Building and construction delays
I received this data from the Federation of Master Builders today and it's crazy to see the construction delays – no doubt, we'll see similar delays on renewable installations:
89% of local builders have reported having to delay jobs due to a lack of materials or skilled tradespeople, according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Adding to the pressure facing the industry, 97% of builders have reported skyrocketing material prices and expect this to continue into the last quarter of 2021, with 78% passing this increased cost on to the consumer.
Builders have been forced to hit pause on some jobs, in the face of increasing difficulty to hire tradespeople, such as general labourers and plasterers, with 42% and 37% respectively of builders struggling to get them to a job. Despite a slight easing, near half of FMB members are also facing pressure to find carpenters/joiners and bricklayers.
The FMB State of Trade Survey, which is released quarterly, is the only survey of its kind to track the experience of small to medium-sized (SME) construction firms in the UK. It found:
Delays and cancellations
- 82% of builders have delayed jobs due to a lack of materials
- 60% have been pressed pause due to a lack of skilled tradespeople
- Combined, 89% of builders have faced delays due to either materials or skills shortages
- 8% of builders have been forced to cancel jobs due to a lack of materials
- 12% have been cancelled due to a lack of skilled tradespeople
Skills shortages
- 42% can’t get hold of general labourers, up 6% on last quarter
- 37% can’t hire plasterers, a rise of 6% on last quarter
- 47% of builders are struggling to hire carpenters/joiners, down 6% on last quarter
- 45% are struggling to hire bricklayers, a fall of 2% on last quarter
Price rises
- 97% of builders are facing material price rises, with 93% expecting this to continue into Q4
- 77% of respondents have been forced to raise their prices in the past quarter
Pre-order: The Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
- 26 Forums
- 2,122 Topics
- 46.6 K Posts
- 91 Online
- 4,529 Members
Join Us!
Podcast Picks
Latest Posts
-
RE: Why do we need pressurised systems?
@toodles Is that because the AI has searched the forum ...
By Old_Scientist , 43 minutes ago
-
OK... I'm here. But the amount of my time needed to add...
By Transparent , 2 hours ago
-
RE: 300 Liter Tank - Do I have to heat it all?
There’s no second hand market for DHW tanks (I was told...
By Judith , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
We had an excellent four months (11/3 to 15/7) generati...
By JulianC , 15 hours ago
-
RE: Is this just haze or something more?
I think the present somewhat cooler hazy days show the ...
By Judith , 20 hours ago
-
RE: My misgivings about installing ASHP and solar panels via the ECO4 scheme...
All noted and accepted and as I say I am sorry that you...
By JamesPa , 22 hours ago
-
I think it is very much me that is sitting outside the ...
By Grantmethestrength , 23 hours ago
-
RE: Replacing Refrigerant on Mitsubishi Heat Pump
@davidalgarve It should just be recovered by both servi...
By dgclimatecontrol , 2 days ago
-
RE: Who's your electricity provider and what's your tariff?
Aggregators have been recognised for many years, and it...
By Transparent , 2 days ago
-
RE: Help me keep the faith with my air source heat pump installation
Great news I edited my previous post (probably af...
By JamesPa , 2 days ago
-
RE: Double or Triple Glazed Windows?
@toodles Glad to hear things are progressing well for y...
By TRBob , 2 days ago
-
How to waste energy (and time) playing with AI.
A friend of mine who subscribes to an AI service was ex...
By Toodles , 3 days ago
-
RE: Heat Pump Books For Beginners – Bodge Buster & From Zero To Heat Pump Hero
@topher you’re more than welcome to, yes. I’ll send you...
By Mars , 4 days ago
-
RE: Fitting new shower valve ..........
I’ve never taken a chance when fiddling and changing ou...
By Mars , 4 days ago
-
You should contact the council and report the unsatisfa...
By JamesPa , 4 days ago
-
RE: Benefits of an extra horizontal loop for GSHP
I would deffo install an additional slinky run, especia...
By Transparent , 4 days ago
-
RE: Say hello and introduce yourself
@editor fab - thanks Mars, and keep up the great work o...
By normpang , 4 days ago
-
RE: Compressor and Evaporator Stratification
@trebor12345 So I think the 1st zigzag section shows so...
By ASHP-BOBBA , 5 days ago