My Lowe’s’s and Home Depots have been out of treated deck wood for more than two months, you?
Am thinking that like the Fraud’s gov’t shutdown, we’re not supposed to be enjoying lying about at home in the summer.
Same here. And what they do have is expensive. I’m holding off any construction for now other than small stuff.
One fun fact, though: Those 8x16 4” thick concrete blocks are $1.35 according to the price tag next to them, but the book at the counter has them at $.70 each. So I’m buying a ton of them for various walkways, while I can. Actually, about three tons. :)
“My Lowe’s’s and Home Depots have been out of treated deck wood for more than two months, you?”
As a 35 year lumber broker I will tell you this is a direct result of the Covid-19 shutdown. There has been an increase in the demand for pressure treated lumber and composite decking since March. Every weekend warrior that was working form home decided to build a deck.
At the same time, sawmill production was reduced in the south due to covid. The government unemployment $600 weekly payment was a larger incentive in the southern US NOT to return to work at the sawmill in AL, MS, GA, TX, SC & NC than it is at a sawmill up north where they pay more.
You have read that Home Depot and Lowes sales are both up about 30-40%. People are not traveling to Europe or the Grand Canyon or Florida. Instead they are investing in their homes. They are painting, planting trees, bushes and flowers. They are adding on and doing all those projects that have been on the back burner.
The price of a 4x4-8’ #2 Southern Yellow Pine has gone up a 250% since February. The problem is a big segment of the lumber yards lowered their inventory in March and then all had to buy in since then at the same time. Demand for single family houses has also gone up in the last couple months as people flee the major cities. First because of covid, then because of rioting.
So, all framing lumber is currently at record high prices. Plywood and OSB are also close to record highs.
Most recently, 30 year mortgage rates hit an ALL time low (2.98 %). This makes buying a house, condo much more affordable than renting an apartment in many places.