Y'all Been Checkin' Lumber Prices?

[rademamj1]

Lumber supply inventory has finally increased to a level where its putting downward pressure on the commodity Lumber prices. In Texas the building boom seems to just keep increasing. Some contractors i know have basically not had a day off since April,2020 and the employee rotation to new jobs is quite high.

 

[Frankenkubota]

2x4 in Canada $13.30! A few years ago, supply and demand meant if there was a demand, the price went down....not any more though! This radical pricing is the brain child of BIG business. No wonder COVID has become politicized!

could you have meant that, if there is demand, the price goes up?

 

[Frankenkubota]

funny story about lowe's. i've shopped in lowe's all over the country, except the fly over area of the NE.

the local lowe's is the worst i've ever experienced, and the employees there know it.

i hear they cleaned house and have all new mgmt.

so......readers digest version. honestly, i could write a book.

i ordered 5 interior doors, not custom but special order, and paid up front, 9 months ago! Just under $500/door.

The order came in, 4 of 5 doors were broken ( glass panels) but........because they had entered the wrong phone number for me, no one could get a hold of me so....they sent the 4 broken doors back.

After a few months i checked to find out they had broken the doors etc etc. They ordered 4 new doors.

By the time the 4 new doors came, they had lost the 5th. They reordered the 5th. Funny, they had just called me, i came in to get the new #5 and....they couldn't find it!

I got pissed off, went in the storeroom myself, found the door myself, only to find they had broken #5 reorder! There were at least 5 employees in the back room BSing and when i started screaming they all went running.

They tried to reorder the 5th door for the third time only to find out they can not get it from their distributors and they we're going to refund my money so i could go to the door manufacture myself!

Nope.

Lowe's corporate is just down the road so i told them i was gonna dig out an old suit and tie and go to corporate and start beating on doors until i got satisfaction.

They have a new manager and he called me. I was more than civil, he was new. He said he would fix my problem.

He did, to a point. Here's the funny part. Lowe's is going to buy the door from home depo and have it shipped to me!

Only problem there is, i just get the slab. They are going to give me the frame materials but i gotta hang the door, which i have not done in 30 years.

I reminded them, open right. Wanna bet it comes open left?

 

[rademamj1]

2x4 in Canada $13.30! A few years ago, supply and demand meant if there was a demand, the price went down....not any more though! This radical pricing is the brain child of BIG business. No wonder COVID has become politicized!

I am sure the radical pricing experienced during the Pandemic on lumber was NOT a planned scheme or brain child of big business to fleece customers. In fact, everything we experienced makes good sense from a supply and demand standpoint. Last summer on a daily basis, you could see ever increasing business at Home Depot, as people found free time they never expected, and suddenly building projects put off for years....become possible. Throw in a mini-housing boom, and your demand peaked.

 

[chinawall]

could you have meant that, if there is demand, the price goes up?

No...I have some background in economics. I didn’t mean yesterday, but years ago.

 

[chinawall]

No...I have some background in economics. I didn’t mean yesterday, but years ago.

I am sure the radical pricing experienced during the Pandemic on lumber was NOT a planned scheme or brain child of big business to fleece customers. In fact, everything we experienced makes good sense from a supply and demand standpoint. Last summer on a daily basis, you could see ever increasing business at Home Depot, as people found free time they never expected, and suddenly building projects put off for years....become possible. Throw in a mini-housing boom, and your demand peaked.

 

[chinawall]

With 400% lncrease, it is difficult to pursue one’s hobbies and projects.

 

[MoKelly]

With 400% lncrease, it is difficult to pursue one’s hobbies and projects.

Yes - 400% price increases can cause issues if you are the buyer.

Baseball cards have absolutely skyrocketed over past 18 months. Through the roof. Haven’t bought anything for that time and even forced me to sell some of the collection - but only duplicates!

MoKelly

 

[Jstpssng]

With 400% lncrease, it is difficult to pursue one’s hobbies and projects.

Somebody has been, otherwise there wouldn't have been a lumber shortage and we wouldn't have seen prices where they are.

 

[kthompson]

Frankenkubota​

I happened to be in conversation today with over 25 year Lowes employee. He was complaining about their computer system and how much trouble it causes. He said if you had an account with them, ever phone number they ever had tied to it such as a child used it, spouse, old phone number or what ever it was stored in the system. He said it was very difficult to keep the correct number in the order for often it would pull another number and replace the one they had entered and said the exact thing you had to happened, happens. He went on to say only corp could remove phone numbers from your account. Even little ole Tractor Supply can correct your account at their cash registers.

 

[MoKelly]

Somebody has been, otherwise there wouldn't have been a lumber shortage and we wouldn't have seen prices where they are.

A friend builds houses. He has been busy all thru the pandemic.

He quotes houses for actual material prices plus labor plus profit. So, he doesn’t really care about the price. He only cares about availability.

He builds $3 million plus homes.

He claims there is no shortage of folks eagerly awaiting him to build their house. He only builds 5-6 houses per year. But, there seem to be many like him all over the place.

I’m thinking record stock market is a big enabler.

MoKelly

 

[arto98607]

5-6 $3 million + houses per year must keep your friend pretty busy eh?

 

[MoKelly]

5-6 $3 million + houses per year must keep your friend pretty busy eh?

