I have had several conversations over the past few months with builders, suppliers and clients about the current demand on our industry. It consistently appears that clients are disappointed at the lack of trade availability and/or delays experienced in the tale end of the year. Likewise, builders and suppliers feel heavy pressure from consumers, who are demanding their project gets finished before Christmas.

What Is The Issue?

Every year, once we all emerge from gloomy weather, pop those shorts on and spring into action around the house, the construction industry is hit with a wave of renovation thirsty prospects, wishing for their project to be completed before their turkey dinner on Dec 25th. Sometimes it is questionable whether their project can be completed in time, but us building professionals like to please! Designers begin frantically working up concepts and builders are pumping out quotes in a bid to meet client wishes. At this point, a ‘first in best dressed’ scenario tends to occur as construction schedules fill up quicker than usual. Before you know it, everyone is fully booked right up until the December holidays and beyond!

Ok, so it’s peak season… but why on earth can’t a reno be completed by Christmas if we contact the pros back in October? To an outsider, two and a half months seems like a decent amount of time. However, it is somewhat a running joke of the industry that consumers think they sign a contract one day and building commences the next. We all wish it was that efficient!

What really happens…

There are several business models out there, but on average the process and timelines (depending on scope) go something like this…

1. In Home Consultation (1 – 5 hours)
2. Concept Design (1 – 7 days)
3. Design Review (1 – 3 hours)
4. Design Modification if required (1 – 5 days)
5. Product Selections (1 – 4 weeks)
6. Project Quoting (1 – 2 weeks)
7. Client Quote Revision (1 – 3 days)
8. Design Modification if required (1 – 5 days)
9. Final Pricing, Construction Documentation and Contract Signing (1 – 2 weeks)
10. Construction (this actually varies a lot, but the bit people don’t know to consider is the lead time between contract signing and demo day. This can be between 2 – 8 weeks!)

This snapshot is assuming there are no external delays and that clients are super decisive with their choices along the way. As soon as the industry hits peak season, the length of time required to obtain supplier and trade quotes certainly slows. I also find that each client underestimates the decision-making required during their selections process, which in turn can delay their construction date. Lead time was also mentioned – an important factor in ensuring your project runs smoothly when construction does finally commence. Glazing, sanitary ware, appliances and the like, are typically not ordered until the client has signed their building contract. Hence the lead time sometimes taking several weeks. It is recommended to ask your builder / supplier about this during the selections process to check product availability.

Wait… This Year Looks Different!

With all of this said, there is one more major contributing factor yet to be mentioned…

COVID. The building industry has been one fortunate to flourish during the pandemic. Consumers are not able to travel, and with many in lockdown, families are spending more time staring at the cracked tiles in their bathroom or fighting for space in their kitchen. However, suppliers are faced with the opposite problem and can’t have workers manufacturing overseas. Therefore we are up against a double edged sword when it comes to meeting consumer demand. At a time when the industry would already be under the pump, the Covid climate adds another element of challenge, with many builders and trades actually already booked until the end of the year, right back in August!

Not all is lost though! Having awareness around the reality of project timelines is important and certainly must be considered. There will be a handful of smaller projects that will be an exception to the rule. It is best that you maintain clear communication with your designer, builder, supplier and anyone else involved with the project. Make sure you have been given dedicated timelines from the very beginning and always leave yourself some contingency. I can’t stress this enough – renovation almost always throws up a curveball, best combated by intentional reserved time. Merry renovating!