If you’re considering a new deck or a roof replacement, you might think twice before you cut once.
Lumber prices have skyrocketed, a combination of year after year of destructive wildfires and the coronavirus pandemic. Low home mortgage rates have also driven new home construction, causing an uptick in demand.
It turns out that the cost of a roof is, well, through the roof.
"With COVID and everything, when no one could run their (sawmills) full speed, you’re taking something that was in pretty high demand and now you’re taking away 20%," said Ryan Arata, general manager of the Sonoma County Lumberyard.
Douglas fir prices have doubled.
Some plywood prices have nearly quadrupled.
"Most of the time it’s contractors buying it, and not really paying for it, (and now) it’s the homeowner," Arata explained. "So, they don’t care what the cost is because the cost of the job just goes up."
A single sheet of 3/4- inch pressure-treated plywood will run you over $90 at Home Depot with tax. Random Lengths, a company that closely tracks commodity prices, said overall lumber prices are up 193% from a year ago.
That’s an all-time high.
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