Spiking lumber costs splinter Clark County homebuilders’ budgets
Published: May 15, 2021, 6:04am
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3 Photos Stacks of lumber sit on the lot ready to be used to construct apartment buildings on Friday at the Latitude 45 apartment complex in Vancouver. Local builders have had to navigate rising lumber prices amid a national spike in demand. (Joshua Hart/The Columbian) Photo Gallery
When Vancouver-based Ginn Development began work on the Latitude 45 apartments in 2019, the cost of lumber per unit for the east Vancouver complex was $8,188.
Phase 2 of the project kicked off this year a similarly sized cluster of similarly designed apartment buildings on an adjacent parcel of land. The lumber cost per unit: $22,805.
Clark County homebuilders decry timing of new energy standards, say home prices will go up
Published: January 28, 2021, 6:06am
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3 Photos A worker lends a hand at a house under construction in the Felida Overlook neighborhood Wednesday morning. A set of energy code updates is set to take effect Feb. 1, and builders have expressed concern that the new rules could drive up construction costs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has already pushed up home prices. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery
Vancouver-area homebuilders say a new round of energy-efficiency standards could add $15,000 or more to the price of new houses, according to the Building Industry Association of Clark County. The timing appears to be their biggest complaint.