Build your house now: Low lumber prices mean big savings

Build your house now: Low lumber prices mean big savings

Plummeting lumber prices, combined with relatively low interest rates and stabilized land costs make this an exceptional time to build a house, area homebuilders say.

People can build a more affordable home today than a year ago, said Jim Belanger, president of Tuscany Custom Homes in DeForest.

Raw lumber used in housing construction is probably one- third less expensive than this time last year, he said.

The material costs for lumber should decrease the cost of an average home between $5,000 and $10,000, Belanger said. However, increasing costs for copper and petroleum-based products, such as electrical and roofing materials, over the last year can balance out that savings, he said.

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