He’s been doing it for years. Almost always a new subdivision.

Buy the land, develop the land and sell custom houses.

His crew work 3-4 houses at a time all within walking distance.

MoKelly

 

[Frankenkubota]

Frankenkubota​

I happened to be in conversation today with over 25 year Lowes employee. He was complaining about their computer system and how much trouble it causes. He said if you had an account with them, ever phone number they ever had tied to it such as a child used it, spouse, old phone number or what ever it was stored in the system. He said it was very difficult to keep the correct number in the order for often it would pull another number and replace the one they had entered and said the exact thing you had to happened, happens. He went on to say only corp could remove phone numbers from your account. Even little ole Tractor Supply can correct your account at their cash registers.

THX

funny you said that because.....i tried to change my phone number a bunch of times, even with the mgrs.

You are so right...they always said they couldn't. i've given up trying to figure stuff out so, i just swallow it.

I did tell them that, over the years, i have had more trouble with lowe's POS ( point of sale....IT) than any other retailer.

I know that, in many Cases, i'm turning into an old curmudgeon but......the minute i ask them a question it's click click click.....tappy tappy tappy. seems like 10,000 key strokes and zero eye contact.

POS means point of sale but, in the-case of lowe's, it means.....POS.

 

[Frankenkubota]

With 400% lncrease, it is difficult to pursue one’s hobbies and projects.

yup...i was in the cross hairs. bought my land, got quotes, dug and poured footings and shopped material. Then a little bug escaped from a chinese lab and, to quote Joseph Heller.....Something Happened.

Bastages

On a ball park $400k project (excluding land and site prep). i'm at least $60k beyond budget......at least. It's not just wood, it's pvc, wire, labor, fixtures....everyone jumped on the bandwagon and that wagon just ran me over!

I refuse to touch my retirement nest egg so.....a lot of stuff is gonna wait or not get done!

I always say, plan for the worst and hope for the best. I guess it can always get worse but,,,,it's bad.

The good news is...i got my final insp yesterday, on phase 1, called a C of O, certificate of occupancy but, the shines been off this apple for a long time.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I finished up a garage building project in April-May while the virus was really on the increase within the weeks we were doing concrete and framing the walls, I saw lumber prices increase. I think I got done just in time.
Its tough on the bottom line when you are under contract to build for an agreed price and something like this

I finished up a garage building project in April-May while the virus was really on the increase within the weeks we were doing concrete and framing the walls, I saw lumber prices increase. I think I got done just in time.
Its tough on the bottom line when you are under contract to build for an agreed price and something like this hits.

Your contract should say based on today's prices. When the facts change, I do too---'Winston Churchill.
Sure I'd use you and get you to do it cheaper than I can buy the material. And let you just eat it. That's what happened. It one thing to stay home and not make money. It's another thing to work all day and not make money.

 

[Hay Dude]

Your contract should say based on today's prices. When the facts change, I do too---'Winston Churchill.
Sure I'd use you and get you to do it cheaper than I can buy the material. And let you just eat it. That's what happened. It one thing to stay home and not make money. It's another thing to work all day and not make money.

My contracts are signed with an asterisk “this contract valid for 15 days”. We had prices of lumber nearly double the time it took me to complete the project. My materials did not increase because they were already delivered and on the ground.
So although you can diminish my business practices, up until this round of extreme materials price increases, nobody in my line of work had any language about being compensated for increased materials during the job unless the contract expired.
Its rare to find a customer who will sign off on a contractors claims of increasing materials prices during a projects execution. Some customers may be reasonable enough to do so, but it’s my job to lock in materials prices and order them up front, not ask a customer to pay double for lumber or concrete during the job.

 

[Diggin It]

2 x 6 x 12 SPF $12.33

2 x 8 x 12 SYP $9.86

4 x 4 x 10 PT $14.27 (unchanged)

2 x 8 x 12 PT $16.57 (unchanged)

2 x 8 x 8 are down to $5.77


Still can't figure out why the 2x8 are less than the 2x6 unless it's the material/wood.

PT stuff hasn't changed for a while.

Guess I'll get a few boards next week.

2 x 6 x 12 SPF $11.55

2 x 8 x 12 SYP $9.42

4 x 4 x 10 PT $12.58

2 x 8 x 12 PT $16.57 (unchanged)

2 x 8 x 8 are down to $5.53



PTs posts finally dropped a bit, but not the boards.

Will be going next week due to a change of plans.

 

[Jstpssng]

I picked up 5 sheets of OSB yesterday for $22.00... I'll use that and buy the rest in a couple of weeks. There's no need to handle it more times than I have to.

I don't expect lumber prices to drop back to where they were 2 years ago, and am OK with that.

 

[BoylermanCT]

We are getting close to pre-COVID prices. On March 1, 2020, I priced out lumber for a lean to on my barn. 6x6x12 PT posts were $35.57. Today they are $35.68. They were $64.98 in March 2021. 2x12x12 were $27.00 and now are $25.98. 2x10x16 was $26.00 and now is $26.73.

Plywood and OSB has not come back yet, but they are dropping. 1/2" OSB was $9.35 on March 2020. Today it is $14.55. Was $35.55 in March 2021.

I am moving forward with the lean to in September. 32x28. Will have two 12x32 covered parking spots for trailers and a covered space 4x32 for firewood.