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Home and rental prices continue to soar in Northern Nevada and Northeastern California, leaving more working families and individuals on the brink. Seniors, college students, single parents, immigrants, and the working poor are particularly vulnerable. Some must choose to pay rent over buying food or securing healthcare. The lack of affordable housing in urban and rural areas alike is changing the identity of this region. In response, the KUNR newsroom is examining housing through many lenses, including the economic, political, and public health impacts.You can also subscribe to the Priced Out Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Canadian Timber Tariffs Raising Local Construction Costs

Rob Sabo
Framers work May 9 on the roofline of a home at Lennar's Plateau community in Somersett in Northwest Reno. The aggregate price for 1,000 board feet of common framing materials is up 60 percent from January 2016.

Tariffs enacted on softwood lumber imported from Canada are helping create a "perfect storm" of escalating construction costs in Northern Nevada. Our contributor Kaleb Roedel of the Northern Nevada Business Weekly has the details.

Last December, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed tariffs on five of Canada's largest producers of softwood lumber such as fir, spruce and pine. Those materials are commonly used to build single-family homes and multi-family apartment complexes.

The tariffs are set at 20.8 percent for the majority of Canadian softwood producers, and they're leading to increased construction costs for projects throughout the region.

Don Tatro is the executive director of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada. He says the tariffs amount to additional materials costs of nearly $6,400 per single-family home and $2,400 per multi-family unit.

To read the rest of the story, please visit the Northern Nevada Business Weekly.

KUNR is providing in-depth coverage on the lack of affordable housing in the region. Head to KUNR.org to check out our series Priced Out: The Housing Crunch.

Kaleb is an award-winning journalist and KUNR’s Mountain West News Bureau reporter. His reporting covers issues related to the environment, wildlife and water in Nevada and the region.
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