Rising inflation

**blueridgemtnman** · 05-20-2021, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by BustOfPallas

That seems like a good price. What are you building?

I guess the best way to describe it is an attached gazebo. I love working w/mill lumber, especially the SYP. The downside w/it is it has to dry. This work won't be started until fall, at the earliest. More likely, winter. The people are having the house built now. I'll come in after it's all done and do what's basically an outdoor kitchen area for them. So, we had to order quite a bit of mill lumber and have it drying out in time to use when it's ready.

**BustOfPallas** · 05-20-2021, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by blueridgemtnman

I guess the best way to describe it is an attached gazebo. I love working w/mill lumber, especially the SYP. The downside w/it is it has to dry. This work won't be started until fall, at the earliest. More likely, winter.

Cool. The shed I want to building is going to be attached as well. I spent some bonus money on a chimney rebuild this spring. Talk about an unsexy way to spend $$$. I did it because I want to build on that side and I knew any fixing of the rotten chimney would involve scaffolding. I may pour a slab over there as well. I am going to wait and hope prices come down and just do the planning and prep in the mean time.

**blueridgemtnman** · 05-20-2021, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by BustOfPallas

Cool. The shed I want to building is going to be attached as well. I spent some bonus money on a chimney rebuild this spring. Talk about an unsexy way to spend $$$. I did it because I want to build on that side and I knew any fixing of the rotten chimney would involve scaffolding. I may pour a slab over there as well. I am going to wait and hope prices come down and just do the planning and prep in the mean time.

That's what everyone is saying these days. Wait awhile until the prices come down. I feel they eventually will, but who knows when. It's the ol' supply and demand.....and finding workers. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile. I know lots of tradespeople and every single one of them is booked out way until later this year or even next year already.

**BustOfPallas** · 05-20-2021, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by blueridgemtnman

That's what everyone is saying these days. Wait awhile until the prices come down. I feel they eventually will, but who knows when. It's the ol' supply and demand.....and finding workers. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile. I know lots of tradespeople and every single one of them is booked out way until later this year or even next year already.

Yeah, this is how economies become constipated. "Waiting for prices to come down"...

Inflation is an economy killer.

**Greg** · 05-21-2021, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

So glad I built my shed early last summer. If I tried to build the same shed now, I’d easily spend 3-4x what I spent in materials.

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Trex decking and pressure treated decking are equivalently priced now. It used to be 3 or more times as expensive to use composite.

**leachisabeast** · 05-29-2021, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by blueridgemtnman

That's what everyone is saying these days. Wait awhile until the prices come down. I feel they eventually will, but who knows when. It's the ol' supply and demand.....and finding workers. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile. I know lots of tradespeople and every single one of them is booked out way until later this year or even next year already.

I don't see how prices will ever come down unless you back the dollar with gold again. There is no reason to believe that prices will come down as they haven't for a long time. The last time the federal reserve was actually successful in fighting inflation was in the 80s when you had Raegan in office and Paul Volker as fed chairman.

You've instead got an old man who has no idea about basic economics as the president, surrounded by a bunch of communists waiting for Biden to die.

**blueridgemtnman** · 05-29-2021, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

I don't see how prices will ever come down unless you back the dollar with gold again. There is no reason to believe that prices will come down as they haven't for a long time. The last time the federal reserve was actually successful in fighting inflation was in the 80s when you had Raegan in office and Paul Volker as fed chairman.

You've instead got an old man who has no idea about basic economics as the president, surrounded by a bunch of communists waiting for Biden to die.

On that note, here is one opinion of many out there on the housing situation.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...ecords/619029/

**wickedsolo** · 05-29-2021, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Greg

Trex decking and pressure treated decking are equivalently priced now. It used to be 3 or more times as expensive to use composite.

Which is crazy. Trex was always expensive.

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**stevez51** · 05-30-2021, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Which is crazy. Trex was always expensive.

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It still is. Pressure treated boards are half the cost of Trex. My son wants to replace his deck flooring. The price has come down.

**blueridgemtnman** · 05-30-2021, 09:50 AM

I helped a buddy build his deck years ago w/that stuff. I recall it being so hot out that I had to lift a 16' piece of it up to shoulder level just to carry it, it sagged so much from the heat. Of course, once in place and screwed down w/the special fastener$, it was fine. I also remember how hot it was on his deck, that it was blistering the skin off my knees and I had to kneel on a towel to work on it. He went and got his laser thermometer gun and it was reading 118° on the deck. Needless to say, I'm not a fan, but I just prefer natural wood. Plus, back then, it was over twice the price of treated. I'm pretty sure that he was paying over a dollar a running foot, just for the material, excluding the hardware. I have no idea what it is these days.

**blueridgemtnman** · 05-31-2021, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by stevez51

It still is. Pressure treated boards are half the cost of Trex. My son wants to replace his deck flooring. The price has come down.

Just for shitz n' giggles, I checked my local Lowes, as I was pricing some lumber for a small repair job. The treated 2x6x16' are $1.37/ft. The Trex are $1.67/ft. The 5/4" treated boards are only $.92/ft, though. I never liked the 5/4" stuff, but if the joist spacing is tighter, it can be used. But, that's just the pricing here. It might be different in other locales.

**Greg** · 05-31-2021, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by blueridgemtnman

Just for shitz n' giggles, I checked my local Lowes, as I was pricing some lumber for a small repair job. The treated 2x6x16' are $1.37/ft. The Trex are $1.67/ft. The 5/4" treated boards are only $.92/ft, though. I never liked the 5/4" stuff, but if the joist spacing is tighter, it can be used. But, that's just the pricing here. It might be different in other locales.

I just replaced a few boards that went bad. I did use the "top level" pressure treated 5/4" boards (1 16 ft, 1 12 ft) and I looked quickly at the Trex and

Trex 16 foot clam shell board: $28.00

Sever weather 16 foot pressure treated: $24.47

To be fair I looked at the least expensive Trex vs the best pressure treated wood.

I went with wood because it is what I have but I was tempted to start replacing the wood with Trex as needed. The problem is my deck is 756 square feet plus standard steps on two sides and about 10 foot wide on a third (each set is 4-5 steps). It would take a long time replacing a few boards here and there to do it.

That said, I did replace the original wood railing with PVC railing years ago. Painting the fancy wood spindles was ridiculously difficult and time consuming.