No one can deny that timber is a fundamental building material. The cost of constructing your home will vary significantly depending on the price of timber. However, the price of timber is known to fluctuate every now and then. This makes it tricky for prospective homeowners to plan accordingly. As such, most of them will go ahead with construction regardless. They will prefer to source timber from the cheapest supplier at the time. Nevertheless, this does not have to be the case. With careful planning, a prospective builder can influence the price of timber. Certain factors are known to affect its price. Understanding them can assist you to plan accordingly. The following are some of these hidden price determinants.

Transport Network

Transport is a major price determinant in the timber business. Poor road networks inflate the price. The converse is true. As such, prospective homeowners should evaluate suppliers and establish the different locations timber will be sourced. For instance, those who source from areas with well-developed transport networks are likely to offer competitive pricing.

Time of the Year

Timber is affected by weather and so is price. During the rainy season, it becomes harder to harvest timber. For example, operating machinery becomes a challenge. Additionally, timber is known to soak water, which makes it harder to process. Such conditions will make prices to go up. On the other hand, price of timber falls during summer. Therefore, prospective homeowners should plan to construct around this time. The overall cost of owning a house will be lower.

Government Regulations

The price of timber will vary depending on the existing government regulations. For example, if value added tax goes up, this will be passed on to the end consumer in form of price increments. If you are keen, you will notice that prices of commodities go up just before the government reads the annual budget. This is speculation because of anticipated tax changes. In this case, a prospective homeowner should plan to buy timber at a different period. It is also common for authorities to effect localized regulatory changes, for example, to control logging. In such cases, it is advisable buy timber elsewhere for competitive pricing.

Source Forest

The source of timber affects pricing. However, this has something to do with quality. Older forests will produce better quality timber as opposed to younger ones. As a prospective homeowner, you should consider a good balance between the two. You will end up with a good quality home and some change.

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