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Building Materials Spike !

1J04

Lost Squirrel
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Aug 7, 2011
    15,285
    33,535
    PNW WA
    Wholly Fallopian Tubes Batman!! What in the hell has happened to the price of building materials? Recently bought a pallet of drywall and OSB for a crafts project I'm in the middle of. Buddy of mine worked out an even better deal than what they wanted for the price drop if you buy 40 sheets or more and should have tapped the well again while the getting was good. Now? Krist. Now OSB is damn near twice as much as a few weeks ago.

    I'm being told it's due to the demand caused from all the events around the midwest and back east with the wind damage as in years past. Don't know if that's true or not, but makes sense I suppose. All I know is it doesn't cost damn near twice as much now as it did a few weeks ago to produce OSB. Geezus H. Krist. I think the knitting room project isn't gonna get finished as soon as I thought. ;)
     
    Don't forget, mills and factories producing the materials were shut down for covid just like everyone else.
     
    I have read multiple stories that home remodeling is going crazy with everyone working from home now.


    Yep, I put a addition on my place this winter, bought everything just before the spike. Then watched 2"x4"x8's go from $2.50 to $4.00 in a month and its all warped to shit. I think its also caused by a slowdown in materials in logging etc. due to the Covid bullshit.
     
    From what I can tell, looks like you bought every piece of sheetrock in the PNW.

    Things are strange for sure. Major economic downturn, but go try to buy a house, boat, buggy, tractor, ... Stopped by a JD dealership. Decent sized dealer; I believe they have the State contract this year. They had three tractors on the yard; two glorified lawn mowers and a mid-sized utility. One gator and I believe two mowers. Everything sold. Polaris dealership takes your number and will call when the next available comes in. Stock market is on fire, but my uneducated ass sees the making for a TON on bad debt likely to fuck the commerical market. I don't know what to think about it. It's like everyone has decided to make up their own reality and just roll with it.
     
    From what I can tell, looks like you bought every piece of sheetrock in the PNW.

    Things are strange for sure. Major economic downturn, but go try to buy a house, boat, buggy, tractor, ... Stopped by a JD dealership. Decent sized dealer; I believe they have the State contract this year. They had three tractors on the yard; two glorified lawn mowers and a mid-sized utility. One gator and I believe two mowers. Everything sold. Polaris dealership takes your number and will call when the next available comes in. Stock market is on fire, but my uneducated ass sees the making for a TON on bad debt likely to fuck the commerical market. I don't know what to think about it. It's like everyone has decided to make up their own reality and just roll with it.

    It's the same thing in Illinois. Get put on a waiting list for campers, boats, side by side you name it. Campgrounds and lakes are packed to capacity. Not sure where everyone is getting all this cash but its freaking nuts. Buddy of mine runs a furniture store, said he was shut down for 3 months without a nickel coming in. As of Aug 1st he has already surpassed 2019 sales.
     
    Talked to a guy that had a quote for a house build. Last fall pre rona it was $120 sq ft. This spring the spike in materials price took it to $190 sq ft.
     
    Wholly Fallopian Tubes Batman!! What in the hell has happened to the price of building materials? Recently bought a pallet of drywall and OSB for a crafts project I'm in the middle of. Buddy of mine worked out an even better deal than what they wanted for the price drop if you buy 40 sheets or more and should have tapped the well again while the getting was good. Now? Krist. Now OSB is damn near twice as much as a few weeks ago.

    I'm being told it's due to the demand caused from all the events around the midwest and back east with the wind damage as in years past. Don't know if that's true or not, but makes sense I suppose. All I know is it doesn't cost damn near twice as much now as it did a few weeks ago to produce OSB. Geezus H. Krist. I think the knitting room project isn't gonna get finished as soon as I thought. ;)
    Buse Timber's yard in Everett is full of finished dimensional lumber. Log yard is 2/3rd's full. Some of the dimensional that is sitting out is graying. But, they don't cut to get ahead without knowing something.
     
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    We are having our porch screened in this week, and our contractor said the lumber cost an extra $80 total. It did take him a while to get the lumber though.
     
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    I was looking at buying property. But cannot move out of this crap house until I at least build a garage/workshop. Even that would basically be a 6-9 month wait to even get a moderately competent contractor, architect (to tie it into a home design), utilities, etc. This place has gone nuts; that said, the debt load has got to be staggering for a lot of these people. My only debt is my house which is less than an apartment rent. But building here, is a no-go unless you want to go to a pre-planned subdivision.
     
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    As far as lumber is concerned, there's also the tariff war with China to consider. A lot of folks around here aren't selling their timber because two main species are down. I think it was white oak and poplar, but I forget. It's been several months (just before things got more interesting in February) since I spoke with the forester, but the two hardwoods that the Chinese like took a hit.

    Anyhow, with two main species selling at 75% of their normal value it doesn't make sense to harvest any of the woodlot. I'm sure there's more to the story, but that's probably part of it.
     
    Here in Michigan many mills shut down or slowed down for a bit. The lumber treaters I haul for are having trouble getting green wood to treat. The Mid Michigan lumber yards are also selling alot due to the rebuilding as a result of the flooding from the 2 dam breaches a couple months ago. The lumber yard in Midland, Michigan I delivered to this morning said their 2020 sales have passed there sales number for 2019 already last week.
     
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    it takes a lot of lumber , concrete and steel rebar to build an underground ammo cash unless you like mold and stinky bullets . I mean I would know nothing nothing about this missing lumber you speak of lumber short age you don't say now that is shocking ...
     
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    There goes a $24 Dollar Sheet of OSB for Hurricane protection! Dirty Bastard !

    1598386652059.png




    Strengthening Hurricane Laura prompts mandatory evacuations along Gulf Coast


    https://www.foxnews.com/us/hurricane-laura-evacuations-texas-louisiana-gulf-coast



    I don't think they care they're impeding my Crafts Room. :sneaky:
     
    Summer alone is construction season, and everyone now wanting to pull out of apartments into houses is going to drive another construction boom. I'm personally waiting until Dec/Jan to buy all the materials to finish out the basement, should have that done by spring thaw to dig out the window well escape window to have an official bedroom down there. Luckily, my materials costs, even with the spike, won’t go over a grand.
     
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    Don't forget, mills and factories producing the materials were shut down for covid just like everyone else.

    A lot of them did. Mine did not. Our order file is stacked a month out or better, and the cheap stuff is selling faster than we can make it.

    Like daddy said, when the sun shines....
     
    Don't forget the historically low interest rates. Lots of people able to "afford" more house for the same money. My builder poured my foundation on Monday, and since he gave me his quote in May, building materials in my area have gone up almost 30%. He's having to search hard for the best price to keep materials close to his quoted price. Construction around here is BOOMING (Central MS). I had quotes from $120/ft to $172/ft for the same set of house plans.
     
    Let’s just hope the home equity loan stampede doesn’t happen again.
    The refi stampede is already well underway, all of the lenders and appraisers in our area are, and have been, swamped. Refis often entail the borrower also pulling "some" equity, so I'm guessing your hope will go unanswered.
    Short memories...:rolleyes: