WZZM 13 seeks out Karin Kay on building supply shortage insight

Homes are sitting unfinished and decks are taking months to complete as a supply shortage rocks the construction industry. Karin Kay, sales manager at Sable Homes, recently spoke with WZZM 13 about the materials shortage when it comes to home building and remodeling.

“I have never seen in the nine years I’ve been here any type of delays like this,” Kay told WZZM 13. “At one point it was taking us over six weeks to get our cabinets, when they normally take about a week or two weeks.”

According to Kay, Sable Homes first started to feel the strain in late May. She attributes the shortage to a couple different things most tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, including manufacturing facilities remaining closed or operating at lower levels and international borders being closed.

“Not only are we seeing the manufacturing delay, but we’re also seeing the ship delay. So, it just keeps compounding on top of itself,” Kay said during her interview.

There was also an increase in home DIY projects in the last six months, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Most homes are taking an extra two months to build due to the shortages, meanwhile, Kay said demand is high – 90 percent of Sable’s homes are sold.

“We cannot put things in the ground fast enough right now,” she said.

Kay said the demand for new homes is high after people were confined to them during quarantine. NAHB said lumber prices are record high, and Kay doesn’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

“It’s difficult to keep your spirits high when you really need the materials and you’ve got clients who need houses,” she said. “It’s just getting really tough.”

Read the entire WZZM 13 story, here.