The price of building a home keeps climbing — and uncertainty isn’t helping

In the dusty, extra-wide lumber aisle of Home Depot , a contractor taps the neatly piled boards as he walks, sizing up the wood that will soon become the backbone of his next project.

He’s on contract to rebuild a privacy fence in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., beloved for its quiet, narrow streets and century-old homes. The project is a simple one, but comes with an elevated price tag.

It’s a frustration shared nationwide, as rising prices for humble materials strain construction budgets of all sizes.

Over the past six years, the cost of nearly every major building material — from lumber and steel to concrete and drywall — has risen sharply. Some prices spiked during the pandemic and eased, while others have climbed steadily with no sign of slowing.

Toge