Eliminating lumber could be due to supply issues. The whole bloody continent is short on supply of building materials. A 2x4 stud that was $2 is over $8 up here now and a $20 sheet of OSB is $50! We've talked to builders who have had the material costs for a new home increase by $100,000.
As a custom wood shop and a small manufacturer, I am totally feeling this. I don't buy from the big box stores but have major distributors. I start my opening lines to my sales reps with "You can stop laughing any time now, but do you have any of XXX in stock and what is the crazy price today?"
I do a lot of short run manufacturing for one of my customers. They have a long term contract that is great but also not great in that is locks in prices to their end customer. I feel like I've spent half of the last 3 weeks analyzing the material price changes and the impact to my customer. But because of their contract, I develop options for them because they can't just raise their prices. Total time killer, but it's why they keep sending me work. I take care of them in times like this.
