Jim Larsh, CEO of Buck’s Roofing INC, advises homeowners who are concerned about current high roofing material costs, to become fully informed about their available options, and the current building materials situation, before making a decision about how, and when, to get their roofing project completed.
More information can be found at the company website at https://BucksRoofing.com.
Pandemic-caused sawmill shutdowns, quarantining Americans buying supplies for do-it-yourself home projects, and a concurrent housing market boom are exacerbating the shortage of building materials. This supply-and-demand mismatch causes lumber inventory to decrease dramatically, and the prices of said inventory to soar.
The current high cost of roofing materials and lumber, and shortages in supplies, has impacted residential and commercial roofing projects in the San Jose, CA area. According to Kevin Lewis, CEO of San Francisco Bay Area-based Al’s Roofing Supply and Buck’s Roofing’s supplier, “A half-inch sheet of 3-ply CDX plywood today will cost you $70 – $85 a sheet, depending on where it’s purchased. Just three weeks ago, that same sheet of plywood was $52 and two months ago, $36 would get it delivered to your rooftop.” Regarding asphalt prices, Lewis said, “Asphalt manufacturers have had four price increases since August 2020, pushing asphalt products up by 25 to 30 % since then.” Manufacturers have also put roofing supply houses on allocation, limiting the quantity and frequency suppliers can obtain materials, as well as limiting the selection of colors and styles of asphalt products available.
On the supply end, suppliers such as Lewis can’t get loads guaranteed to them because the big builders have purchased them all. Whatever supplies they are able to obtain, are quickly swept up by contractors waiting in line for their materials to arrive so they can complete their projects for homeowners.
The high cost of materials may discourage some homeowners from starting a roof replacement, unless the roof project does not require installing plywood. Plywood has seen the most dramatic price increases. Existing asphalt composition roofs or flat roofs that don’t have a lot of dry-rot may not require a plywood installation, so costs are not as heavily impacted. Existing wood shake or wood shingle roofs may need to have plywood installed, which is costly in today’s market.
There could be a softening of material prices later this year, but indicators show material prices continuing to rise over the next several months. Suppliers are hopeful that by the end of 2022 they will see a marked reduction in building and roofing material prices, as well as an increase in supplies.
Jim Larsh advises, “For roofs that need replacing immediately, begin the roof replacement now. Don’t wait to see if prices are going to come down anytime soon, because they probably won’t. The other option is to ‘spot repair’ the roof, if the repair can be done at a reasonable price. Then replace the roof sometime near the end of 2022, or, when prices come down. If plywood installation is not required for your roof replacement, then pull the trigger and replace your roof today.”
Jim Larsh may be contacted at https://BucksRoofing.com/.
About Bucks Roofing Inc.
Buck’s Roofing is a roofing services company based in San Jose, CA, serving the San Jose and Santa Cruz areas. The CEO, Jim Larsh, oversees every project. Jim is a graduate of San Jose State University in Environmental Studies. His work embodies the high standard of a Master Roofer, dedicated to completing the build excellently, the first time, every time.
