Two recent surveys by the National Association of Home Builders give a fresh perspective on how builders and remodelers are patronizing distribution channels today. The chart above and table below are taken from October 2024 surveys of single-family home builders and remodelers. Both surveys asked respondents where they purchase building products, regardless of whether it is they or their subcontractors that ultimately do the buying.
The chart above suggests that lumberyards are a slightly more popular purchasing source for certain products than they are for remodelers. The big exception is trusses. That might be because builders’ needs for large numbers of trusses might make it more logical for them to go to specialized truss manufacturers rather than a dealer.
Lumberyards, speciality retailers, and wholesale distributors collectively account for about 70% of building product purchases, NAHB estimates. Remodelers are three times as likely to patronize a home center as a builder would. Here’s the breakdown by channel:
