Lowe's Expands Contractor Services

Lowe's has forged a strategic partnership with Porch.com, Seattle, Wa., to connect homeowners with contractors for work outside the chain's current installation services, such as painting, landscaping and general handyman repairs.

The service will start in 139 stores in the metro Seattle area and the Carolinas, and eventually expand nationwide.

"Working with Porch is another great example of how Lowe's supports our customers throughout every step of the home improvement journey," said Jay Rebello, v.p.-new business development & corporate innovation at Lowe's. "By partnering with Porch, Lowe's can help our customers achieve their home improvement dreams by providing them with the confidence of knowing who their neighbors have used successfully, and benefit our professional customers by providing them greater opportunities to grow their businesses."

Porch's network includes more than 1.5 million pros who have completed more than 90 million projects.

If a Lowe's customer needs a pro for a service Lowe's does not currently offer, employees can access the Porch network of pros on their mobile devices and in-store terminals to identify local providers. After the job is complete, the homeowner can simply and quickly provide feedback about the experience on Porch.com.

Additionally, Lowe's pro customers across the nation have the opportunity to join the Porch network for free, giving them exposure to Lowe's consumers in need of specific services to complete their home improvement projects. A paid, premium pro membership is also available for greater access to local home improvement projects and trends.

WWPA Uproots after 80 Years

After more than 80 years in the iconic Yeon Building at 522 S.W.5th Ave. in Portland, Or., the Western Wood Products Association relocated its headquarters to a new address in the city's downtown core.

At the end of January, WWPA moved to the new Crown Plaza Building (1500 SW lst Ave., Suite 870). which better matches the association's long-term space requirements. Phone and fax numbers did not change.

Roofing Growth Picks Up

The U.S. roofing market is predicted to grow 6.63Vo annually over the next five years, according to a new TechNavio forecast.

Key factors contributing to this market growth are the devastation caused by natural calamities and the adoption of TPO membranes. One hindrance, however, may be the need to make specialized roofing solutions affordable.

Vacant Mill Goes Up in Smoke

Police are investigating yet another suspicious fire at Welco Lumber's former mill site in Marysville, Wa.

The latest blaze on Jan. 1 I caused one building on the five-acre waterfront complex to collapse. Authorities typically receive two to three calls a year for small fires at the site, although the mill suffered major damage in a 2010 fire set by local teens.

The mill operated from 1987 to 2007, producing cedar fencing and dimensional lumber.

Prlco Company Town for Sale

The town of Scotia, Ca., a company town formed by the former Pacific Lumber, is up for sale by Marathon Asset Management, a hedge fund group based in New York City.

In 2006, Marathon began lending millions of dollars to PALCo, which it saw as underperforming, but salvageable. Two years later, PeLCo was reorganized in bankruptcy to form Humboldt Redwood Co. The town of Scotia-including its 272 homes, two churches, a hotel, and several commercial buildings-was turned over to Marathon, which also has an 18.57o stake in the restructured comoanv.

The town got its start in 1884, when Pnlco started logging operations near Scotia and built an employee bunkhouse for its loggers. When its first sawmill opened three years later, a boarding house and 100 individual houses were also built. In 1910, when the company's second sawmill opened-billed as the world's largest redwood mill-more homes, plus hotels, were constructed.

Marathon has made needed improvements, such as installing new insulation on homes and a stormdrainage system to replace the old wooden one. "We all understand there's more value in real estate if it's more desirable and in better condition," said Daniel Pine, a Marathon director who oversees the investment.

Now the town's 1,000 residents (who generally rent their homes) are being offered the right to purchase them outright. A 2010 analysis filed with Humboldt County indicated that Marathon expects the homes (mostly wood-frame buildings with redwood floors) to sell for $ 175,000 to $225,000. Other assets, such as the power plant or the 22-room hotel, have already been sold or are on the market.

