Made In China, Shipped In A Box

GregS

Just watched an episode of Flip That House. Couple of guys bought a house, measured it all out and then ordered all their tile, granite, doors, windows, fixtures, mouldings, and cabinets from CHINA. It arrived in a big shipping container and they proceeded to install it all.

"Nearly every piece of building material you buy... ...is likely either fabricated or finished in China."

Said about 10 tonnes of granite alone.

Do you see this as becoming more common? Is it common now?

mdshunk

There was a user on this site who was a granite guy from China. He had a website where you could order your slabs from China, and even after shipping from overseas, it still beat the pants off locally quarried goods. A trend? Maybe not yet, but it is certainly attractive.

GregS

How about quality?

Maybe they add some lead paint to the finish process?

thesidingpro

The Chinese and Japanese have thought of everything. Trust me.

Cole

Exactly what I was thinking.

__________________
Tulsa's Leader in Outdoor Living Construction | Facebook | Tulsa Pergola Builder | Tulsa Outdoor Kitchens

mdshunk

Well, you can probably answer that for yourself. You always get what you pay for.

Bone Saw

ipe is practically unavailable now, caus china's buying it all up, they'll mill it than ship it back it will be outrageous

Tmrrptr

I buy as much as I can locally.
Basically, I NEED the folks around me to prosper.
Yet I do buy a lot of import goods.
r

Susan Betz

We buy imported steel pipe from China for steel braces and posts for fence, from an out of state import company. We can't compete with other large fencing companies without doing that. Everything else is bought locally.

Once the price of fuel gets high enough, imports will be less attractive.

__________________
Fences of Distinction, Ocala, FL
http://www.fencesofdistinction.com

newguy07

Fuel and the dollar.

Oh yea and hi from brooksville,fl

Mike Finley

Here is a fake news report I made up and posted in this thread about a month ago :

http://www.contractortalk.com/showth...t=26244&page=2


I made it up to make a point, figuring the responses to it would be of out rage and disbelief and spur immediate discussion.

To my suprise nobody question what I thought was the outrageousness of it

KentWhitten

I'd say that's not going to be too far into the future Mike.

I made some luaun templates for 4 curved marble staircases this last spring. Locally, they were going to cost $75K each, to send them to China and back....$6K each. Can't compete with that. And actually, if I were in the GC's shoes and I had that option....to get the same product for $275K in my pocket....I'd have a damn hard time saying no.

It'd have to be guaranteed apples for apples.

I'm hoping this little mini backlash against illegals and China continues, but I doubt it seriously. The US is too acceptant on cheap prices and this reflects in our buying habits of cheap imports.

Construction industry is dying in the US.

__________________
If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place ~Lao Tzu

Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

TimNJ

I just got a couple of half louver half panel interior pine doors last week. I ordered them from HD but they came from REEB millwork. Stamped on the bottom of the door "Made in China". I couldn't believe it. Trashed out some entry doors that had leaded glass inserts from ODL and on the edge of the glass unit "Made in Thailand".

If we are shipping logs over there (China) maybe we will send over some pests that will destroy their tress similar to them sending the Asian Long Horned beetle here. That bug is doing some real damage here in the Northeast.

concretemasonry

The Chinese do not have a lot of trees that they are wiling to export for lumber and millwork.

They import lumber from the U.S., Russia and others for processing and shipping as an export product.

They really do not build their housing out of wood because of ecological, fire, sound and structural reasons. Most housing is concrete block ot concrete. An older system is clay brick, which is being phased out (since 1997) because of pollution, ecology and land use (housing and food) interests.

Wood construction is looked at as temporary, sub-standard housing.

They do a great job of processing wood, depending on the demands of the international customers. - The make some of the finest violins in the world and also make the most in the world for the big box store mentality.

It is an intersting place.

__________________
Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

Dale S.

Anyone know what episode this was? Or wher eit can be found to be viewed?

dale

GregS

It was on TLC on Saturday the 6th. The episode entitled "Jon and Sandy"

"Jon and Sandy are rehabbing a 2400 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bath home that they bough for $352,000 in Las Vegas, NV. They have a budget of $90,000 and a 4 month schedule to complete. Will they finish on time and on budget?"

Home Serve

We bought some 5/8" sheetrock at either lowes or hd over a year ago and was quite surprised to see "made in china" on it. Can you imagine what it cost to ship that stuff over here??
I'm for supporting local suppliers also tho as much as possible!!
dave

__________________
Missouri Remodeling Company with services for Replacement Windows Vinyl Siding and Entry Doors

troubleseeker

[quote=BuildingHomes;298690]Just watched an episode of Flip That House.

So.. how many beers do you have to drink to be able to sit through an episode of that crap. Has got be one of the most irritating shows I have ever stumbled across. These assh***s can't be for real, are they? Not only the owners, but the low lifes they always find to do , or usually attempt to do, the work.

As for trying to buy direct from China, how much work have you done for anyone in China lately? How much money do you think you will be able to get for your work in another 15 years, when all of the decent paying manufacturing , technical skilled jobs have been relocated overseas to get $3 per day labor, and we are a nation of Wal-Mart and Home Depot clerks?

Bill

I used to drive a big truck over the road. I picked up 60,000 lbs of pure aluminum ingots from Port of maryland. The shipping papers said it was going to Reynolds Metals, here in Petersburg, VA. Well when I got there I looked and saw a pile of aluminum that was a junkmans heaven. Must had been 5 acres piled 20 feet tall. I asked the man why do you want this when you have all that? he said it was cheaper to get pure aluminum from overseas and melt it down. he said they realy did not want US aluminum. I also found that most of the recycle containers that you see actually dump in the landfills because they pay so little for this stuff no one can make any money on it. So the rubbish companies charge extra for these containers to be out there, then dump it at a landfill

__________________
Is it beer thirty yet
Virginia Department of Licensing
Virginia Plumbing Codes

troubleseeker

[quote=concretemasonry;298965]The Chinese do not have a lot of trees that they are wiling to export for lumber and millwork.

They import lumber from the U.S., Russia and others for processing and shipping as an export product.

Exactly the point I am trying to make in my other reply. Instead of taking the raw materials and adding value to them in our country, which is what actually "produces" money, we seem to love to support the idea of giving our raw products away for next to nothing, and then buying back the value added products. But why would we want to have a factory paying workers $20 per hour, when we can have a $9 per hour job , complete with a free orange apron or blue smock.

Yes, like everyone, I do own some foreign made products, but I try to support American made whenever possible.