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The Struggle of Construction Companies Visualized: From Record-Breaking Material Prices to How They Are Bearing It

We analyzed historical prices data and interviewed experts currently working in the construction industry to get a better insight on material price fluctuations, issues the crisis caused the companies, and the ways they are dealing with them.

Over the past three years, home building materials have increased in price, forcing businesses and construction professionals to find ways to cope and deal with the resulting effects. A strong demand for housing during 2020 drove intense competition among buyers, which caused homes to fly off the market quickly and pushed prices higher. Also, many homeowners chose to renovate their homes because they either had spare time to carry out DIY remodels or to accommodate their new way of living, schooling, and working. All these factors, among others, caused a surge of builders to flood the building material market. This, coupled with shutdowns, labor shortages and supply chain issues significantly increased the prices of those building materials.

This article aims to draw awareness to the various challenges facing the construction industry, the resulting effects, and what it could mean for homeowners. We analyzed building materials costs for the past three years, interviewed contractors and manufacturers, and surveyed 100 construction companies and professionals in varying areas of home construction and remodeling to gain an insight into what they have been doing to meet the challenges of material price increases.

Over the past three years, home building materials have increased in price, forcing businesses and construction professionals to find ways to cope and deal with the resulting effects. A strong demand for housing during 2020 drove intense competition among buyers, which caused homes to fly off the market quickly and pushed prices higher. Also, many homeowners chose to renovate their homes because they either had spare time to carry out DIY remodels or to accommodate their new way of living, schooling, and working. All these factors, among others, caused a surge of builders to flood the building material market. This, coupled with shutdowns, labor shortages and supply chain issues significantly increased the prices of those building materials.

This article aims to draw awareness to the various challenges facing the construction industry, the resulting effects, and what it could mean for homeowners. We analyzed building materials costs for the past three years, interviewed contractors and manufacturers, and surveyed 100 construction companies and professionals in varying areas of home construction and remodeling to gain an insight into what they have been doing to meet the challenges of material price increases.


Three Years of Construction Material Price Fluctuations


The below graphic depicts some of the most important construction materials and their Producer Price Indexes (PPI) over the last three years, shown with the lines that represent the extreme fluctuations that have taken place. The bars on the right highlight the total percentage change from July 2019. The PPI is the most accessible single-source resource on construction material prices and represents the average movement in the selling price charged by producers as the product leaves their factory gates. While not perfect and sometimes lagging by a month or two, they are the best data available today for understanding this complex issue.

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Overall, No. 2 diesel fuel has seen the highest price increases during this period, with a 155% leap from 2019. Diesel fuel’s use in the construction industry is predominantly tied to transportation. This includes the transportation of other materials to lumber yards, suppliers, and job sites. This fuel is also used to power heavy equipment, such as excavators and bulldozers, making it more expensive to run these machines. In turn, this can impact the cost of projects like land clearing and site prep. Gas and oil prices have seen huge surges in prices recently, one of the reasons being due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Steel is a material with a long history of varying cost. It has seen the second highest price increase during the period shown in the graphic, increasing by 101% since 2019. It is used in building frames, pipes, roofing, internal walls, ceilings, insulation panels for exterior walls, and numerous other areas. Steel mill products’ prices boomed in 2021, caused by lack of supply. In the first quarter of 2022, the price sharply declined, hitting its lowest point in March, while the other materials were still growing in cost. This price drop was driven by weakening demand, and accumulated supply due to previously high costs. While its fluctuating prices have led some companies to look at other materials to replace it, steel is often preferred by professionals and homeowners for things like framing.

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Particleboard and fiberboard products’ cost is 99% higher now than in 2019. In February this year, the price of particleboard and fiberboard products have seen one of the biggest material price hikes in the past few years, with the cost increasing by 61% from December 2021 until March 2022, reaching their all-time high price levels. The price then started to and continues to decline throughout 2022. These price fluctuations caused some delays in home improvement, as particleboard and fiberboard have numerous uses, some of which are tied to plywood. They can be used to create cabinets, furnishings, built-in bookcases and entertainment centers, and surfaces for a wide variety of areas in and around residential buildings.

