Effect of the Economy

[jacoballen]

With the economy the way it is, I was wondering what effect is it having on labor prices and more importantly materials. I'm in North Carolina, what is the effect on lumber prices? Thanks!

[concretemasonry]

Not much on materials because of the inventory in place and the overhead costs/shipping are often higher than the raw materials used (and don't change much unless you go belly-up) in the manufacture of building materials.

Labor can be extremely variable because few people keep a big inventory of food.