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The price of lumber is way down, but that won't do much to bring down new home prices

Apr 7, 2023
Lumber prices have stabilized after unprecedented volatility.
Stacks of lumber are offered for sale at a home center in Chicago, Illinois. Prices for lumber have recently come down from pandemic highs.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Teaching women and nonbinary folks the art of woodworking

Nov 16, 2022
There aren't enough instructors to keep up with demand at Jess Hirsch's Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis.
Jess Hirsch turns a bowl from a log, the subject of one of the classes they teach at Fireweed Community Woodshop.
Courtesy Studio Zu

What cheaper lumber means for the housing market

Sep 27, 2022
Lumber is about as cheap as it was before the pandemic, a sign of the slowing housing market. But savings are offset by rising financing costs.
Even though lumber prices have eased, financing for builders and buyers has become costlier.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Rising lumber prices can be tracked to a host of issues in Canada

Jan 24, 2022
Storms, supply chain problems, and a beetle infestation are among the factors in the lumber price spike.
A variety of problems in Canada has led to a spike in lumber prices.
shaunl via Getty Images

As lumber prices soar, reclaimed wood gets a second look

Jun 1, 2021
High building costs have changed the equation for vintage materials.
Max Pollock, owner of Brick + Board in Baltimore, salvages old-growth lumber from vacant houses and industrial buildings.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Retailers may get squeezed by home improvement supply shortages

May 19, 2021
There's a limit on how much retailers can raise prices. At some point customers may just walk away.
Home improvement stores have a lot of demand but low supply.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Soaring lumber costs add to the price of new homes

Feb 22, 2021
An increase in the cost of new homes then drives up the price of existing homes, as the overall market becomes more competitive.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

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Inflation hits gasoline, lumber and meat

Feb 19, 2021
There isn't a lot of inflation in the U.S. economy overall, but some commodities are spiking higher as the economy recovers.
The price of lumber has nearly tripled through the pandemic, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Above, a wheel loader moves logs in Deer Lodge, Montana.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images