If the epidemic gives you the motivation to try to catch up with home renovation projects, or even just buy a sofa or a new dishwasher, then you may have encountered some obstacles in the process.

When the quarantine began, the supply chain was severely affected. Contractors are struggling to find supplies, prices have skyrocketed, and if supplies are ready, it is even difficult to find qualified employees to complete the work.

depressed? Contractors in the Hudson Valley have also felt this, and many said that these problems do not seem to go away anytime soon.

"On the supply side, there are different battles every day," said Chuck Petersheim of Catskill Farms, which designs, builds and sells homes. "For example, overnight, our wooden siding became unusable across the country. Last summer, it was difficult to find pressure-treated wood. Now it can be used, but its cost is five times lower than before the pandemic. Times."

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According to data from the National Association of Home Builders, the price of frame timber has received more attention than any other construction material in the past year, as the price has quadrupled between April 2020 and May 2021.

According to NAHB data, the price of oriented strand board (OSB) increased by 510%, and these increases increased the average price of new single-family homes by $29,833.

Petersheim's list of pandemic-related concerns continues. He also said that his electrician could not find the pipe, his plumber could not find the water heater, and he did not have a new truck.

"Even pool liners are hard to find," he said. "One of the biggest disruptions is the home appliance market, where most, if not all, home appliances have longer delivery times."

Manuel Balbuena Jr. has been having problems obtaining materials for his masonry and hardscape company NESJ Nature Scape. "In January, prices rose slowly and due to order delays, it became more difficult for me to provide materials to customers," said a Hyde Park resident. "Sometimes I have to go out of state to get my materials."

Catherine Ackert, who owns Hudson Valley Estate Management in Rhinebeck, is responsible for overseeing renovations and agrees that materials are difficult to obtain.

"They (the homeowner wants a bathroom, a simple bathroom, you should be able to go to Home Depot to buy tiles, right?" she asked. "We can't buy them. Prices are falling, but now it takes months to supply Time because the factory can only do a certain amount now."

The homeowner and contractor are waiting to see what happens next.

Petersheim said: "If suppliers-like many companies-can find people to increase production, it will be uncertain." "But I don't think this variant will have any impact on the current market disruption. And I don't. Determine if it will, because most companies will not return to the extreme pandemic measures that almost bankrupted them. Most importantly, supply chain issues still exist and permeate the entire construction procurement process."

Because wood, tiles, and other supplies are difficult to obtain, Ackert advises her clients to wait for projects that they don't need to complete immediately.

"We can make it work in a few months, so let us wait for the price to drop," she will tell them. "In addition, there are a lot of people who come here to buy a house, and they immediately know that they don't like the kitchen or want to redo the bathroom. They hope that yesterday's work will be completed, but they are trapped because there is not enough supply and manpower, and everything is Not leaking."

Lisa Iannucci is a freelance writer in the Hudson Valley. Contact her at newsroom@poughkeepsiejournal.com.