Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Nick1911 on March 07, 2021, 09:40:40 PM
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I went to purchase some 3/4 conduit - Electrical Metallic Tubing - today from Menards. I was surprised to see that a single 10 foot piece was $7.70. In my head I recalled purchasing them for more like $3-4ish.
Pondering if I was crazy or not, I punched up the wayback machine and pulled up menards site from 2015. It's a little clunky to navigate since the search functions obviously don't work, but I was able to pull some prices. These items were identical, and had identical SKU's in 2015.
3/4 EMT
2015: $4.06
2021: $7.70
89% price increase
2x4x92-5/8 Douglas Fir Stud
2015: $3.66
2021: $6.84
86% price increase
1/2in plywood
2015: $17.39
2021: $24.91
43% price increase
12/2 romex
2015: $55.91
2021: $88.55
58% price increase
Confirming that yes, building materials have gone nuts. Officially, we would expect to see a 9.3% increase in price due only to inflation.
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And I picked this year to remodel a house. =|
Good thing it is a small one.
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I know someone who wanted a new 2+ car garage last year. They are capable of doing their own framing and construction. They took their material list to menards a year ago and got prices - $13k for everything above the concrete slab.
They got the building permit, prepped the ground, poured the slab, and went back in June and the same material was $26k, exactly double.
Pandemic, fires in lumber land, Midwest derecho storms, all working against you.
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I have a friend who is a small residential contractor. He and his brother have been planning to do a small subdivision. Just while they went through the zoning approval process (which took, IIRC, a bit less than six months) he said the costs of building materials has skyrocketed.
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Welcome to inflicted scarcity.
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We buy crating material from local suppliers, not much at one time but every other week or so.
This time last year, 3/4" CDX ply was about $25 a sheet, from Lowes. Today, $45 a sheet. Same with 2x stock.
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There's no inflation. It's just that everything is getting more expensive.
Around here people are having their homeowners insurance shoot up because their rebuilding cost has doubled.
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I'd better bet that a lot of these price increases have happened since the start of COVID.
My contractor has said that since last year his material costs have increased significantly and, in some cases, he's had to postpone jobs because stuff has been either in very short supply or has been unavailable.
I was going to have some additional work done on my house last fall but I had to postpone it because the windows that I wanted weren't available.
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I was going to have some additional work done on my house last fall but I had to postpone it because the windows that I wanted weren't available.
I was just looking to buy some replacement vinyl siding panels. My color and type are backordered through May.
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I've got new windows ordered. I was quoted up to 18 weeks to delivery.
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Meanwhile, we have Jerome Powell telling everyone that any inflation is temporary, and they have no plans to increase interest rates. This to me is a clear consequence of the fed.gov being borrowed to the hilt. They can't afford anything above near zero percent interest rates, so the fed games the system to protect that. Which leaves savers no choice but to gamble in the vastly overinflated equity market to generate retirement income. And when the house of cards falls.....
As to the definition of inflation, as has been pointed out, building materials, steel, oil, food, housing, basically everything is increasing rapidly, but I can buy a 19" tv for $50, so I guess there's no inflation.
And getting further back on topic, I've heard a number of stories of banks refusing to loan at numbers necessary to support the current building material cost due to a fear that they'll be upside down on loan to value if prices correct. Result: projects unfunded and grinding to a halt.
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Meanwhile, we have Jerome Powell telling everyone that any inflation is temporary, and they have no plans to increase interest rates. This to me is a clear consequence of the fed.gov being borrowed to the hilt. They can't afford anything above near zero percent interest rates, so the fed games the system to protect that. Which leaves savers no choice but to gamble in the vastly overinflated equity market to generate retirement income. And when the house of cards falls.....
As to the definition of inflation, as has been pointed out, building materials, steel, oil, food, housing, basically everything is increasing rapidly, but I can buy a 19" tv for $50, so I guess there's no inflation.
And getting further back on topic, I've heard a number of stories of banks refusing to loan at numbers necessary to support the current building material cost due to a fear that they'll be upside down on loan to value if prices correct. Result: projects unfunded and grinding to a halt.
