Price Check: 2" X 4" X 8' ?

[240260280]

I crapped my pants buying wood on the weekend.

 An eight foot  "Two by Four" is $9.20 here with tax in.  And we are surrounded by trees in Canada!

 

I'll build next year.... what are prices where you are?

[SteveJ]

$5.98 at Home Depot. $5.60 at Lowes.

[AZDatsun]

On the Lowe’s website
Ranges from 2.98 to 6.31 for a 2x4x8 based on the type of wood used it looks like


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[Mark Maras]

 Home depot $4.94.

[Namerow]

The Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper recently ran an article in which these high lumber costs were blamed on a pandemic-driven surge in home renovations.  Curiously, about a week later the same newspaper ran another article which said that a major mill on the Canadian west coast was temporarily shutting down because of an absence of demand.  I drew these apparently conflicting stories to the attention of the newspaper but never got a reply.  Thrown into this mix is the longstanding and ongoing battle between Canada and the US over the extent of protective duties imposed by the US on imported Canadian softwood lumber.  It's my sense that there's a lot of planted story-telling going on here as part of various parties' attempts to manipulate things to their benefit.

Here in central Canada, an 8' length of 2x4 is currently selling for Cdn$6.15 (that's $6.95 tax-in).  If you're being charged 32% more than that in Atlantic Canada, it looks like a regional premium (which may depend very heavily on where your regional mills are finding their best market opportunity at the moment -- my guess being the U.S. northeast).

SteveJ's report of US$6.00 sounds about the same as your NS pricing (converts to about Cdn $8.00, or Cdn$9.00 tax-in).

One local lumber-department price that did catch my attention last weekend was that for a 10' strip of half-round 3/4" molding (plain, unfinished).  About Cdn$12.00 !

[240260280]

Thanks all!  WOW it is variable but high.

I last bought 2X4 in Jan or Feb ~ $3 each.    And in 1993 when I built a house at $0.99....

 

Tyvek/Tuck tape was ~ $7/roll in 93 and it is now ~ $11/roll.  Nice to see some things less than 900% price jump!

 

[siteunseen]

4 hours ago, SteveJ said:

$5.98 at Home Depot. $5.60 at Lowes.

Same over here if you average them out.

[zKars]

$6.25 CAD in Calgary for a spruce 2x4x8'  at Home Desperate. 

Was hard to even buy fencing materials this spring. Everyone was building something while stuck at home.

This just in, Lowes has fake Spruce, (white wood!) SUDS (not studs).

Wonder where they get it from...   C h i .....

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by zKars

[Mike]

Depends on what you're going to build.  Stud grade material is not so bad but if you go for the Douglas Fir #2 grade, it's going to be a bit more expensive.  I've found wood can vary in price just like petroleum.  

Some 2x4 white wood here in Seattle is only around $3 a stick.  A bit more if you want it kiln dried.  Wet lumber is always the cheapest but again it depends on what you're building.

 

[Patcon]

Lumber prices are crazy right now and have a serious impact on me and my business. I really don't know how you could bid projects and protect yourself from these crazy prices. I saw an article a while back that estimated the typical framing package has increased by $12k from just a few months ago!!

[ZCarFever]

I’m in the business too, I can confirm that the prices have jumped More than 100% since spring. I was very fortunate to buy my lumber for my personal barn conversion to garage/workshop in the spring otherwise it would have cost me double in August when I really did it ?...  A 11$ osb 4x8 sheet in spring is now 23$ the last time I checked.

here is the almost finished project that I will finish during the cold winter months!...

[Pilgrim]

Wow, that is QUITE a project!! Looks great.