LETHBRIDGE -- Spring officially starts Saturday, but the southern Alberta building industry has already seen a surge in activity as a result of warm weather in recent weeks.
And if you are planning a home renovation project, lumber suppliers are suggesting you act quickly, due to a shortage of products and rising prices.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Jake van Schothorst, who runs Prairie Cedar, a cedar lumber supplier that has been operating in Coalhurst for over 50 years.
He has been through building booms before, but none where the demand for lumber has come at the same time as a shortage of wood products.
“We are seeing big shortages of certain items and we have to be creative to try and meet the customer need, and do it without, you know, going through the roof.”
Soaring lumber and wood panel prices are adding thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home.
Greg Gordon, Operations Manager at Logic Lumber in Lethbridge, said a number of building products are being affected.
“Treated lumber, fence boards, there will be shortages this year. Availability just won’t be there,” he added.
There are a variety of reasons for the shortage of lumber. The industry has used up a 10 year supply of wood sourced from pine trees that were killed by the destructive Mountain Pine Beetle.
Forest fires are also partly to blame, along with transportation issues. But the lumber industry said circumstances are largely driven by high U.S. demand, which is expected to continue because of low interest rates, and a new home buyer tax credit that has been introduced by the Biden administration.
COVID has also played a part, leading to a surge in demand for everything from backyard planters, to fencing material, gazebos and pergolas and a variety of products that spruce up the outdoor living space.
“People really started to invest in their home space, and that really drove demand for product right across the board,” said van Schothorst.
He said they have sold lumber to many people who were taking on a building project for the first time in their lives.
Home builders are now considering replacement materials for some of the higher priced wood products to try and keep costs down.
VINYL FENCING
Vinyl fencing has also become more attractive as the price of treated lumber continues to increase.
According to a recent news release by Canadian Forest Industries “while it’s too early in the year to say where the lumber market will go, it can be assured that prices will not go down during 2021.”
Van Schothorst said while some products are on back order, others are simply not available at all.
“You don’t pick up the phone and order what you need and expect it to be there in let's say two weeks or a month. It could be three months, or it could be six months.”
He said in a lot of cases, if you do order lumber today, the pricing will be based on the cost at time of delivery.
With residential construction expected to return with a vengeance in June and July home builders expect that even if supplies were normal, it wouldn’t be adequate to meet the demand.
Gordon predicts that will only keep the trend going, “at best prices will remain where they are, most likely they will increase further.”
So if you are thinking about building a new deck, or renovating your home office, van Schothorst said his advice to customers has been “If you’re going to do it this year, get on it now.”
