The Sky-High Price of Wood

If you’ve recently considered a remodeling project and are scratching your head at the cost, you’re not alone. The cost of lumber has reached record highs, up over 200% from one year ago, making most building and remodeling projects more expensive than they would have been pre-pandemic. 

So why the sky-high costs for wood? It’s mostly attributed to the housing shortage. With more people wanting to move from the confines of the city into the suburbs, new construction and renovation are booming. Then there are restaurants and small businesses that had to build outdoor seating structures and other accommodations to keep their customers safe and comfortable. Pair those factors with sawmills playing catch up from slowing production early in the pandemic and you have a classic case of over-demand and not enough supply. Hence the price of wood. 

To put it into perspective, the price per thousand board feet of lumber jumped to an all-time high of $1,104, or roughly $1.10 per two by four. Right now, one sheet of plywood costs upwards of $50 or more. 

If you’re building a new home, the lumber you’ll need is going to cost you four times what it did one year ago. If you are thinking about renovating your current home, you’re going to be out of pocket as well. As the average age of the American home reaches 45, remodeling is not just an item on the wish list. For many, it’s a necessity. 

You might be thinking, “what goes up must come down,” right? Yes, but not anytime soon. Homeowners are still renovating and remodeling like never before, especially with real estate prices at all-time highs. Demand for new construction isn’t going to let up either. For now, homeowners who want to build will just have to come to terms with the increase in price. 

That’s not to say that you should ever compromise on quality. When looking for a contractor, make sure they are reputable, experienced, and can break down the costs of the job with 100% transparency. Also, keep in mind that the cost of supplies to the contractor is higher than ever before and they might very well be absorbing some of that cost to get you a price you’re happy with. Take all of this into consideration and make sure you do your homework before you sign on the dotted line.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Everything That’s Fab About Prefab

Prefabricated construction, also known as modular or off-site housing, may conjure up images of trailer park communities in your mind. But prefab has come a long way in recent years, with architects and builders creating bold new housing designs in the comfort of a facility that reduces weather-causing building delays and increases opportunities for energy efficiency.

Years ago, stick-built homes were the most popular type of new construction and most of the homes in our area were built this way. The name comes from the method by which the home is constructed, piece by piece (or stick by stick) on the site of where the structure would eventually reside. While the common perception is that stick-built houses are more strongly constructed and offer a better resale value that prefab homes, there isn’t much evidence to confirm that this is actually the case. However, there are some advantages to stick-built homes. For instance, people who want to oversee the process of the home build can do so, as the house is constructed piece by piece from the ground up instead of being manufactured in a closed facility. Additionally, a stick-built home that’s designed by an architect will take the land it is being built on into consideration for efficiency and wear and tear, where a prefab home might not provide for those same considerations.

On the flip side, prefab homes do have a lot of benefits that make them well worth considering. While many prefab homes have a more contemporary look, they can be built to achieve any aesthetic style, from modern to a traditional log cabin. While people may think that prefab homes are limited to small, simple design, they can, in fact, be incredibly large and diverse, with many of the customizations that can be achieved through a traditional stick-built home. The pre-made parts are constructed offsite in a facility and then put together like a puzzle on-site. Because the homes are manufactured in a controlled and regulated facility, there is also less room for human error during the building process.

One of my favorite advantages to prefab homes is that many are super green. There is a new trend in home building called the passive house movement, which adheres to a set of design principles that attains rigorous levels of energy efficiency, resulting in reduced output and cleaner, healthier homes. Continuous and appropriate amounts of insulation, airtight sealing, high-performance windows, heat, and moisture balanced ventilation, and various forms of solar power of some of the ways these homes tick all the boxes for a healthier planet.

One thing that’s important to note if you’re considering prefabricated construction is, of course, the costs. While often less expensive than a stick-built home, a prefab home will have base costs included but fees associated with the land, site prep, shipping and other expenses will be additional. As with any home project, it’s important to always understand all the costs and fees associated with a project before jumping in.   

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only. Get in touch.