I like to chat with the guys at the hardware store whenever I’m picking up building supplies.
I’ve been trying to finish a mother-in-law suite for the past year but I had no choice but to finish it incrementally when supply chain backups prevented me from accessing the wood and supplies I needed.
Things haven’t really improved that much at this stage in the pandemic. I can finally get the wood and supplies that I need, but the prices have gone up considerably. I talked to the lumber guy at the hardware store the other day about these various building and contractor supply chain issues since early 2020, and he told me that it’s just as bad with concrete and rebar supplies. Coils of stainless steel rebar tie wire were virtually nonexistent at his store for several months in late 2020, and it didn’t matter if you were buying 16-gauge or 18-gauge. He had regular customers who weren’t satisfied with just galvanized steel rebar because of the coastal nature of their construction projects. It’s easier to find 304 and 316 stainless steel rebar tie wire these days, especially from Selkirk Metals. Their products are used for a wide variety of different applications, from free-standing buildings to bridges and cause-ways. The metals are corrosion resistant and flexible, and there are options like PVC coated steel rebar tie wire that has an extra layer of protection from weathering and degradation. Some of the oldest buildings in my coastal city are built with stainless steel rebar tie wire that has stood the test of time, despite the salinity of our ambient air being so close to the ocean.