And how they’ll impact your remodel, decorating, and other home improvement projects…

2020 was an interesting year for everyone, and the remodeling industry was no exception. In March when we prepared ourselves for the worst as Northern Virginia was being shut down we ended up being met with an avalanche of new remodeling projects. From Kitchens to Home Offices we started seeing requests for it all and things haven’t slowed down since. 

It’s been just over a year and the requests continue to flow in, unfortunately 2021 came with material shortages and disruption to supply chains. 

Here’s our thoughts from being on the frontline;

What items are being most affected?

1. Appliances
2. Lumber 
3. Furnishings

Appliances

The problem with appliances is a simple one and it comes down to supply and demand. When manufacturers prepared to shut down last spring they estimated that there would be far less spending because of the economy shutting down. It ended up being the opposite. Many Americans purchased extra refrigerators, freezers, and started remodeling projects in order to make their homes more livable since they saw themselves stuck in them for the foreseeable future. Add to that scaled back production due to new COVID-19 safety precautions in factories and some manufacturers closing altogether created backlogs as long as 8-16 weeks or more. 

The best way to deal with the appliance delays is to be aware and plan in advance. 

1.  Don’t toss out your old working appliances until you have the new ready to install.
2. Do your research on appliances early in your remodeling planning
3. Order them as soon as you know and lock down the pricing.
4. Check with several suppliers 
5. Take delivery immediately

Lumber

The lumber shortage won’t be going away anytime soon.  However this is one item that they do expect the cost to come back down sometime in 2022.  For most of our remodeling clients this isn’t a factor as we typically work within an existing space and don’t need to purchase large quantities of lumber.  Decking, Additions, and New Home construction have been more severely disrupted.  If you were thinking of buying a new home or a large addition you might consider focusing on working within your existing footprint.  It’s also a good time to complete the planning but wait to do the building.  If you were considering a remodel but think you might hold off for the price to come back down, that’s a bet I wouldn’t make. The cost of lumber is going to add gasoline to an already burning remodeling market and demand will continue to drive pricing.  

1. Start planning for your remodel 
2. If you were thinking of building a new home remodeling might be more attractive now
3. Cabinetry, Doors and Flooring have also been affected lock in pricing as soon as you have your decision  
4. Low housing stock will add gasoline to an already burning remodeling market and the demand will continue to drive pricing, moving forward now could save you money in the long run
5. Use the increased equity in your home, low interest rates and today’s prices to work in your favor.

Home Furnishings

Did you ever imagine it would take 20 weeks to replace that old sofa?  Home furnishings are one of the manufacturing groups hit hardest by 2020 shut downs.  Add to that the amount of furniture built or parts sourced on foreign soil and you’ve got a recipe for long waits.  Like appliances these tips may help but beware of paying in full for furnishings a 50-50 deposit would be smart or taking advantage of the stores finance programs that don’t kick in until delivery. 

1. Order early, now if you want them for the holidays in 2021.
2. Order In Stock options
3. Order from Made in America Suppliers

Mostly, we all have to show patience as companies get back to a full production schedule.  Manufacturing workers need to return to their jobs and the raw materials need to start flowing with more regularity.  Here at Murphy’s Design  we order everything much earlier than we ever did before, we store it for months waiting for a job to start, and we nail down the budget in the first two weeks of the design and planning stage so furnishings and materials can be purchased without ever increasing prices.