Home renovation boom during the pandemic

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Home remodeling has become increasingly popular during the pandemic.

Oscar Miranda said he is currently working on some of his rental properties.

“So we’re taking off all of the old floors and replacing them with the new vinyl floor,” he said.

Joe Teeples visited a hardware store Monday before going back to work on his home.

“Last week you knew it got very cold, so I put some insulation on to remove some cold stains,” he said.

However, not everyone is interested in doing their own home projects. Contractors are available, but they are busy.

Chuck Hall of Nastase Contracting said the pandemic resulted in them losing a few weeks of their business last year.

“Demand picked up again and we didn’t see a terrible drop in financial performance from last year. It was a slight decrease, but there were programs that could help us, ”he explained.

Hall said the company was looking at a lot of changes. They have changed the way they work.

“We would only do the appointments on the phone, with customers at home while they are on the phone in another room,” said Hall.

They even saw a change in the types of projects that are requested.

“Renovations in the kitchen and bathroom are in great demand. I think it’s a combination of people who are at home and soaring property values. So they see an advantage in investing in their home, ”added Hall.

He also said that more people are looking for a deck.

“We have heard from a few different customers who have said that we now have our family dinners right on deck. We’ll still let our kids come, but we’ll eat outside. So this is a great place where we can do that, ”said Hall.

According to Hall, Nastase Contracting is also related to a huge increase in the cost of wood. The demand is so high that they have seen prices rise 250 percent.

Hall expects more customer calls when warmer weather approaches. However, depending on the project, customers may have to wait.

“We have a two-month backlog for indoor projects,” he added.

Hall says the wait is sometimes due to delays in shipping products from suppliers.

Hall said those requesting outdoor projects may only have to wait a week or two. Emergency repairs will be answered as soon as possible.

Copyright 2021 WOWT. All rights reserved.

Comments are closed.