For 20 years, the National Association of Home Builders has been tracking the availability of building materials in the United States.
“Shortages of materials are now more widespread than at any at any time since … the 1990s, with more than 90 percent of builders reporting shortages of appliances, framing lumber and [oriented strand board],” wrote Paul Emrath, senior economist for NAHB, on June 2.
And shortages mean price increases.
Since April 2020, the cost of lumber has increased 180 percent, according to the NAHB, and that has added $36,000 to the average price of a new single-family home.
“The escalating lumber prices are largely due to insufficient domestic production and extremely large lumber mill curtailments that lasted well into the 2020…
