Demand for Linwood home packages is at an all-time high.  However, due to the Covid pandemic and subsequent supply chain delays, our shipping process and material supply have been affected.

We always try to maintain a high inventory of all materials in order to minimize supply problems, however, we are encountering some significant challenges regarding specific materials, particularly trusses, windows, and composite siding.  

The good news is that we have expanded our purchasing and inventory to ensure that we have a minimum of 6 months of lumber, plywood, and OSB.

This protects you from any supply chain shortages while also guaranteeing our pricing on volatile commodities.

However, the materials that can cause delays are the ones specific to your own home package. We are ordering these items earlier than ever but have been affected by supplier and supply chain delays. 

It’s not an ideal situation and we want to be totally transparent with you about why it’s currently happening, and how to minimize any problems.  

Trusses: 

Linwood home packages that include trusses will be subject to longer than normal lead times.

We will give you our best estimate on timing based on supplier projections, but we can’t say with absolute certainty when your order will be delivered until the trusses are actually in production. Your Project Advisor will communicate your delivery date with you as information becomes available.  

We are sourcing smaller trusses in West Coast plants where the turnaround has been faster than in the East. 

However, we are suggesting that designs be changed to use Linwood’s solid wood rafter system. The material required is completely within Linwood’s control and we can offer a faster delivery time frame of 3-4 weeks after an order is placed in production. 

Windows and Siding:

Some of the raw materials for windows and composite siding are produced offshore and continue to be impacted by Covid. This in turn affects our North American suppliers. 

Glazing material, paint lines, and some window components have a much longer lead time than usual. Fiber cement products and the resins used in their coatings are also on an allocation basis across North America. We are ordering windows and siding as early as possible in the production process to minimize delays on site.  

We are trying to source comparable windows from alternative suppliers with shorter lead times while ensuring their quality meets our current standards. In these situations, we will contact you to give you a choice of alternative suppliers. 

With regards to siding, factory pre-finishing currently requires a longer lead time. To reduce timelines, we are letting customers move to primed siding and then coordinating the painting themselves. If it is an option you’d like to take, we are happy to credit your package to move to primed only siding products.

Freight: 

This is an area that has been much discussed with Covid supply chains. We are experiencing the same shortage of trucking personnel (and in some cases the actual trucks themselves) that is affecting North America. This is not limited to inland delivery but is also affecting suppliers requiring material through ports. 

Even the shipping companies often do not know until the week of delivery how many trucks they are going to be able to make available to us. We are asking for your patience, and we’re pushing hard every week. This does tie our hands in the sense that we cannot easily accommodate site-caused changes in the delivery schedule.

It is important to ensure that both your project advisor and builder know where and when (on-site) materials will be dropped. 

We are booking trucks several weeks in advance of your estimated delivery dates. 

Reserving equipment for unloading is recommended but please don’t finalize equipment arrangements with your builder for unloading on-site until you are sure of your delivery date.  Most equipment rentals are available in the timeline you would need to book them. 

Committed to Transparent Communication

One day all of this will come to an end… however, we anticipate delivery delays until spring and possibly even into the summer of 2022. 

What we can commit to is that as soon as we have updates, we will communicate them to our Project Advising team, Distributors, and our Customers, so all can stay informed.  

Thank you,

On behalf of the Linwood Product and Materials Fulfillment team.