Sandy and lumber prices

[grover]

Best wishes to all those affected by the hurricane in the northeast.  I'm sure the pictures and video do not show the full devastation.  I'm wondering what effect the coming building boom in the northeast will have on lumber prices.  Seems several years ago when Andrew hit southern FL lumber prices took a big jump.

[operose]

Thankfully I got all my rafters up and roofing purchased before it hit. Will still have to buy sheathing which I might do tomorrow in case the prices jump even further than they already have.

One good thing about being here is that we have a lot of Amish communities. Purchased my steel roofing through them at about half the price of the big box stores. Also got all the lumber from my walls through an Amish sawmill for a "wicked" good price.

If the lumber prices do spike, perhaps take a look at these guys for a great way to save some money and keep what you do spend local. It was really hard to find straight boards at the lumber supply places for rafters, but decided to go this way rather than rough-cut due to high snow load.

Best wishes all!

[roadtripray]

That brings up some questions I've had about local sawmills. 

• Can you go to a small "mom-and-pop" sawmill to purchase the dimensional lumber for your project? 
• Is there something about not being stamped with a grade that would affect your building inspection? 
• What about the difference in rough-cut versus finished size?
• Do you need to stack and dry fresh-cut lumber, and if so for how long?

The land I'm (hopefully) closing on soon is in the country and I know of two or three sawmills within a few miles of the property.  I toyed with the idea of purchasing from them, maybe even seeing if there is a portable sawmill service that could come and saw up some of the trees on my property.

Thanks!
Ray

[grover]

I'm certainly no expert but I'm sure you could purchase directly from the mill.  Question is about the lumber.  Is it kiln dried?  Most people want kiln dried lumber because of the shrinkage of green wood although if you search around a little there is a guy who swears by using green wood.  I personally have no experience with it.
I think if you want to dry it yourself you need to stack it with blocks between layers so it can dry properly.  I think I've read it takes a year or two to dry naturally.

Hope this helps.

[MountainDon]

• Can you go to a small "mom-and-pop" sawmill to purchase the dimensional lumber for your project? 

Straight off the saw it is rough cut. A mill with a planer can produce lumber to dimensional specs

• Is there something about not being stamped with a grade that would affect your building inspection? 

There would be no telling what the grade is and so the lumber could not pass inspection. The lumber grader in a mill is usually the highest paid person. Grading requires knowledge and skill. Visual grading has many rules. Not all mills will have a grader. It may be possible to find a grader. Not sure what the savings would be by the end of the process.

• What about the difference in rough-cut versus finished size?

Mostly matters when you want to use metal connectors like Simpson hangers, etc.

• Do you need to stack and dry fresh-cut lumber, and if so for how long?

Yes. How long... I'm not the expert on that.

[/list]

[operose]

Sorry, didn't mean to derail this thread but will answer some questions.

The lumber from these guys is not dimensional, it is "rough cut" aka measures out to a true 2"x4" (in most cases... sometimes they are a little off...)

It is not kiln dried nor graded lumber. However we have built several structures this way and according to the building inspector it meets code. Someone said they made it illegal to build a dwelling with rough cut lumber for a little while but apparently public outcry got it appealed. Again, I recommend dimensional kiln dried graded lumber for things like rafters, etc. All of my walls are 2x6 rough cut 16" OC though.

We build with it "green" or as green as it is from the mill. Most people don't like to, but we have done it several times with no issues. If you are going to stack it to dry you have to "sticker" it and I'm not sure how long it takes but much too long for impatient folks like me 

[markert2523]

I'm breaking ground this month on my new cabin.  What bad timing!

I've been watching the price for 7/16 OSB the last few days as a barometer.  It started at $10.47 at local Lowe's and now is at $11.47

It will take many months (years?) to finish this thing so hopefully it will settle down.

[grover]

I'm not sure what the deal is with the 7/16 OSB.  A few years ago (4 or 5) it was around $20 a sheet if my memory serves me correctly but the price of 2x has stayed pretty consistent.   Oh yeah, and I think there was a drywall shortage a few years ago.  Can't remember the price though.