Best place to buy lumber to build fence

I just did nearly 400'. I live in Ascension and use Picou Building materials. Prices varied all 3 orders (I did one side at a time). Call around, but keep in mind how valuable delivery is. Especially when using 16' rails. Those don't fit so hot in my short bed sierra.

It sure was nice to have the 4x4s, 2x4s, pickets and concrete bags all dropped on my driveway and scooted under my carport.

2nd picou, not always the cheapest but always in ballpark and service and delivery is top notch.

what is driving the price of lumber? should i wait a year?

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No Colors

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You see lumber coming back down at some point? I priced 2x6x12 at about $7.50 per board a while back, now they are about double.

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I’ve heard several things but it all started around COVID

First I think it was the dwindling supply after everything shut down. Then interest rates are the lowest I’ve ever seen them so people are buying homes in record numbers across the country.

Oldest story in the book. Low Supply + High Demand = $$$


Personally we’re building a house soon and I believe I’m gonna wait a year and see if these lumber prices can come down somewhat.

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Yep. We refinance last year and did a cash out refi for home improvements. Interest rates were dropping like crazy, and our loan payment pretty much stayed the same even taking out a ton of cash. First on the agenda was a new deck. I thought about waiting, but I had a contractor lined up and ready to go. I think we got it done on the upswing in lumber prices. They hadn't maxed out yet. A buddy of mine works for a building materials company, and he said that multiple plants in Midwestern states had to shut down, and then when they finally opened back up there was a big backlog. I'm not sure prices are going to go back to pre-Covid pricing any time soon. He told me they usually drop in January every year, since that is a slow time for construction, and ramp up a little in the spring, but they have remained high for over 6-8 months now.

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You see lumber coming back down at some point?

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I hope not

It always comes down in the fall. No one wants to be holding inventory through the wet cold months. This year it dropped hard at the end of October but came roaring back by the middle of December. So it ran up way higher and way earlier than usual.

There are a lot of people sitting on the sidelines with projects. So as soon as the market drops, they jump in and it goes back up.

There's just a supply demand inbalance and it promises to last for several years. At least until either lots of new mills get built, or the economy really goes into the crapper.