To see how burgeoning lumber prices are impacting the U.S. housing market, we’ve calculated the number of single family homes that could be built with $50,000 worth of lumber. First, we established the following parameters:

• Lumber requirements: 6.3 board feet (bd ft) per square foot (sq ft)
• Median single family house size: 2,301 sq ft
• Total lumber required per single family house: 14,496 bd ft

Based on these parameters, here’s how many single family homes can be built with $50,000 worth of lumber:

Date* Lumber Price Total Lumber Purchased Total Homes Built
2021-05-05 $1,635 per 1,000 bd ft 30,581 bd ft 2.11
2020-05-04 $343 per 1,000 bd ft 145,773 bd ft 10.05
2015-05-01 $234 per 1,000 bd ft 213,675 bd ft 14.74
2010-05-01 $270 per 1,000 bd ft 185,185 bd ft 12.77