Post-Covid with Above Building
We don’t need to tell you how much of an impact Covid-19 has had on the world, let alone the construction industry. There have been challenges for both builders and consumers, and there are things that we would like you, as the consumer, to be aware of; the learnings, the challenges and most of all the wins.
So, you’ve spent an unprecedented time at home, excuse the pun, we had to, and you’ve had enough time in the space to really pick out everything you would change and exactly how you’d redesign your dream home. But you're also wondering whether taking on a building project is going to be worth it after all the madness of the last couple of years.
At Above Building, we have been very fortunate to be in a positive position in areas that have been challenging for others in the building industry. Of course, it hasn’t been all rainbows, we’ve also faced similar challenges as everyone else, but we’ve always looked at them as learnings. Let’s discuss what you can expect your building journey to be like with us, directly post-pandemic.
Is there a Staff Shortage?
You may have heard of the great resignation. “Evidence Of Great Resignation Emerges As Quit Rate Hits 10-Year High. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed the national turnover or 'quit' rate rose to 9.5% over the year to February 2022 – its highest level since 2012.”*
At Above Building culture is an extremely important aspect of our business as our team are all great friends, dating back to high school. We’re fortunate that the team have worked together for years, we’re a tight knit group and we’ve not had any staff issues.
* Source: www.mbanews.com.au
What about supply chain issues, and rising costs?
During the pandemic, many contractors were unable to source basic materials — such as sand, cement, timber and bricks — while also suffering from staff shortages.
These price increases, this has cut into the budget of many clients, meaning more cash has been needed to go to materials, while less to the work the builder is able to do.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid this issue, and it’s something that we all need to work with. We provide a range of material options to help you make decisions that work best for the desired outcome, and sometimes you can find a lower-priced material that can still achieve the high-end feel you desire.
Cybersecurity
The widespread increase in working from home has created various security risks, including an increase in payment fraud.
Both businesses and consumers need to be as vigilant as ever in ensuring that they are paying the right invoices. A couple of tips to help avoid this:
Always double-check the email of the sender
Call the invoicer to ensure bank details are there, especially on big payments
You can never be too careful when it comes to paying your builder, and we encourage all of our clients to take extreme care, now more than ever.
Looking Ahead
We urge you to not allow the effects of Covid to prevent you from moving forward in your life. If you are starting a family and need a bigger home, we encourage you to continue dreaming and planning. If you are retiring and want to build the forever home that you always dreamed of, please don’t let Covid stand in your way.
The building industry is still charging forward and when putting the last four years in the context of a whole lifetime, the most important thing is family and your home. We’ve learnt a lot through this time and we will continue to ensure that building with us is the most pleasant and exciting experience it can possibly be, in a pandemic or not.