Does this seem fair or am being ripped off?

[Lorddenning1]

So we received a quote in January 2021 for work done on our house, this has been a project we have wanted to do for years. It's a front and back dorma on our bungalow and also a single story extension to the rear, we was happy with the quote, that also included bits in the house too, we are around 5/6 weeks from finishing the house, it was started in April, and our builder pulled me to one side yesterday and said as the price of wood has gone up massively he is going to need to add an extra £3000 to the build price, you could tell he felt bad about it but I also feel a bit miffed, does anyone know if the price of wood has changed since January to now to justify this increase, we have to pay it as we want tie finished but we would of also increased our mortgage if we knew it was going to cost more, now I feel like we have to skimp on things in order to get all the inside done, we even allowed some extra for the garden so the kids will have a nice area to play in and now I don't think we will have any left.

Price of timber has risen in the last couple of months, but a 3 grand increase ( materials only not labour) for a couple of dormers on a roof conversion sounds very high????.

If he started in April then he would has bought the bulk of it back then ( March, April ) when the price wasn’t as high ??

I’d ask him for a breakdown of the costs and the differences in prices between now and then .

I priced up 20 sheets of ply at the beginning of the year and it was 25 quid a sheet , now it’s 37 so an extra 240.

But an extra 3 grand on one roof sounds a lot to me

I just bought ten bags of cement ( plastic ) and it was £4 a bag It’s been about that for about the last 25 years so no increase in that at the minute 👍

He has bought and fitted so far a new roof, all windows and glass, laid a foundations with cement and bricks, steal beams for the house, lots of wood and plaster board, he has been saying there has been a few delays due to not having materials, it's probably pushed us back around 2 weeks waiting on materials, especially the glass. He also has told us the cost of materials have gone up a lot, but I thought that was covered in his price etc, maybe him adding a certain percent into the quote to account for price rises etc. But it looks like he hasn't and now wants to. He has been really good up until this and I just wanted to check that it sounded ok.

This is outing but this is the scale of the build.

Pics now added

The price has gone up hugely, if he good I would pay him op and not force him to take it out his wage for th work that wouldn’t be fair.

Over 50% increase in wood at the merchants my DH uses for work, that and the shortage is causing lots of problems for his work and our house renovation....however it's just basic supply and demand pushing it all up.

Side view

My brother in law is skilled woodworker and has been making items (planters, tables, garden furniture etc.) for years. It’s not his job but he loves it and makes money from his hobby.

He was just saying this weekend he might have to stop because wood has gone up considerably. As a previous poster said he’s seen around a 30% increase here (north east).

Nobody is saying things don’t go up in price, it’s a fact of life. But if someone came up to me and said “sorry but I need 3 grand more than I quoted you”. And I was not getting anything extra for it , I’d want to know exactly why it’s costing that much more.

A simple prices have gone up is not good enough.

Whenever I’ve quoted for materials in the past , I’ve always priced them up and added 20%on , there are a lot of different factors that can change the prices between the quote and buying the materials, it’s usually worked out about right for me that way .

If you ordered a new sofa and had to wait 3 months for it to delivered, then once they got it in your living room and said “by the way it’s 300 quid more ,prices if materials have gone “ What would you do ?????

No wonder he looked sheepish and wanted to get away from you 😃

@Eve

I bought some sleepers for a garden project months ago, only just got the project done and builder said sleepers are now double what I paid.

My brother is an electrician he thinks building work will massively slow down soon due to lack of materials and cost.

Yep- we did some work with sleepers and we heard the same- luckily we bought before it went up quite as much as that, though we paid more than previous prices when we priced the job up. The timber merchant told us the next batch in would be even more, likely more like 2x the old price, but they couldn't even get a date for when their supplier would let them order it, let alone a date for delivery. Right now, you're lucky even to get some types of structural or heavier timbers, even at high prices.

@Chumleymouse

I just bought ten bags of cement ( plastic ) and it was £4 a bag It’s been about that for about the last 25 years so no increase in that at the minute 👍

Premixed cement mortar went up a quid a bag here last month while I was building a wall.

@Chumleymouse

Nobody is saying things don’t go up in price, it’s a fact of life. But if someone came up to me and said “sorry but I need 3 grand more than I quoted you”. And I was not getting anything extra for it , I’d want to know exactly why it’s costing that much more.

A simple prices have gone up is not good enough.

Whenever I’ve quoted for materials in the past , I’ve always priced them up and added 20%on , there are a lot of different factors that can change the prices between the quote and buying the materials, it’s usually worked out about right for me that way .

If you ordered a new sofa and had to wait 3 months for it to delivered, then once they got it in your living room and said “by the way it’s 300 quid more ,prices if materials have gone “ What would you do ?????

No wonder he looked sheepish and wanted to get away from you 😃

It's not a case of 'simple' price rises. It's a case of massive price rises. Some timbers, larger structural ones, have doubled in price. And some are nearly impossible to get hold of.

