Nine in ten builders face rising costs, a survey of Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has found.<\/p>\n
A quarterly survey<\/a> by the\u00a0 trade association showed small and medium-sized construction firms are struggling with materials shortages and reduced workloads. Of the 135 respondents to the survey 87 per cent said they had experienced materials price increases in September and October, compared to the summer. The FMB said the prices builders charged for their work was not keeping pace with these cost hikes with only 30 per cent reporting an uplift.<\/p>\n The trade body said the results painted \u201ca worrying picture that the government must address\u201d otherwise builders \u201cface a cliff-edge in the construction supply chain from January 2021\u201d. It highlighted that along with the materials price increases were \u201ckey shortages in timber, tiling, white goods and PVC windows and doors\u201d.<\/p>\n FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: \u201cBuilders are facing significant material shortages and growing waiting times for the products they need. With the end of the Brexit transition period only weeks away, builders need confidence that they will not face delays at the ports and price hikes going into 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the face of rising unemployment and continued economic uncertainty, my members are reporting that homeowners are holding off planning home improvements next year. Builders in the new build and industrial or commercial sectors are also reporting contracting workloads.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) revealed it was working with government to identify what materials shortages are being caused by container-port congestion<\/a> at British ports due to COVID-19. The trade body said that issues predominantly related to goods imported from the Far East<\/a>, including power tools, screws and fixings, and sanitary ware such as plumbing fixtures. Timber products from Scandinavia are also under pressure due, with supply issues expected to continue well into 2021<\/a> according to the Timber Trade Federation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nine in ten builders face rising costs, a survey of Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has found. A quarterly survey by the\u00a0 trade association showed small and medium-sized construction firms are struggling with materials shortages and reduced workloads. Of the 135 respondents to the survey 87 per cent said they had experienced materials price increases …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3176,"featured_media":353332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[564,565,2170],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n