Tariffs to Raise Construction Costs
I have been warning people about this for months. Luckily, for Hansen Pole Buildings’ clients, we bought lots (as in rail car loads) of lumber back in November and December – this will allow us to hold prices for a limited time.
Article below was published by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) February 3, 2025.
President Trump on Feb. 1 announced an across-the-board tariff of 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods coming into the United States, and these tariffs on building materials will raise construction costs and harm housing affordability.
The 25% tariff on softwood lumber products from Canada is in addition to an effective 14.5% duty rate already in place, meaning that the overall effective Canadian lumber tariffs will rise to nearly 40%.
NAHB Chairman Carl Harris issued the following statement in response to the White House action on tariffs:
“On President Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order directing departments and agencies to deliver emergency price relief by pursuing actions to lower the cost of housing and increase housing supply. This move to raise tariffs by 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods will have the opposite effect. More than 70% of the imports of two essential materials that home builders rely on — softwood lumber and gypsum (used for drywall) — come from Canada and Mexico, respectively.
“Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development, and consumers end up paying for the tariffs in the form of higher home prices. NAHB urges the administration to reconsider this action on tariffs, and we will continue to work with policymakers to eliminate barriers that make housing more costly and prevent builders from boosting housing production.”
In the week prior to the president’s announcement, NAHB had been in contact with administration officials seeking a building materials exemption on the tariffs because of their harmful effect on housing affordability. In addition, NAHB sent a letter to the president stating that “bringing down the cost of housing will require a coordinated effort to remove obstacles to construction, be they regulatory, labor or supply-chain related. NAHB stands ready to work with you to accomplish these goals.”
The letter further stated that the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will be counterproductive by slowing down the domestic residential construction industry.
NAHB will continue to sound the alarm to the administration on the detrimental effects that tariffs on building materials have on housing affordability and continue to seek a tariff exemption for building materials. And we will actively engage with policymakers to reduce regulatory burdens and eliminate other obstacles that are preventing builders from constructing more attainable and affordable housing.
Normally, you can expect to budget for fully engineered post frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per sft (square foot) for conditioned spaces, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits. Hiring a General Contractor (GC) to do everything, will typically double these costs. Acting as your own General Contractor, will put you about half-way between. These costs DO include any concrete slabs on grade.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: After purchasing large kit for residential home what cost can I expect to finish the house? I know a lot depends on finishes and stuff but I want to know if this is a realistic option. We will be purchasing land and we will be installing well and septic but I am just trying to figure building and finishing of house. LAURA in PEARLAND 
DEAR JEFF: Oftentimes it becomes far more practical to tear down and start from a clean slate. Structural upgrades need to be accounted for in making a barn capable of withstanding higher loads and deflection criteria for a residential structure. Should you decide to utilize this existing barn, you should engage a Registered Professional Engineer to physically evaluate this structure and do an analysis of needed upgrades. Combining a barn with a residence also results in fire separation issues, in some jurisdictions, this can mean up to two-hour fire walls, eliminating any ability to go directly from residence into barn.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My license is for between 2,501 square feet to 7,500 square feet of canopy. What size pole building would I need which would leave me room for drying, packaging, etc? DAVID in MAGNOLIA 
DEAR TERRI: Fully engineered post frame, modest tastes, totally DIY, move in ready, budget roughly $70-80 per sft of floor space for living areas, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits. Your new Hansen Pole Building kit is designed for an average physically capable person, who can and will read and follow instructions, to successfully construct your own beautiful building shell, without extensive prior construction knowledge (and most of our clients do DIY – saving tens of thousands of dollars). We’ve had clients ranging from septuagenarians to fathers bonding with their teenage daughters erect their own buildings, so chances are – you can as well! Your new building investment includes full multi-page 24” x 36” structural blueprints detailing location and attachment of every piece (as well as suitable for obtaining Building Permits), our industry’s best, fully illustrated, step-by-step installation manual, and unlimited technical support from people who have actually built post frame buildings. Even better – it includes our industry leading Limited Lifetime Structural warranty! If hiring it done turnkey, expect to pay two to three times as much. This is why so many of our clients do some or all work themselves.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My question is that i want one pole barn to house at least 4 vehicles, an RV as large as 45 ft. and a small home around 500 sq feet. Is this possible? JASON in OWENSBORO 
DEAR MATT: While it would certainly make for a larger screw target, when wall steel panels are predrilled, keeping screw lines straight and hitting commercial girts really is not an issue. Outside of extra materials and more labor, there are a couple of areas of possible concern: 6×6 columns vary in dimension. With a 2×8 commercial girt, extending 1-1/2″ outside of columns, a 6×6 up to 5-3/4″ can easily be hidden. If your idea is to use a 2×6 commercial girt, behind a 2×4 external girt, if columns run over dimension they will leave an uneven surface for internal finish. Of course, should you mount a 2×4 external girt above or below a 2×8 commercial girt (forming an “L”), then this concern goes away. Your other possible challenge would be in connecting these two members. Greatest force on wall girts is outward suction, so your 2×4 external girt and 2×6 bookshelf commercial girt will need to be adequately connected so as to not have external girt pull away and fail. This connection should be analyzed by an engineer.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m curious of the stability of wet set brackets during raising our roof sections. We build our roof bays on the ground with purlins installed then use hand winches mounted to our columns with a pulley at the top. All our columns are embedded in the ground. Would wet-set brackets be stable enough for us to still winch up our truss bays with purlins attached? BRANDON in SNEEDVILLE
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am separating full trusses, 26 ft., 5/12, and making 10 mono trusses. I am using them to make a lean-to to my pole barn. I plan to attach them to the poles/posts, what hardware would you use to hang the bottom cord and top cord (and anything in between) to the side of the pole barn? Thank you! TOM in HASTINGS
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am interested in a smaller pole barn house…around 1200 sq. ft. I would prefer to have a two-story or at least a good sized loft. i wanted a concrete slab…the floors acid washed. Is this possible with a $50,000 budget? DYANN I THEODOSIA