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Plywood, mostly used for partitions, floors, ceilings, and exterior sheathing, experienced rapid oscillations, resulting in it being 68% more expensive now compared to three years ago. It hit its highest price point in July 2020, and then sharply decreased. It hit another high point in March 2022, and since then until today it has been falling in price.

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Lumber, in particular, is used for construction framing. It is also frequently used in flooring, window framing, wall panels and furniture. The price of lumber fluctuated wildly over the past 3 years, ending up 57% more expensive now than in 2019. In May 2021, the price of lumber reached the record price of $1,670 per thousand board feet, with the producer price index of 452. These cost hikes raised the price of building a house and priced many prospective homeowners out of the market. It sharply declined in the second half of 2021, and then rose again in the first quarter of 2022, pushing the PPI up to 445 in March. Since March, the price of lumber has fallen 27%, reaching a new low in 2022.

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Other notable materials that saw huge increases were fabricated structural metal products (54%) and plastic construction products (56%). Fabricated structural metal products are pieces of metal put together to create different structures that are usually of predefined shapes and sizes. They are used for structural purposes. Plastic construction products have various uses. They can be used for cables, pipes, gutters, windows, doors, shuttering, floor covering, insulation materials and other. Both, fabricated structural metal and plastic, have been constantly increasing since the end of 2020, and they both reached the highest prices in the past 2 months.

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Although ending up only 28% more expensive than in 2019, copper has seen some price variations over the past three years. It has different uses, but it is mainly used in electrical wiring, and pipes, thanks to its resistance to corrosion and low maintenance. Same as steel, copper is preferred by professionals and homeowners in some areas, despite the cost.

Raising Prices Is the Most Popular Solution for Companies to Cope

To better understand the real issues professionals face and their tools and solutions to cope with this trying period, we conducted a survey in 2021 to home improvement professionals (homebuilders, remodelers, and other professionals in the construction industry) to share their thoughts and experiences on the ways they are dealing with material price uncertainties

Raising their prices: Homebuilders have taken a multi-prong approach to dealing with the building material price increases. When asked to choose between one and three options, the majority of homebuilders we surveyed said that the main way they are coping with higher costs is by increasing their prices to cover it. 66% of respondents revealed they have raised their prices accordingly.

Focusing on the use of materials: A certain number of construction professionals say that they have focused on the way they use the materials. 23% told us they are using alternative materials. This way, they can do the same job but at a more acceptable price. Yet, this could entail benefits or drawbacks depending on the replacement material chosen, which may not be applicable for all projects. Another 23% share that they are reducing their waste of materials to maximize the bang they get for their buck.

Price escalation clauses: Many are including price escalation clauses in a fixed-price contract. 20% shared that they have introduced these clauses to deal with the price hikes of materials. Whereas these clauses can protect them from rising prices, they may also lead to lost contracts if homeowners are not willing to take on the risk of a potential price change mid-project.

Optimizing designs to use fewer materials: This is one approach that 18% say they are using. Opting for this strategy is not only money-saving, but also more eco-friendly.

Pre-ordering materials: Some said they pre-ordered and paid for lumber when prices dropped. This turned out to be wise given the increases seen once again in early 2022. 17% of respondents use this method to help guarantee the price remains level for the duration of any projects on the books. But it requires money upfront and a risk of prices falling in the future, which is a concern given the volatility of the market. For those who are not pre-ordering, many are opting to secure price guarantees from their suppliers for a period of time. Ben Neely from Riverbend Homes stated: “If we're under contract we have to absorb a lot of the price increases out of our profit if it’s a hard cost item. To combat this we just require more money up front to put down deposits and buy materials with our suppliers beforehand.“

Only 15% of homebuilders have canceled or postponed projects as a way of dealing with the issue, and 12% have opted for using advanced technologies. 8% reveal they have had to lay off staff. 2% state they have used a different approach. Jessica from Marketplace Homes has a different way of dealing with the price increases: “Increasing communication with clients to help manage their expectations when it comes to the cost of their new construction homes as well as preparing them to expect possible delays in the completion of their new construction home.”

Delays, Costs, and Labor Shortages Are Most Common Issues

As well as the increase in prices of materials, homebuilders have faced other issues during this cost crisis. When asked to reveal one to three issues they faced the most, 60% of the respondents say delays in deliveries, and 59% say increased fuel costs, while 52% agree that the labor shortage was causing them problems.