As I recall the banks refusing to loan money was one of the precipitating factors for the Great Depression.
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All as well-planned.
What's bad for the Dollar is good for the Yuan.
Terry runs and hides.... again.
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As I recall the banks refusing to loan money was one of the precipitating factors for the Great Depression.
Not a problem. As soon as they are finished fixing the minimum wage issue, Congress will just make it illegal to refuse to loan to someone trying to build. Or they could just get the .gov to buy any mortgages the banks don't feel comfortable with after closing.
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Meanwhile, we have Jerome Powell telling everyone that any inflation is temporary, and they have no plans to increase interest rates. This to me is a clear consequence of the fed.gov being borrowed to the hilt. They can't afford anything above near zero percent interest rates, so the fed games the system to protect that. Which leaves savers no choice but to gamble in the vastly overinflated equity market to generate retirement income. And when the house of cards falls.....
As to the definition of inflation, as has been pointed out, building materials, steel, oil, food, housing, basically everything is increasing rapidly, but I can buy a 19" tv for $50, so I guess there's no inflation.
And getting further back on topic, I've heard a number of stories of banks refusing to loan at numbers necessary to support the current building material cost due to a fear that they'll be upside down on loan to value if prices correct. Result: projects unfunded and grinding to a halt.
In the same 2015-now timeframe (which I picked somewhat randomly), steel has slightly more than doubled, retail gasoline is about the same, the food index I can find suggests food is about the same price, and average house closing price in my area has increased 45%.
Steel caught me off guard the other day. I went to a steel supplier to pick up a sheet of 18 gauge cold roll - it was substantially more than when I had purchased it a few years ago.
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Yeah steel went crazy last yeah whit many other materials.
I'm waiting on a walk-in cooler unit to show up that is late. First big job since I got well a year ago and I'm just waiting.
I did trade a few acres of hay land for a cow this evening. Go barter system.
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Steel is up crazy, even just from last fall. Very glad we put up new grain bins last year instead of this.
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Now this is weird- same supplier, a few hundred BF of hardwood each time. A big increase from March to Sept, then a drop. Go figure. So apparently the hardwood market is not tracking with the softwood building product market. Rounding up to an actual 2x4 x 96", that is 5.33 BF, - so in cherry, it would cost $18.76. So by the time lumber doubles again, we can
build frame our houses with fine hardwood! yay! Years ago in Forks, I knew a guy who built his house log cabin style with fir 2x6's stacked flat -they were that cheap.
8/4 cherry- 3-20 $4.22 8/4 maple $3.68
9-20 $5.21 $4.59
3-21 $3.52 $4.33
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I've been told it isn't so much the cost of the actual goods as it is the cost of shipping them that is inflating retail costs. I ordered a 6" decal last night that cost .99 and was charged $5.00 shipping and tax at 6% for a total of $6.35. Yup that is right, I was taxed not on the .99 but rather on cost plus shipping. I know the stuff my wife orders used to come free shipping but now is paying shipping and it comes weeks later.
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I've been told it isn't so much the cost of the actual goods as it is the cost of shipping them that is inflating retail costs. I ordered a 6" decal last night that cost .99 and was charged $5.00 shipping and tax at 6% for a total of $6.35. Yup that is right, I was taxed not on the .99 but rather on cost plus shipping. I know the stuff my wife orders used to come free shipping but now is paying shipping and it comes weeks later.
You are correct that shipping has shot way up, especially over the road truck freight. My SIL manages a logistics company and he has had a lot of challenges keeping drivers, moving loads, and trying to treat his loyal regular clients reasonably at the same time.
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That 3/4" cdx ply that last year was $25, and two weeks ago was $45? Up to $52 today. A doug fir 2x4x8 was $7.35, a sheet of 3/8" osb was $32!!!!!
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That 3/4" cdx ply that last year was $25, and two weeks ago was $45? Up to $52 today. A doug fir 2x4x8 was $7.35, a sheet of 3/8" osb was $32!!!!!
