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Trade War Hurts California Wildfire Victims

Import tariffs imposed by the U.S. are driving up construction costs, and that’s being felt strongly by those seeking to quickly rebuild homes razed by California wildfires. The cost of materials could increase the cost of building a typical new home by as much as $20,000, according to building association leaders. And the price to rebuild could be even higher for custom-homes.

California Building Industry Association’s Dan Dunmoyer told AP News that contractors say the tariffs alone could add $8,000 to $10,000 to the lumber costs for a typical single-family home, and roughly the same for steel products used in homebuilding.

When combined with the shortage of construction labor, the increased demand is coming at a time when global trade wars, in particular between the U.S. and China, are negatively affecting wildfire victims. The problem isn’t expected to abate soon, and could be exacerbated as a result of several fires burning across the state.


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Inside The Story

Read more at AP NewsConnect With California Building Industry Association's Dunmoyer

About Dennis Kaiser

Dennis Kaiser is Vice President of Content and Public Relations for Connect Commercial Real Estate. Dennis is a communications leader with more than 30 years of experience including as a journalist and in corporate and agency marketing communications roles. He is responsible for Connect’s client content operations and is involved in a range of initiatives ranging from content strategy, message development, copywriting, media relations, social media and content marketing services. In his most recent corporate communications roles, he led a regional public relations effort across Southern California for CBRE, played a key marketing role on JLL’s national retail team, and was responsible for directing the global public relations effort at ValleyCrest, the nation’s largest commercial landscape services company. In addition to his vast commercial real estate experience, Dennis has worked on communications and launch strategies for a number of residential projects such as Disney’s Celebration in Florida, Ritter Ranch in Palmdale California (7,200 homes, 22,000 acres), WaterColor in Florida and PremierGarage in Phoenix. Dennis’s agency background included firms such as Idea Hall and Macy + Associates. He has earned an outstanding reputation with organization leaders as a trusted advisor, strategic program implementer, consensus builder and exceptional collaborator. Dennis has developed and managed national communications programs for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, both public and private. He’s successfully worked with journalists across the globe representing clients involved in major-breaking news stories, product launches, media tours, and company news announcements. Dennis has been involved in a host of charitable and community organizations including the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, BoyScouts, Chrysalis Foundation, Freedom For Life, HOLA, L.A.’s BEST, Reach Out and Read, Super Bowl Host Committee, and Thunderbirds Charities.