Rising costs hitting builders

Construction firms are being hit by rising material costs and a chronic skills shortage, making the cost of tendering work climb rapidly. Four in five building firms surveyed by the National Federation of Builders (NFB) said that they had experienced rising costs, with 95% having to spend more on materials and three-quarters spending more on labour. Almost half of respondents said they had found it especially difficult to hire bricklayers and carpenters. "The good news is construction output is rising. However, higher tender prices, materials and labour costs and difficulty in securing skilled labour at reas