Since the start of the pandemic, it has become clear how fragile an economy can be. Recently, the steep climb in the price of construction has caught everyone’s attention. A general search for “how much does a concrete fence cost” will give very different results than you may have seen last year. If you are looking at pricing older than March, you should expect higher pricing for any type of construction. The reason behind this is because the construction industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented mix of staffing difficulties, steeply rising materials prices, and snarled supply chains.
So how does this make the cost of construction rise? Buildings still need to be built, home renovations and repairs still need to happen and people still need fences to secure their property. Since the country is no longer closed for business, projects that have been put off are now underway once more creating a backlog of work. Many contractors have schedules that are booked months out already and have even turned away business. A far cry from this time last year when most businesses struggled to stay afloat. Why not hire more people? Well during the pandemic, a lot of the labor force transitioned into work-from-home positions creating a shortage in more labor-intensive fields, like concrete fence construction. Hilltop Concrete was very lucky to be able to retain our expert crews during the pandemic and are grateful for the loyalty of each and every one of our employees.
With the COVID shutdowns across the world, some supply chains have yet to fully recover, wood in particular. Because of the high prices of wood, many builders are looking for alternatives, like metal, creating a shortage of steel as the demand has risen sharply. Another shortage that has had a large impact on our business in particular is cement. Cement is a key ingredient in making concrete which is what our systems are made of. So, not even Hilltop Concrete has been exempt from the industry-wide price increases. But while our cost may have increased slightly, the nature of precast concrete fencing keeps Hilltop Concrete competitive. We manufacture all of our systems at our production facility so there is no need to worry about procuring the material after contracts have been signed. However, we don’t make our own paint. With Texas’ recent brush with “Snowmageddon”, a lot of raw material for paint had to be discarded when they froze. This created a petrochemical shortage causing significant disruptions. Is it weird knowing that Texas’ weather can affect whether you can obtain paint for your project or paint your house?
Hilltop Concrete is eager to do its part in helping the economy recover. If you are interested in finding out about applying for a position with our company, reach out to us today at hello@hilltopconcreteco.com or by phone at 903-630-5465. We also support working with local businesses, they are what make our towns special and unique. Hilltop Concrete is headquartered in East Texas with projects located throughout Texas including in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, and Austin and we offer shipping options to our customers outside of Texas. When you partner with Hilltop Concrete, we consider you part of the family, and we are all about family!