2 x 4 Lumber down by 33% since last summer

[ARCOgraphite]

I just got a price to build a 10 x 12 ft deck on the back of my house in New Jersey. The price quoted for removal and disposal of the old porch, a set of stairs and a cement pad, permits, and installation of the new deck with new footings was about $10,000. It seems like alot of money for some wood and hardware. Being the deck is relativity small, I decided were don't need one that bad.,,,

Built a few of those, The decking can be the most expensive part. But with 2 guys and sweat equity you could be under 2 grand. You say Porch and deck interchangeably. Is it on the ground or is it a first or second story Porch? Guessing porch since you mention stairs.. I always set my floor joists on top of an outer married bean support. Alway Lag the ledger to the home structure

If you can't burn the old lumber in the your back yard, dump runs with construction debris can be $$$.

Got any buddies with some carpentry in their blood?

 

[ecotourist]

Last night at Home Depot I bought two pieces of four foot long 1" angle iron. Each angle iron cost a little over $40. Yes, Home Depot charges a pretty penny for that type of item, but not long ago an item like that was much cheaper. I take it as a high commodity/ high profile item like a 2x4 has come down. But many of the items used around a 2x4 have not seen reductions in price.

Our local metal shop has pricing that doesn't even make sense to them. Seems there are some high priced goods in the system that have to work their way through. All that to say, repricing isn't happening evenly.

Products that are used a lot should be first, but not necessarily. A wholesaler or a retailer may have pre-bought a large quantity and is now stuck with expensive product.

 

[ecotourist]

We just finished a large home project (about $45k). I paid for all the material directly - at the contractor's price plus 15%. As one example, new baseboards were about half price doing it that way. And the contractors picked them up at their usual hourly rate which cost less than a delivery fee.

I like doing projects on a time + materials basis. The contractor doesn't have to bid high in case there is a surprise somewhere - and you know they will ask for more if that happens anyway.

 

[ecotourist]

The tear out/tear off part of a project is often a low skill job. I usually do that or at least much of it myself. I salvage what can be reasonably salvaged and offer it for free on local websites. People haul away the darnedest stuff if it's free (like a pea green old toilet - "do you know how much these are worth?"($75 apparently) "I don't care just take it."). My only rule is for each type of giveaway, "You have to take it all".

At the end there is some to haul away, but not very much.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here’s a shot of Canadian lumber headed for the US border. Enjoy.

 

[mattd]

I just got a price to build a 10 x 12 ft deck on the back of my house in New Jersey. The price quoted for removal and disposal of the old porch, a set of stairs and a cement pad, permits, and installation of the new deck with new footings was about $10,000. It seems like alot of money for some wood and hardware. Being the deck is relativity small, I decided were don't need one that bad.,,,

I built my own in spring of 2020 for about 4500. 14x27 with 10 footings 48” deep 12” diameter. Had to remove old one also. That deck would have been easily 2-3 times the price in materials alone had I waited another year to do it. Labor is a big chunk of that quote that you received.

 

[John105]

No one wants to trade a 3% mortgage for a 7% one for sure. That has made the housing market even tighter. Unfortunately where I live, the older, smaller homes are even more expensive with todays higher mortgage rates than they were with 3% money.

And to keep up with the growing population where I live, fewer houses are being built. There is a transformation to push more and more people to rent an apartment.

I often get down on myself for having a “below avg” home. 1300 sq ft.

But our homes are now in the low to mid 400’s, with what I consider an “average home” $600 or so.

Does anyone ever stop and think what these numbers actually signify, and how long it typically takes to earn these amounts? Meanwhile average homes in high rent areas have gone 7 figures. Not fun to be starting out imho.

I see the same here the apts where people can walk to restaurants and shops are what is being built now. I wonder if builders have realized…even if people liked your new home listed at $800k, the median income here doesn’t support the ability to buy it, even with $0 down…one that I admire near my son’s elementary is under contract for 2.1 mil. New construction.