With a high demand for products, it is no wonder that there have been delays. Alpha Pro Tech states: “When Covid hit, we and every other company were not prepared for what was happening. People were staying in their homes, they were revamping their homes all of a sudden. The usage went up, and some of our competitors couldn’t get products.”

Greg Cantor, CEO of Murray Lampert Design says the issues mentioned have continued from 2021 into this year, saying, “We are facing the same challenges as last year. The manufacturers raise prices with little or no notice.”

12% who responded to the survey also share that there has been a delay in payments, complicating the situation even further for companies, and 8% declare increased expenditure on sanitation measures has been a major issue.

Beside the issues mentioned above there are some other difficulties the companies have experienced. A spokesperson from the manufacturing company Alpha ProTech Engineered Products, Inc. says “It is all due to container cost and shortage. As manufacturers, what has affected the price of our products the most is the cost of containers.”

The Main Effects of the Material Price Crisis

When asked about the main effects of this crisis on their business activity, the majority of contractors agreed that project delays due to material shortages were the main issue in 2021. According to our survey, 61% of the respondents saw delays due to material shortages. However, Neely believes that there is a shift this year, saying, “I think what we’re seeing in 2022 is more inflationary increases in material costs where 2021 was more supply and demand constraints which led to companies price gouging.” 36% of professionals are seeing clients postpone or cancel projects. Sarabeth South, home design expert at Fixr.com, comments on this, “Most people are still not canceling projects. However, many people are looking at lower cost materials or are delaying projects.”28% of experts say that they have had clients modify projects to deal with costs. Neely feels that this issue is still very prevalent throughout 2022. He shares his experience: “We haven’t had anyone cancel their project, however there have been some concessions on a few projects to save money. Things like changing a metal roof to a shingle roof, downgrading countertops or tile, or even shaving square footage off the design prior to final contract.”

Outlook for the Industry

Many agree that the repercussions of what we have seen over the past three years could be long-lasting. South sees more challenges ahead by stating: “With the ongoing recession and inflation, it could be a few more years before things really settle down. Where they settle remains to be seen.”

Alpha Pro Tech adds: “I think that housing starts are probably going to slow down a little bit in the market, but I think people are going to continue to do renovations to their properties ahead. So when it (the market) does turn back around, their houses are probably going to be worth more.”

Both home builders and homebuyers are facing unprecedented price increases in building materials. Hopefully, the next few months will shed some light on whether prices will return to normal and what we can expect for building projects moving forward. As our graphic shows, some of the materials that have seen the biggest increases in price are beginning to decline. Only time will tell if prices will remain unpredictable or if things can begin to return to some normality as we approach 2023. Neely sees a better future for the industry: “Overall I’m more bullish on the market stabilizing than I was in 2021. A pullback from the extreme of the last 2 years isn’t necessarily bad, it’s actually probably sustainable. If interest rates do get into the double digits I do think we’ll see a more significant slow down”.

Methodology

Construction Material Prices Graphic: Fixr.com’s editorial team gathered PPI data on different construction materials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They analyzed a list of more than 30 materials and their price increases and decreases during the last three years and made a selection of the eight we decided were representative enough of the crisis, taking into account both their high increase in PPI and also their importance in the industry. They calculated the percentage change from July 2019 until July 2022, noted in the line chart. These eight materials aim to be an illustration of the crisis, not an exact and thorough representation.

Survey: Our survey was sent to professionals and companies currently working in the home construction industry in varying sectors. Most are listed as contractors on the Fixr.com website. They were asked to respond to a range of open-ended and multiple-choice questions, some of which allowed for between one and three options to be chosen. The 100 respondents were told that their answers would remain anonymous to gain maximum sincerity, unless they gave permission for their answers to be cited.

Quotes: Quotes included in this article were gathered from email, video, or audio interviews with industry experts, manufacturers, and contractors.

Author

Irena Martincevic

Irena is an industry analyst at Fixr.com. She analyzes and looks for visual ways to simplify data. She has been researching and writing about construction, home improvement and finance since 2018. For this article she analyzed the material prices historical data, followed by the survey results, and she interviewed the construction industry experts to share their experience and predictions for the industry.

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