Great Success!

14 Replies to “Great Success!”

1. The posers are hard at work,repositioning the deckchairs..as the ship goes down.
   Northern BC and most of the interior know that Victoria Hates them.
   Until recently they have not realized that there is somewhere else to go.
   When Alberta separates,those parts of BC will follow

2. Two years ago, US import tariffs on Canadian lumber were relatively low at around 5 to 10% (depending on the company). Now it’s between 35 to 47%. It’s an all-out assault on the Canadian lumber industry.

   And the price of US lumber dutifully rises…

   https://www.globalwood.org/market1/timber_price_report_2025/softwood_lumber_panels_20251105.htm

   1. https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-x-8-ft-2-Premium-2-Grade-Fir-Dimensional-Lumber-441317/202094172

      2×4 x8’ studs $3.48 retail. $2.96 in bulk. Meh. “Dutifully rises”? I paid 3x + that much during the peak of the COVID. I paid 2-1/2 to 3x “normal” market prices for all lumber during COVID. Trump’s tariffs? Face facts … negligible price impact.

      Canada can’t compete. They NEED unfair trade to survive.

      PS … what a pathetic waste of money spending all that treasure on TDS adverts. Pathetic. Leftists speaking to leftists. Nobody hears you.

      PPS … Trump is bringing down gasoline and diesel prices which are having a much larger impact on keeping prices of ALL materials in check than his tariffs. Cry harder Trump haters.

      1. Apparantly defending Canadian lumber companies is now left wing. I remember when conservatives defended them, and leftists thought houses were built from unicorm farts. Good times.

         And how is the Canadian lumber trade unfair?

         1. Send us all your wood you can afford. Price it right and we’ll take it. Otherwise … ship it to China, eh?

            https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-x-8-ft-2-Premium-2-Grade-Fir-Dimensional-Lumber-441317/202094172 … so the link doesn’t default to Canada

            1. So you put a 50 lb weight on someone’s back and challenge them to a race, all the while mocking them. Very brave of you.

               But the joke’s on you. Here’s an assessment of the impact on lumber prices by a major American building wholesaler:

               https://ls-usa.com/blog/lumber-outlook-and-tariffs-2025

               To quote “According to NAHB [National Association of Home Builders] estimates, tariffs on lumber and other building materials could increase the average cost of a new home by approximately $9,200.”

               And yes, Canada will probably ship more lumber to China. Trump is driving Canada to do more trade — and thus strengthen ties — with America’s rivals.

            2. 2×4’s at less than $3.00 ea. don’t equal an increase of $9,200/home. And what do I care about some regional (in leftist Illinois) wannabe Home Depot has to cry about tariffs?

               Ya wanna know what REALLY increases the price of homes … at least here in CA? Mandatory photovoltaic solar panels on homes ($60k/home incl. batteries) Massively expensive Utility hookup fees. (Upward of $100k/home) Mandatory interior fire sprinklers (won’t save you from wildfires) (Cost $25k+/home) NIMBY-driven approval process that drags out for years and massive redesign. ($100k in added soft costs). The cost of land. (Unaffordable in this State). Prevailing UNION wages. Unnecessarily HIGH interest rates engineered by a TDS-infected FED.

               Any minor TEMPORARY increase in materials costs due to Trump’s tariffs are negligible… and will disappear when manufacturing is returned to America.

               PS … ship your lumber to China … speaking of weights on backs.

            3. You’re drawing a lot of assumptions from a single price for 2 x 4 x 8 lumber that’s out of stock. But hey, you likely know more than the National Association of Home Builders.

               But a few things…

               1. Not all lumber is the same. The US will have difficulty fully replacing SPF lumber from Canada, as Canadian lumber is generally of superior quality due to growing in a colder climate.
               2. That “temporary” price hike will likely take years to disappear unless there’s a recession. Production can not be cranked up in a few months.

            4. Funny thing that … the 2×4’s are shown out of stock in Niagara … but there are plenty here in CA. Hem Fir from the Pacific Northwest is just fine

               The NAHB is just the same as ALL Trade org’s. … like the US Chamber of Commerce. They don’t give two shits about the consumer … only their own profitability… most of which is derived by exploiting illegal alien labor.

            5. The NAHB is just the same as ALL Trade org’s. … like the US Chamber of Commerce. They don’t give two shits about the consumer … only their own profitability… most of which is derived by exploiting illegal alien labor.

               Their own self interest means they care about the price of housing, given that the more expensive the materials are, the less business they do.

            6. It is almost amusing that the US’s lumber protection racket was put into place to protect a lumber industry centered mostly in “blue states” (couldn’t even get that right – in the rest of the world red is the liberal /marxist colour) and to cover for enviro-nazi imposed EPA regulations that prices US lumber out of the world market. When the US cleans up their act they won’t need the protectionism and we can talk free trade.
               Your problem isn’t Canada – its your own policies.

3. Local lumber yard has P. sylvestris from Germany/ Austria instead of N.A.’s strobus or monticola. There was a time when HD had radiata from NZ instead of a N.A. species. SPF is horrible.
   Big picture is to make home ownership impossible.

   1. SPF’s fine for framing. It’s light and strong.

4. The problem with new lumber is its all fast growth. Look at the growth rings and they are very far apart, indicative of fast, young growth. The older lumber from mature trees has tight, compact growth rings. Yes, there’s a a bit of difference from our trees grown up north in a cold climate, but its nothing like the old Douglass Fir. I had an older house once and the framing was so dense I had to drill pilot holes for nails and screws! Don’t get me going on the quality of nails and screws these days, but they match the shitty wood that they are used on.

   Its been very hard to get decent forest products for a while now, unless you can pick thru the pile to buy your lumber, you are getting drill bits and hockey sticks and half-bark, stuff which used to be utility grade at best, firewood, at worst.

   Not sure why there is a down turn in lumber as the residential growth rate around southern Alberta should be more than enough to keep the mills open, large tracts of land here have communities springing up everywhere and in town its those multi-level multi-family apartment/townhouse things that are almost all timber framed!