Remodeling your home is an exciting experience and is on the whole a positive one, but it’s not without its problems. Even during normal times and with the best-laid plans, delays and supply errors can happen, but when remodeling during a pandemic, there’s even more potential for things to go awry. 

That being said, a pandemic is actually a great time to remodel your home, and we’ll explain why in greater detail in this article. We’ll also cover why patience is a virtue when remodeling during these unprecedented times. By planning ahead and being flexible, you can attain the home of your dreams regardless of what is happening around you. 

With all this in mind, let’s first look at some of the current pandemic-related issues facing remodelers and homeowners.  

Pandemic Material Shortages

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into both supply and demand when it comes to materials. As a result, there are material shortages across the board, particularly lumber, appliances, and windows and doors. 

With lumber, the problems resulting from the shut-down of lumber mills were further exacerbated by wildfires across the Western US in 2020 and a surprising residential remodeling boom. 

Up to 87% of building professionals have found windows and doors challenging items to find over the last couple of years, according to data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). With huge demand and not enough window and door manufacturers, lead times for these products are stretching from weeks to months. 

The national shortage of appliances, ranging from dishwashers and dryers to refrigerators and washing machines, mean homeowners and remodelers alike have been scrambling to find available products. 

The problems arose when the pandemic forced manufacturers to scale back plans and stores to pull backorders. Shipping was severely impacted the world over, and manufacturing companies, both at home and abroad, were forced to either close factories altogether or run a skeleton staff. As a result, everything slowed to a crawl. 

While things are improving compared to the previous year, it will take time for the situation to stabilize. There’s also uncertainty about what the short-term future will bring and whether the pandemic will see a resurgence. 

Rising Prices on Materials

During 2020, lumber saw record-high prices due to the compounding factors previously mentioned. Prices surged more than 48.3% from December 2019 to December 2020. 

Prices have since dropped but, at the time of writing, not to pre-pandemic levels. There are also fears the market might be volatile for a while depending on the course of the coronavirus as well as environmental and political issues.  

It’s expected that elevated prices will remain for the foreseeable future, even though they will vary. 

The price from a supplier, generally good for 30 days, might change quickly, and this is something both your design-build firm and you as a homeowner will need to bear in mind. 

Unprecedented Demand for Remodeling

Material prices are also being affected by the surge in remodeling and new home construction. Homeowners are using the record-high amount of home equity they now have to make modifications and additions to their residential properties.  

As house prices have increased as demand for housing has soared, families are also choosing to stay put and improve on what they already have. 

People are having more confidence in their homes as investments for the future. As such, with all the money saved from sheltering at home during the pandemic and missing out on vacations, homeowners have chosen to redirect the money into home improvement projects. 

Another reason why remodeling has seen unprecedented demand is that people have simply had more time. With so many people granted temporary leave from work and with many others being able to work remotely, there’s been more space and time for people to engage in projects they would have otherwise deemed overwhelming. 

The fact people have spent so much more time at home has also helped families identify reasons why their homes need remodeling. Homeowners realized they needed to reconfigure or update their indoor spaces for work, exercise, leisure, relaxation, and even for new health reasons.  

What does all this mean for you? Simply put, there may be delays because so many people are remodeling their homes at the moment. 

Advantages of Design-Build Remodel in a Pandemic

When choosing to remodel your home during a pandemic, there are many benefits to be had by hiring a design-build remodeling firm. In fact, it’s the one method guaranteed to rise above all the aforementioned pandemic-related issues and get your home modified as quickly and effectively as possible under the circumstances. 

You see, the design-build delivery model provides all required skills and services under one umbrella. The contractor looks after both the design and construction stages, with seamless integration of all relevant professionals. 

For the homeowner, there’s just one point of contact. This does away with the more traditional “design, bid, build” procurement system where you’re left to manage multiple contractors who have varying timelines, prices, ideas, and methods. Even at the best of times, this can be a minefield for the uninitiated, but it can be very stressful, confusing, and expensive during a pandemic. 

When you need your home remodeling project to be as simple and as stress-free as possible, especially during these trying times, then the design-build method provides these benefits and more. 

All of the design, planning, and ordering of materials is done well before the construction stage. The construction start time is determined by when materials are available, meaning everything is in place to begin as soon as this happens. 

While this might mean waiting a bit longer initially, it’s much more preferable and cost-effective than the often confused and chaotic method of the traditional “design, bid, build” system. 

When it comes to remodeling your home – pandemic or no pandemic – there’s nothing that comes close to the efficiency of the design-build method. 

Your Design-Build Remodeling Team in Lafayette, Indiana

Riverside Construction, founded in 2008, is the go-to professional design-build team that has earned the respect and confidence of discerning homeowners in the Lafayette and West Lafayette areas. 

With an award-winning team of highly skilled and experienced professionals in a range of fields, we excel at listening to client ideas and then translating those dreams into reality. We can help you decide on a direction, provide guidance on pandemic-related remodeling issues, and be with you every step of the way to ensure your dream home is achieved. 

Whether you’re transforming a kitchen, updating a bathroom, or adding an addition, let us guide your decision-making and partner with you to achieve the results you envision. Contact us now to schedule an initial conversation. We’ll be happy to answer your questions, listen to your ideas, soothe your worries, and work with you to finalize your plans.