5 Building and Construction Items That Are Hard to Find Right Now

The construction industry is currently enjoying a massive boom that also comes with its own set of challenges. Right now some of the most substantial hurdles include supply shortages, labor shortages and land shortages. Let’s take a look at 5 types of building and construction materials that are currently in high demand and short supply:

1. Kitchen and Laundry Appliances

Freezer shortages became an issue in the spring of 2020 when governments gave warnings to their citizens to get prepared for lockdowns. People were frequently advised to have at least two weeks’ worth of food on hand. Right about then, just about everyone on earth simultaneously decided it would be a good idea to a) stock up on frozen foods, b) start a new garden and c) buy a new freezer for storing their harvested food. As a result, there were freezer shortages in the United States, the UK, Australia and beyond. The global availability of freezers still hasn’t fully recovered.

Since then, the freezer shortage has morphed into a broader home appliance shortage. Contributing factors include increased demand, manufacturer shutdowns, stainless steel shortages and a stressed global supply chain.

2. Lumber

In the recent past, lumber has seen bottlenecks in production. In the United States, there’s raw timber available locally; however, it seems that the timber hasn’t been efficiently processed into usable lumber due to shutdowns. At the same time, there has also been a massive increase in demand for the available supply. That means lumber prices are high, and industry insiders are not expecting to see a return to pre-pandemic lumber pricing. They suggest considering possible alternatives such as SIPs (structural insulated panels), stucco or bricks if any of those options would be viable for your construction project.

3. Flooring

While flooring shortages are a thing, they don’t seem to be as dire as some of the other shortages that are happening; there are some suitable options available for flooring if you aren’t excessively picky, and if you are willing to pay the rapidly escalating prices for it.

Solid wood flooring’s availability is a bit spotty at the moment, but you have many other popular options available beyond wood flooring. There’s a broad variety of laminate and engineered flooring to be found if you’re persistent in searching for it; you also have some lovely options for either synthetic or natural fiber carpeting. If you need some inspiration, you can check out flooring guides for all today’s trendiest flooring options at the Flooring Clarity website.

4. Insulation, Plastics, Resins and Adhesives

Recently an unusually cold front blew through Texas. The unexpected weather event caused shutdowns that interrupted supplies of some building materials, including insulation and some types of plastics, resins and adhesives.

5. Drywall

The situation in Texas has also had an effect on the availability of drywall, and also the demand for it. During the unexpected freeze in Texas, many homeowners had pipes burst in their homes; in some cases, this ruined their drywall, which in turn fueled demand for replacement drywall sheets. Aside from that, nationwide demand for drywall was already ramping up due to the construction boom.

If you happen to come across any of these 5 types of construction materials at an affordable price, and you think you’ll need them any time soon, it would be a good idea to grab them when you have the chance. Many of the country’s established builders already have 12 to 18 months’ worth of work booked in advance. That means, realistically, in the immediate future, you are likely to be facing stiff competition for sourcing any building supplies you might need – especially if you do not already have established relationships with suppliers of building materials.

On the bright side, experts are hopeful that the worst aspects of this situation will resolve by 2023 – so if you aren’t in a rush to complete your DIY or home construction project, putting it off a bit might turn out to be another workable solution.