Global Trade of Softwood Lumber to Hit Five-Year High

With dcnrand for lurlbcr bcing irr recovcrv rnocle irr 20 l3 lbr a numbcr o1'countrics. globll trade o1'both lum bcr ancl lo-9s uits on track to rcach theil Irighcst lcrcls sincc beforc lhc globrrl I'inancial crisis bcqan in 2008. reports thc Wotrl Re.torrrt'c Quttrterl.r'. Thc biggcst increascs in ()\'er' scas lurnbcr tradc havc hccn ll'ont ('anada tcl China lnd frorn the Nordic coLrntrie s to .lapan.

Global tradc of both logs und softrioocl lunrber rrlrs highcr in 20 l3 than it u'as rn 20 12. with both ploclucts rcaching their highe st lcr els trldcd since bclirrc thc globirl financial crisis. Thc toful value trlclcd in l0 l3 rias cstllnatcd to cxcccrl $50 billion (e'rtrapolatecl lronl clata for tlre lirst l0 rlontlts of thc 1'car'). r.r'ith ulnrost tvu'o-thircls of thc value bcing that of sofiwood prcltlucts. Althougli shipnrcnts of logs herve incrcascd faster than shilrrncnts ol lunrbcr thc Dast fivc verars. the total vulue ol tradccl lurnber is still rn:rrc than doLrblc that o1'logs.

Softu'ood lunrbcr is. b1' tirr thc rnost cornn'ronly shippccl u'ocld product wor'ldr,i icle. -fhe Lt .S. continucs to bc thc rnlLjor clestination for intcrnationully triLdccl lunrber. r." ith Cunucla cLlrrentll supply'in.L alnrost 9(r% of all inrports to thc countr),. Lurnbcr- shippcd b1 brcak-bulk vesscls or bv containcr ships accountccl lbl nrolc than hall'of the total volunrc ol'lunrbcr tr.aclccl in the u'orld in 20 13. The larecst overscas tradc llovu's wcrc bctuccn Canacla ancl Asia. lirl louccl b1' shipmcnts l'rom Sweclcn to the Unitecl Kingcftrrl and Northeln Al'rica.

The biggest changes ir.r orerscas lunrbcr tradc in l0 l.l hlLve been a continuecl incrcase in exports llorn thc Nolrlic countries to Asia (nrainly Japan) and frurn North Amclicu (rnainly Canada) to Clhina. uhile there has bccn a dcclinc in tradc rr'ithin Europe und in shipnrents 1l'orn nrost sultplling countries to Northern Africa. The unrest and unccrtain political situation in Egypt has lcft supplling sa*nrills searching fbr altcrnative markets and rnanv lunrbcr conlpanics in Europe and Russia have founcl neu' ol.rprrrtunitre s tbr increascd sales in Asia over the past l2 rnonths.

There has been an unprecedcnted incrcasc in dcrnand fbr softwood lumber in Asia thc- past fevn'r,ears. with thc three mnjor importing countrics (Japan, China and SoLrth Korea) together importing more than twicc as nruch lunrber in 2(1 1-l as comparcd to fivc 1'ears ago.

With a strcngthcning lunrbcr nrarkct in the U.S.. lVoori ResorrrL e Quurterlt expects Canadian sawrnills in thc wcstern prclvinces to redirect sonre of theil current shipmcnts. u,hich havc bcen going to Asia, into the Americarr market in 201,1. As a cor.rscqur:ncc. ()pl()rtLrnities could risc for European and l-atin American lunrbcr proclucers to expand erportation to both Japan ancl China.

Deceuninck Adds Lamination Lines

Dcceuninck North Arnerica. Monroe. Oh.. has adclecl three nrore PVC lincal lanrination lincs to nrcct -qro\\'ins denilrncl l'or l nttrle color opti,rrt:.

"The dcmand for lamination triplecl in thc pust rc'rrr." saicl Filip Geeraert. presiclent ancl c.e .o. "Dcccuninck's adclition of thrce ncw' lanrination lines rcl-lccts our-cornrnitnrcnt to mccting this dcrnand fur more custornized color solu(ions that conlornr to dcsign spccifications. ancl help busincsses ancl horneou'ncrs give their space u sigrruture Iook."