16 hours Ago
DALLAS — As President Trump threatened to place tariffs on lumber imports from Canada, the home building industry is bracing for a potential impact. Trump’s announcement of potential tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy products came a day after he offered Canada and Mexico a one-month reprieve on tariffs . "I think the tariffs are going to be the greatest thing we've ever done as a country.
It's going to make our country rich again," Trump said. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the U.S.
gets nearly a quarter of its lumber supply from Canada. In a statement, Buddy Hughes, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), commended the Trump administration for delaying tariffs and said: “As we enter the spring home building season, NAHB remains concerned that the continued threat of tariffs will make it harder for builders and their customers to move ahead with new construction projects. With the nation facing a housing affordability crisis, we continue to believe that critical construction materials should be exempt from any future tariffs.
” Danny Lee, a Dallas-based developer with F80 Construction, said the potential tariffs on Canadian lumber have caused uncertainty for home builders. “It’s stressful,” Le said. “Even though the tariffs haven’t hit, my subs are already telling me the costs might go up.
That concerns me,” Le said. Le told WFAA his subcontractors have already warned him that if tariffs are imposed, the cost of home building materials will increase. “How much is it gonna go up by? We don’t really know,” Le said.
“I don’t wanna built it to lose money. If they impose the tariff and they end up taking the tariff away and we’ve already spent the money, there’s no way to recoup that unless we sell that property for more.” Industry experts say tariffs on home building costs will be passed onto the consumer, which will make home prices rise.
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