Building Materials Prices Improve, But a Rougher Road May Lie Ahead

 

More recently, with the worldwide recession, demand for industrial products has fallen, sending related product prices down. Steel prices, which peaked in third quarter of 2008, are now back around their 2004 level. However, its current price is significantly higher than steel prices as recent as 2001 and 2002. ?EUR??,,????'??? Courtesy of Wolsely

When you specify site amenities you may want to research the historic price of the goods to determine if you?EUR??,,????'???re getting a bargain. Not surprisingly, during a typical housing recession, building materials prices moderate, giving some relief to builders, remodelers and new home buyers. Certainly that was the expectation in the current housing cycle, where overbuilding contributed to large increases in many building materials prices.

In fact, some materials prices have fallen dramatically ?EUR??,,????'??+ notably lumber, gypsum and insulation. But other prices ?EUR??,,????'??+ notably in steel, copper, cement and energy ?EUR??,,????'??+ have continued to rise due to demand outside residential construction. The net effect, until recently, was to see overall building materials prices rise at a fairly rapid pace. ?EUR??,,????'??? Courtesy of NAHB