As demand for lumber and treated lumber has exploded in recent months, prices have also increased.
Therefore, renovating and building a house costs more.
For example, a spruce 2×4 used to cost $ 2.89 before the COVID-19 pandemic now costs $ 6.49. That’s a 125% increase in less than a year.
The situation is similar for plywood. A half-inch thick sheet that used to cost $ 21 now costs almost $ 40.
Unheard of, worries the Quebec Construction Association, which considers that prices will continue to climb.
“We anticipate an even higher price increase than what we have now, and potentially a shortage of wood this summer,” says Guillaume Houle, spokesperson for the ACQ.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister François Legault last week, the Association asked the Quebec government to increase cutting volumes to be able to meet demand this summer.
Otherwise, entrepreneurs will have no choice but to turn to importing from Europe.
“It remains a solution, but if we want to implement the government’s plan to buy Quebec, to buy blue, the famous Blue Basket, well, we ask the government to act,” said Mr. Houle.
But in the immediate future, the impact on construction sites is very real and is being felt more and more. A residential site for a single-family home can easily cost an additional $ 20,000, explains René Hamel, president of René Hamel Construction.
“Currently, we are still trying to operate with a price list that we note every day. But I would tell you that since January, it has increased three times more, ”notes Mr. Hamel.
Faced with a further rise in prices and a possible shortage of wood, the Quebec Association of Hardware and Construction Materials (AQMAT) believes that this is an opportune time to stock up.
“It’s a good time, especially maybe by phone, by Internet, because we do not want to provoke the traffic in stores. So, if we reserve, we stay less on site. It’s the best way, ”says Richard Darveaux, spokesperson for AQMAT.
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