Crap. I need to redo the surface of my smaller bridge (stupid cows!) and I guess it's gonna cost me twice what it would have last year. I might only fix the busted areas. There is a post and pole place in town that also does rough cut lumber. They seem to have in-state sourcing for their wood. I wonder if their local rough cut stuff would be cheaper? Wouldn't matter for my application.
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The locally owned wood mills in our area get their logs from independents so there really is no middleman. It is time to put an end to the near monopoly of the huge wood processors and huge box stores.
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Crap. I need to redo the surface of my smaller bridge (stupid cows!) and I guess it's gonna cost me twice what it would have last year. I might only fix the busted areas. There is a post and pole place in town that also does rough cut lumber. They seem to have in-state sourcing for their wood. I wonder if their local rough cut stuff would be cheaper? Wouldn't matter for my application.
Probably better wood too. Wonder if they have juniper? good for rot resistance.
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Crap. I need to redo the surface of my smaller bridge (stupid cows!) and I guess it's gonna cost me twice what it would have last year. I might only fix the busted areas. There is a post and pole place in town that also does rough cut lumber. They seem to have in-state sourcing for their wood. I wonder if their local rough cut stuff would be cheaper? Wouldn't matter for my application.
Are you just putting down the tire path boards or just need to redeck the whole bridge?
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Are you just putting down the tire path boards or just need to redeck the whole bridge?
I'm not sure what the hell I'm doing. This is the bridge that's an old semi flatbed trailer (the kind for hauling heavy equipment and whatnot). So it's the steel frame, with, I haven't measured, but like 2"x8"s or maybe 2"x10"s running lengthwise, which appears to be the original trailer construction. Then what the guy did was throw over what appears to be that fiberboard looking roof sheathing and then covered that with a couple of inches of road mix.
All the roof sheathing is severely deteriorating. The 2x's mostly seem to be in decent shape except where the cows punched a hole through in one section. I was looking at just replacing that section of 2x's, then getting rid of that entire layer of roof sheathing and replacing it with I don't know what yet.
The previous owner claims he took I think a D7 back and forth across it, and given the kind of trailer it is, that's probably true. Right now I only take my UTV across it, but I would like to be able to take my tractor across it safely as it would save me having to drive a couple of miles of county road to get to that side of the property with it.
I actually have the structural engineer coming out in a couple of hours to do the inspection report on that culvert road, so I might ask him to drive down and take a look at the little bridge if it doesn't cost too much. I'm already out $750 for the one inspection.
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If it was me, I'd probably put in a Missouri crossing instead of fixing the bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNNq_E1P0A
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Pulling this thread back from the dead: With the start of air conditioning session in the Midwest, I've been putting together some bids.
I went back to a bid from 2018 to pull a part number, and happened to compare the A/C wholesale price difference. The exact same 3 ton 17 seer unit is 44% more expensive today vs this time three years ago. =|
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Yeah I just put a bid together and said crap. It was more for the equipment then that entire job with ductwork on the new little house north of me you came down and gave me a hand on.
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Watching the price of lumber, wondering if I should sell my house for parts...
Read that on Twitter earlier today...lol
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I was sort of considering the mini-split thing in my 700 square foot house, but...
Frankly, window units work just fine, and are considerably cheaper overall. A $2,000 difference will buy a lot of inefficiency... I heat the place, for most of the winter, with two 110 volt "radiators." That costs about an extra $200-250ish over normal electric usage for the season. Granted, I do keep the temp at about 60 - I'm a "cold" person. When it gets below 15 or so, I plug in a radiant heater on a third circuit.
The gas company wanted $35/month for a connection fee before I used any. These things are also quiet.
The downside of the AC stuff is... I'm a cold person. I'm not really comfy above 72 or so... I'm semi-tempted to jackrig a drill, and see about some sort of heat pump, but with my luck, I'll be over one of the big tunnels or caves that run under South City.
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Bogie-
Check the local Facebook Marketplace or the like. I was able to get a decent mini-split for my shop for like $200. It seems like chinese mini-splits are the kind of thing someone always seems to have a connex of for sale cheap. Fell off the boat or something.