Home improvement projects have become even more popular this year as people spend more time around the house.  According to a Bankrate poll, 59 percent of homeowners have already invested $500 or more on improvements around the house this year during the pandemic.  Jeff Dorner, president of the Wisconsin Builders Association and project manager at Van’s Lumber and Custom Builders in Dyckesville, says that the inquiries for quoted jobs are a daily occurrence at work.

Dorner adds that the only issue facing the building world is the price of materials is going up and the availability of prices is not there.  He estimates that the cost of treated lumber has more than doubled in the past few months due to the closure of plants that produced the chemicals to treat the lumber.  Structural sheeting for walls and roofing is also in short supply.