Despite rising costs of lumber, Manitobans still doing outdoor renovations
Landscape and construction companies say they're seeing a boom in projects
Prices in lumber have doubled and tripled over the past year, but that's not stopping Manitobans from building homes and completing outdoor renovations.
Byron Rocke, who owns B. Rocke Landscaping, says the company's clientele has doubled since April last year, jumping from 30 to 60.
It's been so busy the company started its building season a month early. Instead of waiting till May, they started this month, he said.
"Everybody wants a beautiful backyard space. They want patios, they want pergolas, they want all that — a private oasis is basically what they're looking for," Rocke said.
Clients are spending anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 on their outdoor renovation projects, he said.
"It's just been busy. All the work we're doing this year is basically from last year, and a lot of the demand coming now, we're trying to push it to the end of this season," Rocke said.
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Steve Warkentine, construction contractor with Sigma Projects, said his business has boomed in the past year.
"It's absolutely crazy. I have more work than I can possibly do," he said.
There's no shortage of people who want their decks done, he said. Requests for projects have came from new houses, condos and commercial properties.
Adjusting expectations
Since 2018, prices for wood have doubled. In some provinces, like B.C., the price has tripled. Supply and demand are being blamed for the jump: there have been strong housing markets and limited capacity to increase lumber production in North America.
Warkentine, who's been in the business for 20 years, said he used to pay $2.50 for a two-by-four piece of wood. Now, they cost about $8 per piece.
The "unfortunate" price increases mean projects like decks, house framing and garages can double in price, he said. Some customers have delayed their projects and some are still keen to build despite the costs, he said.
"Some people seem to have more disposable income because they haven't travelled and so forth, so they end up paying it, knowing that it is too much," said Warkentine.
It's been stressful for him to keep customers updated with their costs, as prices can change in a couple of months, he said.
"Imagine a very basic kind of material going up four times," he said. "You better get your quote up to date because it can change, just at the turn of a dime."
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For the most part, customers have been understanding and accepted prices are out of their control, but it "does put a little bit more stress," he said.
"Trying to find that deal … it takes more time to research and find something appropriate," he said. "But the lumber prices are fairly high straight across the board, no matter which lumber yard you go to."
Creative modifications
Rocke said if lumber prices are discouraging people from renovating, there are creative ways they can adjust their projects.
For example, instead of building a deck, they can look at building a stone patio, he said.
"Just spend the dollars where it's going to make the most sense," Rocke said.
"Paving stone concrete, those options are all still affordable. Do minimal things with lumber if you can, and just wait for the prices to normalize or look at alternative products."
Others have tried to safeguard themselves from ballooning costs by purchasing supplies early.
Sandy Hopkins, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Manitoba, said the organization saw prices for lumber start to climb early last year, so last spring, Habitat for Humanity purchased all the wood it needs this summer.
"The prices are higher than what we're used to paying, but we've managed to hedge our bets by purchasing early and so we'll be able to keep building," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said price increases could've added anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 for each house.
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Currently, the organization is building five side-by-side two-storey units at 1466 Templeton Ave. in Amber Trails for low-income families. The project, which begins this month, is expected to be completed by March 2022.
"If we had not made those purchases early, we probably would've had to stop building. The costs would just be way too high to warrant continuing to build," he said.
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