Lumber and Building Supplies Hit By Another Wave of Pricing Pressure

First it was inflation, then supply chain issues and then tariffs. Now the war in Iran is the latest external factor to hit material costs.

QXO Looking to Hit $50 Billion Mark in Next Few Years

After a big acquisition year, the giant distributor looks to grow through both new deals and internal expansion. Speaking recently at the Economic Club of New York, company founder Brad Jacobs said that QXO’s acquisition earlier this year of Beacon Roofing Supply was just the first step in his goal to take the company to […]

Specialty Building Products’ OrePac Deal Latest Consolidation

The agreement to buy OrePac Building Products continues an industry trend of mergers and acquisitions around the country. The deal unites Georgia-based Specialty Building Products, LLC (SBP) with OrePac, a regional distributor of specialty building materials based in Oregon. Financial terms for the acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the year,  […]

Home Depot & Lowe’s: Who’s Winning the Pro Market?

The two giant home remodeling retail chains have been doubling down their efforts to serve the professional market. It was Lowe’s that made the latest move in this back-and-forth competition to enhance their contractor sectors with its purchase of Foundation Building Materials last month. The $8.8 billion deal is expected to close in the fourth […]

Home Depot Doubles Down on Pro Market with $5.5 Billion Buy

In HD’s latest move to expand its contractor business, the big chain has bought building materials distributor GMS. It was a spirited fight but in the end, Home Depot was the winner. After private equity-backed dealmaker QXO, fresh off its acquisition of Beacon Roofing Supply this spring, made an initial offer to buy Georgia-based Gypsum […]

What True Value’s New Ownership Means for the Chain

With the deal done for Do it Best to take over the hardware and building products retailer it could mean new growth for True Value. With over 8,000 stores and annual revenues of more than $6 billion the newly combined company becomes an even more significant player on the building products retail scene following a […]

Building Trade Steps Up in Wake of Hurricane Helene

The latest natural disaster caused billions of dollars of damage in a path from the Florida Big Bend into the Western Carolinas. The toll will be staggering when it’s all added up following the destructive bent Hurricane Helene took and while it will eventually result in a boom in the rebuilding trade in the affected […]

The Mass Timber Business Is Booming but Geography Is a Factor

Around the world, the use of mass timber for new construction has skyrocketed but in some parts of the world builders need to be careful. New mass timber buildings, some as high as 30 stories, are turning up in the U.S., Europe and Asia but a new report suggests that certain climates are less hospitable […]

Lumber Prices Don’t Get Usual Spring Boost

As the building and construction sectors continue to struggle, reduced demand for lumber is depressing prices this year. In the spring a builder’s thoughts always turn to buying wood. But not so much this year. With both residential and commercial building not getting its usual bump in the spring season, lumber prices are at levels […]

Have Building Material Prices Peaked?

New data from the Producer Price Index suggests that costs are coming down on things like softwood lumber as part of an overall decline in material costs. The wild ride up in construction materials in 2023 may have peaked as the year ended and going into 2024 we could see some declines in those costs, […]