mills it into lumber while at sea. And then delivers it to Japan.