Don’t let high lumber prices get you down. I built a tiny house during the pandemic when lumber prices were skyrocketing. This is how I got most of lumber for free and was able to save perfectly good wood from going to the dump.
Why are lumber prices so high?
High lumber prices are the result of dwindling production and increased consumer and builder demand. The covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the supply chains of many industries. One of the most notable industries to be affected are lumber and building supplies. Prices for framing lumber and sheet wood have doubled as production from sawmills has dwindled. These sawmills laid off workers from decreased demand right after the pandemic started.
Demand is high
Meanwhile demand increased as many people are out of work but also have money from unemployment and stimulus to spend on rehabbing or building a house. The country is in a major housing shortage and demand from builders is also strong. You can also add in tariffs for lumber imports on Canadian lumber as a compounding factor. All these factors have decreased supply and increased demand creating a perfect storm of lumber prices spiking.
Is lumber still overpriced? 2023
| 5/3/21 | 8/18/21 | 2/16/22 | 7/12/23 | 12/27/22 | 3/7/23 |
| 1544 | 468 | 1320 | 679 | 397 | 435 |
High lumber prices have come down significantly but still remain elevated from pre pandemic. The data above is from lumber futures on ticker symbol LBS. Futures and prices consumers pay are not the same but closely correlated.
How to save money on high lumber prices after the pandemic?
You can reduce lumber and building supply cost by making your own lumber, salvaging old lumber, reducing lumber consumption, buying used lumber and building supplies. These are methods I have used to save money on lumber and building supplies in the aftermath of the pandemic and will continue into the future. This may not work for everyone as they may be difficult to scale up to large scale builds. However for the DIY builder being creative about sourcing building supplies will save tons.
How do I make my own lumber?
You can make your own lumber by taking cheaper pieces of lumber and gluing and nailing them together. For example sheets of plywood are expensive so you can make your own plywood by gluing together cheaper pieces. I found sheets of cheap and thin bamboo underlayment and stacked them on top of each other.
You can stack 3-4 sheets of underlayment on top of each other and glue them together using construction adhesive. The result is a cheap alternative to plywood or OSB. This may not work in an application that requires structural soundness but I used my home made bamboo plywood to build kitchen cabinets.
The same trick can work with framing lumber. Instead of buying an expensive 4×4 post you can take two 2x4s and nail them together. Again this may not be a good idea when you need to support certain loads and have structural soundness. However I used this method to build support posts for deck railings.
How do I salvage lumber and building supplies?
While competition for reclaimed lumber and building supplies has gone up it can still be found if you know where to look. The obvious place to look is on craigslist and facebook marketplace but this will be the most competitive. I have found piles of wood in dumpsters and strewn across the side of the road.
Neighborhood give away groups are a treasure trove for lumber, tile, hardware, cement and tools. If there is a house being demolished in your neighborhood talk to the workers and they will usually let you walk away with the remains. The same goes for new construction job sites, there will usually be scrap lumber you can pick up.
Materials list
The most important thing when gathering salvaged lumber is knowing what you need. When drawing up plans I made a materials list of every piece of framing lumber that I needed. This allowed me to slowly gather supplies over time as I found them. Make sure the lumber you are gathering is structurally sound and hasn’t been compromised by rot, termites or ants.
How do I reduce lumber consumption?
I reduced my lumber construction by framing my house with wood placed 24 inches on center as opposed to 16 inches on center. The standard forever has been 16 inches but this rule is a bit overzealous and wastes lumber. Particularly for a single story house that doesn’t need to support a second floor, 16 inches on center is overkill. This goes for wall studs, floor joists and roof joists.
Studs 24 inches on center can be further reinforced by using hurricane ties and steel brackets. If you are building a 2 story house consider using 2×6 lumber spaced 24 inches on center. When you are insulating you can also consider closed spray foam which will add some shear strength to the house despite having farther placed studs.
How do I buy used lumber and building supplies?
The best resource I have found for used building supplies in my area is habitat for humanity restore. Sometimes it’s hard to salvage certain items. They have a wide array of building supplies and tools for prices that are much cheaper than buying new. They have wood, corrugated metal, tile, HVAC units, doors, hardware, toilets, sinks, cement, furniture, light fixtures and more! There is really no reason to buy new, anything you need can be bought second hand for a fraction of the price.
Will lumber prices ever go back to normal?
High lumber prices have fallen significantly as interest rates have been risen. The housing market is highly impacted by higher interest rates as buyers need loans. Things will normalize after rates go back down and lumber prices stabilize.
Conclusion: How to combat high lumber prices
Lumber prices went up during the pandemic and have come down since then. However it is still helpful to know how to be more resourceful when cutting building costs.
More resources: https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/lumber-price