Tough housing market is pushing this lumber business to diversify

Nov 7, 2022
Sawmill Timberdoodle Farm has been investing in new equipment and looking into providing services along with its products, its co-owner says.
"Our business is pretty linked to new housing starts at the moment. And that hasn't been as robust as it has in the last two years," says Katrina Amaral, co-owner of Timberdoodle Farm. Above, a retail lumber outlet in California.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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

Small sawmill sees growth amid surging demand for lumber

Jun 10, 2021
Katrina Amaral of Timberdoodle has seen more interest in custom orders. And the spike in lumber prices has improved her pricing power.
"In the sawmill world, we're probably more like a small organic farm that does wholesale to restaurants," says Katrina Amaral, co-owner of Timberdoodle Farm in New Hampshire.
Courtesy Katrina Amaral

What part of a new house costs 4 times as much as a year ago? Lumber!

Apr 19, 2021
Demand for new U.S. homes is at a record high, and existing homes are old and need repairs.
Lumber prices had risen for a while before the pandemic spurred a renovation trend and boosted prices further.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Housing starts pick up — prices too

Aug 18, 2020
Lumber prices are surging, along with prices of Chinese-made components that go into building a home.
A construction worker roofing a New York residence in May. Housing starts were up more than 22% in July.
Al Bello/Getty Images

Lumber prices climb as people stuck at home build those gazebos they've been putting off

Jul 10, 2020
The price of lumber is at a 2½ year high, driven by a sawmill slowdown and more interest in home projects.
Timber on the dock of a New Zealand port in February. Demand for lumber hasn't slowed, but production has.
Phil Yeo/Getty Images

Home Depot blames lumber prices for drop in sales

Aug 20, 2019
The company says that a better price for lumber is better for business.
A customer's lumber sits on a cart at a Home Depot store on in 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The company cited lumber price deflation as a reason it trimmed its outlook for 2019.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Lumber trade dispute and tariffs boost U.S. wood products

Sep 20, 2018
Prices for U.S. softwood lumber have jumped since tariffs against Canadian lumber took effect last year.
A machine piles pine logs for processing at the Montrose Forest Products sawmill.
Esther Honig/Harvest Public Media

Satisfied with Trump in rural Pennsylvania

Feb 20, 2018
We check in with small business owners about changes they've seen with Trump as president.
Union City, Pennsylvania — population 3,300, is located in the rural outskirts of Erie.
Marketplace

Blue-collar jobs that pay 6 figures are going unfilled

Jul 3, 2017
'This is an avenue for even some folks with college degrees.'
“There are a lot of people with college degrees now competing for some of the most competitive jobs out there, and some of them are ending up applying for jobs at 84 Lumber,” Prashant Gopal says.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images