Shopping for lumber.
 

I wanted to build a small 10x12 deck, went to Home Depot and a bent,twisted 2x6x10 pressure treated board was 23.88,
Lowe’s was the same price , called the co op also 23.59, then I called home hardware a 2x6x10 board was $18.59. that’s more than $5.00 difference. I was like “ start the car” , even tho $18 for a board is still expensive.
Anyhow, call around for cheaper lumber.

Good luck bud! Welcome to 2021 :)

In my experience it’s usually better to go to an actual lumber store than a home improvement store such as Lowe’s or Home Depot. Better quality wood over all and somewhat better pricing.

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Gotta look at alternatives in this day and age. As a deck is essentially a low little platform, in some cases it might be better to put down several inches of tamped gravel with a 45-degree outside slope. Then covered with flagstones set onto a half-inch of levelling sand. Certainly it would last a few lifetimes longer than some wood structure, and could be re-purposed for something else and disassembled anytime.

Or for a raised deck (as far as ABC allows) a couple of hollowcore prestressed concrete panels craned onto a little steel post and beam structure would work - and probably be erected in a couple of hours. Better longevity with that too. When your house burns down or warps out in 50 years, you could rebuild the next house around the deck.

Along the same lines as Arty's comments, lumber prices being this high means building homes out of the hi-tech insulated concrete walls is going to be a whole bunch more price competitive. Long term lower energy consumption, fire and wind proof are just added benefits and why not if the cost is nearly the same. Time to seriously start looking at alternatives.

I was just thinking that there will probably be a good market for galvanized steel products for deck framing coming out of this. A hot galvanized 2” x 10” (etc) equivalent would be easy enough to make. Imagine having straight framing to affix your upper boards to!

I know where there is a stack of lumber near Edmonton that the fellow wants to sell. There is 2x4, 2x6 and 2x8 in eight, twelve foot and fourteen foot lengths. All stored inside and is perfectly straight lumber. Was bought new and stored.

Definitely cheaper than at the lumber store. PM me and I can find out more.

I sell lumber in the Calgary market and we are not the big box store. If anybody needs any info in the Calgary area send me a PM

There are big 3D printers that can print a concrete house or structure in a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIVl3gmswhM&t=6s

Are you a mill, and can you get fir? Or Locust?

They buy this
 

Big box store lumber. :sHa_sarcasticlol:

a bent,twisted 2x6x10 pressure treated board was 23.88,

Home Depot would be the last place I buy lumber for that reason, irregardless of price. You can't keep lumber straight in that environment.

Grizz

A sheet of 3/4" good one side spruce plywood is $96!!!
That is approaching 3 times the regular pricing.

I really feel for anyone that just started building a home.

Regardless of price, stores that keep their lumber inside like Home Despot etc. are the absolute last place I'd go. Was a few years ago but bought all the 2X6's for my garage at Glenora Lumber. Relly nice material, only one bad stud outta the whole bunch too. Only way you may get a better price is to buy under someone's account.

We were planning to build a deck ourselves this year. Pressure treated 12ft long 2x10's are $45 each at HD. 16 footers ar $60 each. Eff that. I'd be nearly $1000 just in joists. I'm going to call around to a few smaller lumber yards to check prices, but I'm not very hopeful.

I built this last September/October and I thought prices were crazy at that time (almost 9 bucks for 1 2x4)

I have considered selling this and posted in a Alberta chicken group and the offers are insane LOL. Mainly due to cost to build right now. The run is covered and roofed now to lol.

I've been wondering about phoning a saw mill in bc, and see if a group buy could be had for a semi load of lumber.

I'd be in on that; just specify the order is premium graded lumber and not 'Econo grade' reject lumber.

Considering that it's Canada's natural resources; what current pricing is and what we get? Lumber that is either full of knots, cracked, purple stained, warped or a combination of all 4 issues in one bloody 2"x4"..

I have been told by many loggers, carpenters and purchasers that lumber sold locally in any Canadian lumber yard or big box store is 'C grade' where as premium lumber is exported to overseas and elsewhere....sad really.

Try Dunkley Lumber, near Hixon. They used to do deals like this.

Give it a few months, and companies will be offering mortgages for lumber.:sHa_sarcasticlol:

Not sure what "C grade lumber is" but the real standard is called SPF S4S 2 and better is the grade you want. You can go to grade 1 but the price per stick is double per board foot.

No 3, Standard, Utility, Stud, Economy grades are good for other applications and the lower the grade the more wane, and defects you will get - but for blocking, temporary shoring, non structural, or pallet boards sometimes this is worth it as it can be 1/4 to 1/3 the price of 2 and better.

Keep in mind "premium lumber" is not a recognized grade …. if you are thinking No 1, then the only difference between #1 vs #2 is that the 1 is "clear" and will not have normal, reasonable knots, and normal wood characteristics - and has ZERO advantage to #2 structurally, or in stability (warping) - NO ADVANTAGE whatsoever. In fact, unless I was using it in an exposed application or finish work, I wouldn't waste my money on it.

Maybe nobody was watching or listening, they said about 2 months ago lumber prices were going to double. Guess what they did!!!! WHY not sure. TURDOPE and his pay other countries to develop?

Price reacts to demand.
There's not enough supply to meet the demand.
Canada is small time, compared to the US market.
4'x8'x3/8" OSB is $52 in Saskatoon. That's nuts.
Apparently, OSB prices are the most volatile.

Canada is "small time" only in it's consumption (what we use) but the world's largest exporter, producer of wood products.

On softwood (a subset of "wood products") we are, alone, the largest global exporter as well, and second largest "producer".

Dimensional lumber (another subset) we are also right on top.

So it depends on what you define as "small time", "big time" or even what time it is.

The US produces lots of plywood and manufactured or remanufactured (jointed, profiled, resawn or surfaced) products for the domestic market and for some export - so they process more lumber, but they also import a staggering amount of raw material and other wood products.

I shop in dumpsters around new home areas.Price is good if you dig around a little and dont mind removing some nails.

Done that as well, but now they put fencing around construction sites.

Yes but the bins in my area anyway are on the roads. Outside the fencing.

Always some good lumber in the junk piles and the crews are pretty cool about you helping yourself as long as you are asking nicely.

Very true, what we have noticed though is the grade that now meets number 2 or better seems to have dropped. I also built for a lumber grader and she would only take lumber from certain mills as she said the graders at some specific mills were way to lenient and let to much garbage through. That being said I do believe there is a national standard they are supposed to adhere to right?