These are massive and generally unprecedented price rises, it's causing massive problems across the industry and a price rise and a small delay means you've got off lucky. Unless it's specified in a contract a quote is not fixed in price, although many will try to stick to it.
I have one project with roof tiles that are on a 6mth delay plus a 50% price hike and we can't change them as it's a planning condition. Bricks on that job are also on delay.
Another which has a month delay on the flooring which isn't too bad because there was a delay with the insulation anyway.
My own personal project has a month delay on the windows and the floor tiles I ordered well in advance now have an additional 2month delay which we cannot wait for so we've had to find different completely ones - luckily I'm the designer so can change to suit for no extra charge.
Lots of other projects on hold waiting to see what happens. It's not a fun time to be planning projects.

Yup - DP works in the industry and it’s a nightmare. Cost of wood and other materials going up week on week.

Unless he can come up with some then and now prices with evidence to back it up I’d be very weary of it ! Maybe he’s under quoted the job from the beginning and is trying to claw a bit back ? Or maybe it’s taken longer than he quoted for and needs the extra ??? Lots of jobs take longer than you think. Strange how it’s come to exactly 3 grand more ...

Most people don’t have many options once the work is halfway through and have to come up with the extra money or risk the job being unfinished or the builder stopping work .......... good luck op 👍

@Chumleymouse - this is not normal times, prices have soared since January - it's so widespread it's not only been in the construction industry press but has now been documented in the mainstream press. It wasn't predicted and is fairly unprecedented, contractors will not be making money on this they will probably still be losing despite the rises. Most aren't passing it all on, only what they can't absorb without working for free.

A few of the hundreds of articles on the subject.

www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/08/cost-of-building-work-on-uk-homes-to-rise-as-price-of-materials-soars

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57247757

www.nimblefins.co.uk/business-insurance/builders-insurance/uk-timber-prices-increase

www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/uk-facing-timber-shortage-well-into-2021

My windows have gone up from £7k to £10k and frankly I'm just glad they are now coming because I have a ongoing relationship with the joiner that gave me a queue jump. We could be waiting a whole lot longer.

It’s not just uk.

www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-02/timber-industry-cant-keep-up-with-housing-boom/100261344

The price of all building materials have gone up a lot by all accounts.

As well as a lot of other things.

One of my contractors only last week said a sheet of OSB just over 6 months ago in the builders merchant was around £15, he’s now paying more than 4x that for the same item. Contractors use builders merchants because they can utilise credit accounts and are able to manage cash flow. However if the merchant prices escalate your contractor doesn’t really have any other option but to pass on the cost as a pp has already said. Or you could do the shopping around and try and source the materials at a cheaper cost? Right now, there is also a massive skilled worker shortage and builders have never been so busy so the cost of labour has also risen. You’d need to factor all of this in too. By the look of the pictures your builder has already started so I guess if he’s reliable and you’re happy with the quality of the work, it’s a matter of reconciling with yourself the fact that it’s just unfortunate timing. Good luck with your project.

My brothers suppliers also told him price of getting a container shipped has gone up from £3500 to £12k - that’s just the shipping rates and that’s if they can get 1 booked.

@Netaporter.

An 18mm x8x4 sheet of osb 3 is £38 including vat - minus 10% for trade discount so about 35 quid , I’m not sure where your guys are getting it from at 60 quid a sheet ???

Prices have risen sharply recently but there’s a lot of bullshit on here about by how much.

@Chumleymouse

Sounds like you should be ordering everyone’s materials from your merchants then after cooking your Mumsnet chicken but even your own example of a sheet of ply shows an increase of 48% on the original price? I’ve not got a renovation on at the moment as I’m waiting for planning but I’ll be sure to take your advice and disbelieve the contractor who’s worked with me for the past 8 years or so about the cost of a sheet OSB I’m sure prices vary from region to region and I’ve no idea where the OP is but where I am the materials have become very expensive as has labour. The OP asked for advice on the price of materials to check what she was being told. Then many examples were posted of exactly that. We can’t all be wrong and calling anyone who posts an opposing view ‘bullshit’ isn’t really helpful. On the basis only the OP has an exact list of what was needed it’s really up to her to work through if £3k is a fair amount for what is likely to be a very wood-heavy project.

Yes, booked a builder to replace our staircase/ doors and frames skirting etc . Have had to wait 6 months for him to start as he’s so busy . Now he’s informed us the quote cannot be honoured and he needs to re price . He’s a good guy and I don’t feel he’s trying to rip us off .

I'm in the North West, luckily we haven't had a lot of delays with the wood, it's been mainly the windows and glass and also the insulation. There has been alot of wood used in this renovation, basically both dormas, a new roof, floor and internal walls for 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs consist of boxing in the stairs, and under stairs cupboard with a door. A media wall in the living room. The extension is 6x4 meters and the roof has wood beams and also a lantern. I think the general consensus is the price rise is justified, I'm paying it anyways but I'm a bit miffed, I was hoping that there would of been some left over to do the garden.