More than half of small building firms say that rising material prices are squeezing their margins and the same percentage have had to pass these price increases onto consumers, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Small and medium-sized (SME) building firms were asked which materials are in shortest supply and have the longest wait times. The average results were as follows (in order of longest to shortest wait times):
- Bricks were in shortest supply with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
- Roof tiles were second with the longest reported wait time being up to six months;
- Insulation was third with the longest reported wait time being up to four months;
- Slate was fourth with the longest reported wait time being up to six months;
- Windows were fifth with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
- Blocks were sixth with the longest reported wait time being up to four months;
- Porcelain products were seventh with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
- Plasterboard was eighth with the longest reported wait time being up to two months;
- Timber was ninth with the longest reported wait time being up to two months;
- Boilers were tenth, with the longest reported wait time being more than one year.
SME building firms were also asked by what percentage different materials have increased over the past 12 months. On average, the following rises were reported:
- Insulation increased by 16%;
- Bricks increased by 9%;
- Timber increased by 8%;
- Roof tiles increased by 8%;
- Slate increased by 8%;
- Windows increased by 7%;
- Blocks increased by 7%;
- Plasterboard increased by 7%;
- Boilers increased by 7%;
- Porcelain products increased by 6%.
The impact of these material price increases includes:
- More than half of construction SMEs (56%) have had their margins squeezed, this has gone up from one third (32%) reporting this in July 2017;
- Half of firms (49%) have been forced to pass material price increases onto their clients, making building projects more expensive for consumers, this has gone up from less than one quarter (22%) reporting this in July 2017;
- A third of firms (30%) have recommended that clients use alternative materials or products to those originally specified, this has gone up from one in ten reporting this in July 2017;
- Nearly one fifth (17%) of builders report making losses on their building projects due to material price increases, this has gone up from one in ten reporting this in July 2017.