
9 minute read
If you build it, you’ll pay a
If you build it, you’ll pay a lot
Lumber goes through the roof as local building supplies throttled by pandemic, more home developments and international factors
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GEOFF COLEMAN Writer-at-large
Chris Handley of Handley Lumber in Fenelon Falls. Photo: Geoff Coleman.
Pete and Kristy Lindsay recently became empty nesters. After finding a lot north of Coboconk to build on, they took the plunge and started planning their dream home. They were past the point of no return when the pandemic indirectly became part of the planning process.
As the prices of building materials began their meteoric climb, instead of pressing pause the couple forged ahead with their dream. The site has been cleared, levelled, graded and is ready for the foundation — and their current house is up for sale. You would be forgiven for thinking the Lindsays are risk-takers, but they said they are more pragmatists than gamblers when it comes to their situation.
It’s no secret that lumber prices have skyrocketed in the last several months. Chris Handley, owner of Handley Lumber in Fenelon Falls, says there are both local and international reasons for the lumber sticker shock.
Handley, who is confident this scenario will be written up in economics textbooks in the future, explained that the increases result from a perfect storm of COVID-fuelled supply and demand factors, with some environmental and systemic challenges mixed in.
On the demand side, with more people working from their houses, there has been an uptick in renovation projects. Money that might have been earmarked for a trip to Europe instead goes to an addition or a new deck. www.lindsayadvocate.ca

Evan Taylor at Jermyn Lumber in Bobcaygeon. Photo: Geoff Coleman.
Demand for local building products also comes from people looking to construct an entire house after selling their homes in the Greater Toronto Area and moving to Kawartha Lakes. Further, home builders have not slowed down their activities as some predicted a year ago, as the Angeline Street North subdivision in Lindsay shows.
Pete and Kristy Lindsay experienced a ripple from the building boom as they have had to wait for their concrete foundation to be poured. The company they are using had to scale back operations last year and didn’t complete all the basements they had committed to in 2020. With no slowdown in subdivision builds, as was expected, there has been no time to catch up on last year’s work, and new contracts in 2021 are getting bumped back.
Whenever demand is high for anything, prices tend to increase, but in the current circumstance there is also a drop in supply. With fewer loggers in the woods, fewer drivers transporting logs to mills, fewer shifts in manufactured lumber factories, and fewer workers on those shifts, everything from rough spruce strapping to fine Cocobolo veneer plywood is in short supply, according to Handley.
He said things got really interesting in February when Texas suffered a serious power crisis resulting from three severe winter storms. The power outages affected a major North American producer of resins used in everything from roofing shingles and paint to plywood and vinyl siding, cutting a big link in the supply chain.

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“This is truly unprecedented. The demand from new development can’t be overstated. Never before have we seen anything like it,” Handley said.
Craig Jermyn at Jermyn Lumber in Bobcaygeon agreed. “If there were hurricanes in Florida, you’d see the price of OSB (chipboard) jump because it was the cheapest thing available for people to use to cover up their windows … but nothing like this.”
The Jermyns have another challenge thrown at them when trying to fulfill orders for their customers. Lumberyards frequently allocate materials based on the previous year’s orders. That’s a good system until a yard is forced to close down temporarily like Jermyn Lumber did last year when Bobcaygeon was in the midst of the COVID crisis. The company is experiencing strong demand, but has an artificially low supply resulting from last year’s ordering.
This year, while open for curbside pickup, Jermyn staff have had to work double-time behind the scenes to get all the materials their fulltime builders and part-time do-it-yourselfers need.
Todd Jermyn, patriarch of the lumberyard, adds that the industry is seeing panic-buying situations where contractors will grab all they can, pay for it, and have it delivered to sites that have not even turned sod.
“No one knows what commodity item might be in short supply next,” Todd said.
He says stores are often given a set amount of certain supplies for the year, which could be screws, joist hangers, or fasteners of any kind, or steel studs, drywall, shingles and insulation.
“A lot of jobs may not get finished because of shortages. We can’t get I-joists, and roof trusses are out 14 weeks.”
Both businesses have seen customers shift their requests from one product to another if the first is not in stock. So, even products not derived from lumber such as drywall have been affected as plans to use wood panelling or wainscotting fall through and an alternate product is used to complete a project. Previously customers could expect a fiveday turnaround on drywall orders. Now, it is more likely to be a sixmonth wait.
Meanwhile, back at a quiet lot on the edge of the Canadian Shield, the Lindsays have contractors to schedule and repeatedly reschedule, and decisions to make about paint, flooring and bathroom fixtures in a rapidly changing and unstable marketplace.
Pete Lindsay is philosophical about the situation, stating that lumber prices were probably due for a correction anyway.
“When I was a kid, you could build a house for less than the cost of buying one. Then, for a long time, that switched around and it was cheaper to buy. Now, we are back to the way things were when I was young.”
Despite the huge jump in prices, it still costs less to build than to buy with a real estate market that has set new heights, not only in big cities but right here in Kawartha Lakes. www.lindsayadvocate.ca
Pete Lindsay, standing where he hopes his home will be one day. Photo: Geoff Coleman.

In Memorium
DAN BURNS
Daniel “Dan” David Burns, 48, known fondly to many as Burnsy, died peacefully May 2 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Devoted husband and best friend to Megan. Beloved dad to Reese and Mya of Lindsay. Treasured son to parents David and Joanne Burns of Lindsay. Cherished brother to Jackie (Garth) Banning and uncle to their children Sam and Matt of Richmond, Ontario. Adored son-in-law to Garr and his late wife Pauline Maywood and brother-in-law to Meredith (Jay) Priddle. Loved grandson to Gord Stewart and his late wife Shirley of Cameron, and the late Mike and Lil Burns and remembered by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Dan was a pillar of the community and loved by many. He was heavily involved in making downtown Lindsay vibrant and strong. He started working at Burns Bulk Food (Country Call at the time) in 1985, when his parents bought it. He and Megan gradually purchased it and Dan fondly spent his days greeting customers and building the business to what it is today. He enjoyed working with multiple generations of family members over the years. He prided himself on the business the family built, and he loved his staff, as they loved him. Dan loved to travel; he and Megan enjoyed the sunshine, exploring new sights, sampling new cocktails and making memories with friends in the sunny south. He treasured the memories made taking the kids camping in tents when they were young and then moving on to long-haul trips in a trailer as they grew up. His happy place was visiting Jack’s Lake in the summer with the whole family. Although he left the world too soon, Dan left a lasting impact on many. He brightened many days, created many smiles, and shared many laughs. Go Leafs, go! A celebration of life will take place when provincial restrictions loosen. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a local charity of your choice, as Dan was all about supporting local. Donations and condolences may be made through the Mackey Funeral Home, 33 Peel Street, Lindsay or online at www.mackeys.ca Business and Residential Tech Support New and Used Laptop & Desktop PC’s Walk-Up Service, No Appointment Necessary
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