How Your Renovation Can Survive Building Supply Shortages
Long delays in sourcing building material could mean home renovators risk not even starting their project until 2022. Mark Trafford, the managing director and founder of the national renovations franchise Maintain To Profit, said that with New Zealand’s borders shut and serious shipping delays at the country’s largest ports, Kiwis are still facing a perhaps three-to-six-month lag to get even some of the simplest building materials like decking timber. “There is still a huge problem with supply. The entire building sector is struggling to source decking timber, framing timber, GIB Aqualine (for bathrooms and wet areas) and other key products. “And it’s not just imported versions of these materials. Timber and decking products manufactured in New Zealand are also clogged up,” Trafford said. Many construction materials have already experienced considerable jumps in price this year. The delays are having a serious impact on lead times too. For instance, a pallet of plywood used to take two days to receive, but now it can take two weeks. Trafford said appliances can also take dozens of weeks to arrive in the country. “It’s a juggling act to get this sorted out. This week the delays might be for framing, next week it will be for appliances, and the next week after will be something else. It just doesn’t stop,” he said. The supply problem is now so acute that building companies both large and small are beginning to enact waiting lists for clients. If a renovator hasn’t organised their finances, the builder will often move on to another client that has. “It is still tough out there. Depending on the materials,...
