Contractors Return Calls: Upsides to Housing Slowdown

Holiday shopping season kicks off today with its usual bounty of bargains, but at Developments we were more intrigued by the lower prices on drywall, framing lumber and oriented strand board reported in today’s Journal. In an article in the Weekend section, Sara Lin reports on an upside to the housing slowdown: building materials cost less — the cost of drywall is down 35%, framing lumber (24%), and strand board (40%).

Plus, Ms. Lin reports, builders, contractors and architects are facing a slowdown in work and are more responsive to their clients. The result: homeowners are moving forward on renovation projects they’ve put off for years. Others are getting price cuts from contractors desperate for work.

Not all areas of the country are equally affected. Builders in Seattle, New York and Los Angeles report business as usual, the article says.

(Read the full story, The Upside to the Downturn) –Emily Friedlander