wood cost

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
Just read an article last night where a contractor in Maine said the price of a 8'x 2"x4" stud has gone from $2.95 each to $6.95 each in 3 months. Another builder said the average price for the houses he builds has gone up $50,000 due to the cost of wood.

Bought a little cherry, walnut and poplar yesterday and I am still in shock. I admit this is the first time in 15 years I have bought wood for something other than horse farm use. I returned to woodworking about 6 months ago and had some oak and cherry in the barn. I would have been a little more selective on what I used it for if I had checked on what wood is going to cost me going forward.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
Another builder said the average price for the houses he builds has gone up $50,000 due to the cost of wood.

One of my trade magazines has reported that the average new home price is up $24,000 due to lumber costs. Sadly IF prices ever go down, builders won't reduce their sales prices. Much like the "gas surcharge" that showed up when gas hit $4 a gallon never went away when gas was $2 a gallon.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I picked up some 4/4 and 8/4 cherry at McKittrick Lumber in Camden SC today and thought it was reasonable, $3.50 for the 4/4 and $5 for the 8/4. But I agree dimensional lumber and sheet goods have gone up. I also got some cypress that is nominally 5/8 thick, about 6 inches wide, and 16 foot lengths. I plan to use this for drawer sides and backs. It was .60 per foot - so less than $10 for a 16 foot board. I thought that was pretty good for drawer stock. I haven't used cypress for drawers before but I think it will work fine. I told them I wanted something inexpensive and didn't want to plane down 4/4 poplar to half inch thick.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
Hardwood lumber prices havent gone up near as much as construction lumber in the past year. $6-7 for a 2x4, $30 for a sheet of OSB.... but high quality 3/4 plywood prices thankfully havent gone up appreciably at all, nor most of the hardwoods I buy. Glad I built my shop 2 years ago!
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
I am in the middle of a major remodel. $50 a sheet for underlayment hurts, but a 2 x 4 x 12 should not cost $12
I saved and cleaned up all the studs from the removed walls. But I still need a couple dozen 12 footers, that will cost over $300
The cherry for the cabinets was reasonable, actually less than a year ago.
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
And it is not delivered by rail. :)
Part of the way it is. Remember the former President placed some tarifs on lumber from Canada, so they just stopped shipping any to US. Now their mills are just beginning to come back on line. With interest rates in the low 3% range, any warm body who has some credit is buying a house. But if you notice, there is no shortages. Haven't seen any signs limiting the amoiunt that can be bought, It's more of a case of how much can you afford to buy.
 

Brantnative

Jeff
Corporate Member
Tariffs on Canadian lumber go back several Presidents.. They didn't just stop shipping, it just became more expensive. Tariffs are supposed to stop goods moving but if the demand is there the buyer just pays more.
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
Tariffs on Canadian lumber go back several Presidents.. They didn't just stop shipping, it just became more expensive. Tariffs are supposed to stop goods moving but if the demand is there the buyer just pays more.
Remember that tariffs are a tax paid by the consumer, upon which congress never voted.
 

blackhawk

Brad
Corporate Member
I bought 6x6x8ft pressure treated posts in April 2020. They were $21.50 each from Lowe's. Bought some more from Lowe's in February 2021, $39.95 each. 86% increase in less than a year.
 

Martin Roper

Martin
Senior User
1616179149173.png
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
I'm starting to think that I should save my 2x4 scraps like I do with hardwoods...:D
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Not sure if anyone would be interested in this but we are replacing a large deck with a stone patio. The wood is only about 10 years old and about half of it is covered by a deck above. If interested in the wood, you are more than welcome to it. The structure is all 2x8's and the floor boards are 2x6 (not 5/4 boards) screwed down not nailed. If you're interested in the wood and don't mind taking the time to remove, you're welcome to it. This is at Lake Gaston (about 60-70 miles north of Raleigh).

Rick
 

Attachments

  • Cox - lower deck in back of house.JPG
    Cox - lower deck in back of house.JPG
    3.6 MB · Views: 133
Last edited:

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top