Lumber Price Crash Continues, Not Even a Tiny Bounce

 Another failed parabolic move.

In short, anything made of softwood went up majestically!   Hardwoods were not too affected.  Two items were particularly affected, wall framing lumber and sheathing.   Locally, 8 x 2 x4 studs went from $2.59 to $9.76 at the peak.  1/2 inch OSB or plywood sheathing went from about $11.00 osb/$13.00 ply to upper $60 OSB and upper $70 for plywood.   Drywall did not move at all.  Neither did insulation.  Shop grade hardwood plywood went up a bit but not too bad.   Copper wiring….GASP!   I think copper plumbing is dead now.  Everything will be PEX from now on.

Lumber, being a commodity, went through a crazy period, as they all do periodically.  It did the same thing back in the 1970s.  Be assured that lots of people are wanting it to settle down, including those in the industry.

I have been trying to get a fence replaced.   And the companies were saying it would take at least 6 weeks to even give me an estimate and another 3 months to build the fence.  Maybe they were expecting lumber prices to go even higher.   But now, all of a sudden, they have started showing up to give estimates!   

here’s what I got: 6/10/20, CT shoreline, 2X4 KD douglas fir 96″. = 0.59/linear foot

3/4″ plywood, 4×8 sheet was $75 about three months ago.  Looks like it dropped under $70 now.  Was $35.  

You probably saw this.

I bought lumber to build a boathouse in late 2019 and early 2020. I see Home Depot has 2X4 prime studs at $6.48 now. My best recollection (unconfirmed) is I paid about a buck less than that. I don’t think retail is back to the baseline. I’d love to hear from some builders.