Posts Tagged ‘COVID-19’
Hudson Remodeling News
COVID-19 has led to delays, higher prices in the construction industry
Posted 30 October 2020 by Team Hudson
As an essential service, construction companies here in Washington state were able to restart their work not too long after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began.
However, because this industry is so closely interlinked with many others, there continue to be major problems in construction. Projects are taking longer, materials are more expensive, and some products are even simply unavailable.
In mid-October, Construction Executive magazine predicted that among the long-term changes to the industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will be supply chain disruptions and longer project timeframes.
“Since the concerns over sourcing and supply chains persist,” the magazine wrote, “the construction industry will likely seek permanent domestic suppliers and seek to maintain larger inventories of critical materials and long-lead times to guard against similar disruptions and related delays in the future.”
We can expect to have to wait longer for products while suppliers sort out their sourcing, and of course we can expect higher prices, too, with that shift to domestic production.
Here at Hudson Remodeling, we’ve been seeing delays and shortages among our appliance vendors, and prices of some building materials have skyrocketed. For example, the price of oriented strand board — an important component of many home construction and remodeling projects — has doubled in just the past couple of months.
In an August survey, Construction Executive found that 85 percent of contractors were experiencing delayed or canceled projects, and seven in 10 felt that the industry wouldn’t rebound until 2021. Appliance shortages — caused by pandemic hoarding, difficulties in estimating demand and many more factors — also could last into 2021, though manufacturers are ramping up to meet increased demand. So far, about half of the contractors surveyed by the Association of General Contractors have been warned by suppliers to expect late or cancelled deliveries.
There is plenty of good news, however. For one thing, new home sales are up. Another great piece of news is that, according to the contractors surveyed by CE, the pandemic is likely to stimulate interest in construction training programs, potentially leading to an even more robust and thriving industry in the future.
For now, however, the pandemic continues to cause problems with aspects of construction and remodeling. Some prices are up, and some products are delayed.
As time rolls by, lockdowns will be lifted and supply chains will adapt to the “new normal.” As that happens, we expect that the situation in the construction industry will continue to improve.
Tags: COVID-19, supply chain
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Construction during COVID: How Hudson is helping ensure safety
Posted 31 August 2020 by Team Hudson
During Phase 2 of the Washington “Safe Start” reopening plan, construction companies like Hudson Remodeling are allowed to continue the important work of ensuring that residential and commercial properties are in the best possible shape.
We’re grateful that we’ve been able to work, and we’re thankful to the homeowners who’ve entrusted their houses to us during this time.
Of course, construction work during a pandemic doesn’t necessarily look like it used to. Hudson’s job sites have taken on extra precautions to ensure that we’re doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. In addition to our standard plans for keeping people safe on the job, here’s some of what we’re doing during the pandemic to abide by applicable guidelines and regulations and help people stay healthy:
First of all, we’ve developed a plan to limit exposure to (and the spread of) COVID-19. It is our responsibility to ensure that our Whatcom County job sites are as safe as possible, not only for our workers but also for homeowners who might be living on or visiting the premises while work is underway.
We’re being careful to ensure that any member of the Hudson Remodeling team who is feeling ill or showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 does not come to work. Workers who start feeling sick during the day are asked to go home immediately. An abundance of caution is one way we can do our part to limit the spread.
We’re requiring the use of face masks for all employees who are not alone on the site. It’s not always easy — or even possible — to ensure physical distance from each other on the job site, because working safely on a construction site often means helping each other in close proximity. However, we are masking up when necessary, as required. We’re also limiting contact with homeowners and others as much as possible, and when we do need to talk, we wear masks and try to keep our distance.
We’re ensuring that any other personal protective equipment that might be necessary on the job, including eyewear and gloves, are available when necessary. Ensuring our workers have access to important safety equipment always has been our goal, and that hasn’t changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proper hand-washing is encouraged at all of our job sites. When running water isn’t available, we ensure that Hudson team members have hand sanitizer at their disposal.
Of course, these are just a few of the many ways that we at Hudson Remodeling are taking care to ensure team member and customer safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud of the home remodeling and renovation work we do throughout Whatcom County, and we aim to continue doing it safely and carefully while taking all necessary precautions.
Tags: COVID-19, Safety
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