Building materials manufacturers are experiencing a serious shortage of raw materials, primarily wood, steel, and cement. A particularly hard hit in Europe has been influenced by the construction sector, which lacks lumber, ironwork, and tiles.
Another source of problems for the construction industry has been a disruption in supplies from India, the world’s leading manufacturer of ceramic products, in particular garden tiles. A sharp outbreak of the epidemic in these countries disrupted the work of numerous enterprises and ports, and fewer containers are sent to Europe.
Among the causes for the shortage of building materials in Europe, along with the coronavirus epidemic, Brexit, the temporary blockage of the Suez Canal, as well as a sharply increased demand for the majority of building materials.
Almost all building materials prices are rising steadily especially steel, wood, glass, insulating components, cement and even lime. The ordered materials come with a delay leading to delay construction projects completion. The shortage of steel is so great that manufacturers introduce quotas, which ultimately hit the consumer as well.
As a result of the rise in prices for building materials and delays in their deliveries, a crisis arises in the construction industry not only in Western Europe, but also in other countries. This proves, according to analysts, to the crisis of globalisation, which provided reliable supplies of goods before the epidemic. In Europe, this crisis affected primarily the automotive, agricultural and construction sectors. There is a shortage of trade in bicycles, washing machines, cars, and smartphones.
Here is the list of suggestions on how you can save on buying building materials in the current environment:
1. The majority of builders are so used to buying from one local builder merchant that they miss out on saving hundreds of pounds because they are failing to compare.
- Shop around, call several builders merchants, get quotations in writing. In current volatile environment merchants will be likely to match the price just to secure the sale.
- Shop online – this will allow you to compare prices easily by searching for bulk buy deals.
2. It is especially relevant to make sure you do avoid cost planning errors.
- It is recommended to add up to 15% – 20% overheads expenses which should cover in case there are unexpected further price increases and any legal fees.
3. Weather and other environmental factors might affect the completion deadline of your construction project.
- So, it is advisable investing in insurance that will be able to reduce the impact should unpredictable weather condition affect your project.
4. Bulk Buy
- Most builders merchants offer bulk buy deals when you shop in bulk. Not all the retailers advertise these options- but is worth asking for a quotation when you a looking to purchase large quantities.
5. Worth investing in quality tools
- It is proven to be true that the cheaper tools with lower quality tend to fail more often in comparison to those that are with higher quality, the last one generally sold with a warranty.
6. Include overhead expenses
- Especially in the current volatile market condition be prepared for overhead as the building materials prices are rising like never along with the delivery times. So, make sure you add these clauses into the contract with you client as to avoid loosing money.
Whilst the construction industry is booming with sharply increasing prices on the building materials there is builders merchants store in Essex – MGN Builders Merchants that is pride itself for continuous commitment to care about its customer and provide them with the best prices and offers, advising they loyal customer of upcoming price changes and keeping them on the loop for any alternatives that could be offered for the products that have become too expensive. Just browse their offering online on www.mgnbm.co.uk alternatively give them a call and be sure to be assisted by the expert team member.