Two and a half years ago, at the start of the Covid pandemic, there was a tremendous fluctuation of prices and availability for commodity building materials such as lumber and plywood.
During an appearance last Tuesday on “Welcome Home” with builder Brandon Bartow, Paul Braun of Braun Building Center, said all of that has pretty much changed.
“I ordered a card of lumber two weeks ago and it showed up yesterday,” he revealed. “There were times when it took eight weeks to get a card of lumber. Now, everything’s flowing, the inflationary pressures that we’ve all felt for the past 30-odd months are beginning to subside.”
Braun said that while the price of gas is going down, “I see the commodities coming back down. You can tap on the brakes, slam on the brakes I’m not sure exactly. but the raising of interest rates is having an effect on all of the things we do”
Braun said he anticipates returning to close to normal in the spring, after not being in that situation since early 2020.
“It has been extremely unusual,” he told Bartow. “We’re getting back to a more normal feel. The phone ringing about as much as what we’re used to, the amount of deliveries, the estimating. More normal and I’m kind of looking forward to that.”
You can hear “Welcome Home” every Tuesday morning on 107.9 FM WOMT or on 97.1 FM WCUB at 8:30 a.m.
