Over the past two years we’ve faced many challenges as we learn to live with the pandemic. Recently, the developments in Ukraine have also concerned us deeply, and we are actively supporting organisations who are on the ground helping those impacted through the donation of funds.
As these world events occur, we’re working hard behind the scenes to minimise disruptions and delays. Currently, most of our standard cabins are available and ready for dispatch. There is no disruption to manufacturing and supply of YZY Kit Homes due to Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Our timber is sourced from Northern Europe, with our factory located in the NATO zone. No shipments are travelling through the war zone.
However, like many others in construction, there are industry-wide issues that are impacting and slowing down project times in many locations of Australia, including:
- Councils are taking longer to process Development Applications
- There is a shortage of local building materials and trades required to complete the build.
These issues are a result of a combination of supply chain interruptions, a lack of staff and increased demand. With many building projects, both small and large, experiencing delays across Australia and around the world, being flexible and adaptable when planning our projects is now a must.
So, as we look to successfully navigate through another year of uncertainty, here’s an update on our stock, timings and pricing in early 2022.
Stock levels
Currently, the demand for cabins, granny flats and home improvements remain much higher than pre-COVID times. So, in response, we’ve increased our stock levels significantly so that designs from our standard range are in stock in our Australian warehouse and ready for dispatch.
Although, in many cases, while our cabins are ready to go, they are unable to be shipped until council approval is received. This is true for custom homes too, where, we’re finding that once the kits are manufactured and delivered to our warehouse, the delay with additional materials and council approvals is extending the project time frames further. For this reason, if you have an upcoming project in mind, we suggest you contact your local YZY builder to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
Project time frames
Following on from above, while our builders are actively hiring more staff to service the increased demands and keep project times to a minimum, they are battling external factors that are slowing parts of the process down. This includes a shortage of the other building materials required to complete the installation of our homes and a lack of available tradies such as plumbers, electricians and tilers, who are experiencing staff and material shortages of their own.
The other major issue that has arisen from the combination of increased demand and staff absenteeism is that approval times for council permits have blown out. Frustratingly, this means that while our cabins and granny flats are ready for dispatch, they are unable to be shipped until the approval has been finalised.
Prices
There’s no doubt one of the biggest issues facing the construction industry over the past two years has been the significant rise in the price of building materials and freight charges.
We, like the majority of others in the industry, were last year forced to adjust our pricing to balance the ongoing cost increases. To minimise the impact on our customers, we will continue to work hard behind the scenes to improve efficiencies around our processes, so that we can keep our prices as low as possible.
Positive outlook
While there looks to be more bumps in the road ahead, we encourage you to focus on the positives and continue on your journey of building your dream cabin, granny flat or new home. Our accredited builders are always happy to help, so contact them to discuss your ideas and kickstart your project today!