A message from Josh Smith, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’s Director of Construction
My favorite cut of lumber is a 2x4x10 (I know I’m not alone in having one…am I?). One day when lumber was particularly expensive at the height of supply chain issues during the pandemic, I grabbed a post it, wrote down the price – and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’m not sure exactly how many of these sticky little squares I’ve gone through, but this one’s the latest.
You’d be surprised how much one cut of lumber can vary in price depending on the circumstances. For instance, right now, a single board of 2x4x10 costs around $4.50 – $4.85 on any given day. But during the pandemic, that same board was almost fifteen bucks! It’s fascinating how scarcity and something’s value go hand in hand.
I’ve thought about that connection between scarcity and value a lot since I started working for Habitat Saint Louis. Affordable, safe, sturdy housing for families who don’t make a lot of money no matter how hard they work is a rare commodity in our region.
As I write this blogpost to you, I also checked the cost of a 2x4x10, which today is $4.68 per board. Every house we build has about 600 of these boards as part of the framework. We have 27 homes currently under construction, with 5 more about to get started.
All told, that’s just a little under $90,000 in 2x4x10’s that we’re going to need to finish all the houses we’re working on this year.
Here’s my challenge to you: would you consider making a donation today to help us make sure that we have enough 2x4x10’s to finish the work we’ve started? Together, I’ll bet we can raise $90,000 by the end of September to cover the costs of all our 2x4x10’s for the rest of the year. You can donate directly here.
And keeping follow along here as I give insights into the daily life of a Director of Construction and we update our progress to meet our goal!
