Local home building experts say material shortage is causing delays

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - After seeing lumber prices reach record highs during the pandemic, local industry professionals say they are seeing costs finally drop. However, they worry the new issue might be material shortages.

Stephen Henry, owner of Fred Henry Construction, says despite lumber prices, which had almost quadrupled during the pandemic, beginning to fall, home builders are not yet out of the woods.

“It’s a lot more than just lumber. Lumber is probably the big one everybody is hearing about and everybody is talking about, but for us we are seeing it on so many different levels, coming from so many different directions.”

Henry says local electricians, plumbers, and even paint suppliers are experiencing an issue in supply shortages and availability. He says manufacturers just can’t keep up with demand.

“A lot of the big manufacturers are having a hard time getting the raw materials needed to produce those products and in the volume they were use to producing them. If you put a big order in for, let’s say, just giving an example of paint, four or five hundred gallons that you need you might get one hundred gallons.”

Henry says this might be because during the pandemic, manufacturing lost many workers, while building demand remained steady. Whatever the reason, Henry says those thinking of renovating or building can expect some delays.

“On an average project that we would be able to turn, in say, thirty to forty-five days, it’s pushing them out sixty to maybe seventy-five days just because of availability and what we are able to get in the time frames we are able to get them.”

Henry wants to remind the public to remain patient with construction workers, who he says are doing all they can to get projects completed.

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