An Update on Pandemic Home Improvement Trends and Decking Supply Issues
COVID-19 has led to an increase in homeowner spending on home renovation projects including building new decks. Construction, in many areas, was exempted from stay-at-home orders as an essential business and with deck building allowing contractors to work outdoors while socially distancing, homeowners seem comfortable moving forward with this type of project. As COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives and the building season has progressed, price and supply have become issues in getting deck projects completed.
Since 2015, lumber prices have been sporadic. Rising and falling with supply and demand. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Loggers curtailed the harvesting of softwood pine in the South anticipating lower demand due to the pandemic. With people placed under various stay-at-home orders, spending on family vacations was put on hold. Families received a check from the government. Stuck at home with a little extra cash and nowhere to go, home improvement projects became a popular way to productively pass the time. While shopping your local big box home improvement store, you may notice empty bays where bunks of lumber would normally be stored and staged for purchase. Due to the loggers slowing the harvest of the trees, lumber supply has become depleted. Although untreated lumber can be provided for purchase rather quickly, lumber was not being provided to treatment facilities in usual quantities, creating a shortage of pressure treated lumber. As a result of the shortage of pressure treated lumber, prices have risen 50% or more! Prices and supply are not expected to recover until winter when the deck season comes to a close.
Pressure treated deck boards have become scarce and suppliers are unable to provide replenishment dates. Many homeowners then
