Local residential construction looks like it has begun another extended season after another mild winter.
Local Manager Jeff Wharton with Spenard Builders Supply says a lot of local jobs are already being bid here on the Kenai Peninsula.
Wharton: “The milder winter has allowed people to continue projects that before would stop during the colder months. So there’s a little bit of a lag right now before things pick up but just this week we’ve had people pouring pads. The frost is, we’ve heard, only about eight inches deep at least in some locations, so very easy to get going and our business is picking up, I think, to reflect that.”
He says the last few mild winters have shifted the purchasing trends of local construction: the season used to see a spike in building activity in the middle of the summer but now with extended months between the start and completion of projects, business is seeing a steadier, longer season.
Wharton: “If I had to guess now I’d say we’ll probably over the year have a similar year to last year, I don’t see anything on the horizon pushing our construction season up, and by the same token I don’t see it holding down, there’s projects out there that people are going to do no matter what.”
While other industry leaders have said that this year could see a decline in construction jobs, Wharton says the contractors he’s talking to say they are having trouble filling their crews for the abundance of jobs. He says the decline might have to do with state and federally funded jobs but it is not being reflected in the local residential construction market.
He says by the 37th annual Home Show on April 9 and 10th, which SBS co-sponsors with the Kenai Peninsula Builders Association, the status of the early construction season will be more clearly defined.
