What You Can Expect from Home Exterior Material Shortages & Backlogs
Like most other industries, the residential roofing industry has been facing a plethora of issues related to supply chain disruptions throughout 2021. It can be frustrating when your home exterior project doesn’t go according to plan because of delays, shortages, or other headaches, but know that the L.H. Krueger team is doing everything we can to keep your project on track. Here is some insight into the supply chain problems that might affect your residential roofing, siding, or gutters project and what you can expect moving forward.
Home Exterior Products Affected by 2021 Supply Chain Problems
Nearly every kind of roofing and exterior material has been impacted by the ongoing supply chain issues in some way. The lineup of products that are backordered (and how long it will take these products to arrive) is constantly changing. Here at L.H. Krueger, we’re staying on top of lead times to give you the most accurate, up-to-date estimate on when the materials for your project will be available and ready to be installed on your home.
There are some categories of home exterior materials that are currently more problematic to obtain. Vinyl siding takes 12-16 weeks to arrive on average, sometimes even longer. We can get the siding, but there will be a significant wait. The market for aluminum is very volatile, so gutters are hard to get ahold of in a timely fashion. For shingles, it mostly depends on the color; manufacturers are focused on producing the most popular offerings like charcoal and pewter, while less common colors and styles are more difficult to obtain. In some cases, manufacturers have stopped producing these niche options in order to meet demand for the shingles that are requested most often.
Wholesalers also play a role in what shingles we can get and how easy they are to obtain. Our wholesalers are on allotments from the plants that supply them and have stopped doing store-to-store transfers. If a local branch doesn’t have the product we’re looking for, we can drive to a different branch out of town, within reason. We’ve traveled as far as Madison and Chicagoland to pick up materials, but all of that legwork takes time. It’s also important to know that we can send someone to a branch for a small order of shingles, like finding a color match for a repair job. but we don’t have the heavy equipment necessary for transporting enough materials to re-roof an entire house. If you’re completely replacing your roof, we recommend selecting shingles that are more readily available at our nearby wholesale locations.
How Delays & Shortages Impact Your Roofing or Exterior Project
We’re doing everything we can to minimize the impact of supply chain issues, but it’s important to know what effect these issues might have on your home exterior project. We strive to provide clear information and education every step of the way. That way, you aren’t met with surprises.
The primary impact you can expect is a longer project timeline. Sourcing the materials your project needs takes time, especially if we’re tracking down a hard-to-find color or style. If a different product would do the trick, we can make a substitution, but we’ll need your approval pronto to keep everything moving! We also need to ensure that all of the necessary resources are available at the same time. Scheduling has become a tricky and intricate process, as we’re coordinating fluctuating product delivery dates with our team’s availability and other services like dumpster rentals. Sometimes, that perfect install date we had marked on the calendar has to change because the weather isn’t playing nice or a shipment is late. Your cooperation and flexibility are key to completing your project as planned!
Unfortunately, the prices of materials have also gone up due to supply chain challenges. It’s well-known that lumber costs soared this year and are just beginning to fall again. The amount of lumber we use in a roofing project is minimal, but it’s good news that the cost of this portion is coming back down. The same can’t be said of other materials. We’re expecting aluminum prices to increase in 2022 due to the volatile market that we mentioned before. And unlike lumber, gas, or other commodities with fluctuating prices, shingles never get less expensive. It’s best not to wait around hoping that the price will come down–being proactive and scheduling your job now is your best course of action. Overall, your home exterior project will likely be more expensive than a similar project would have been a few years ago.
What You Can Do About Disruptions to Your Residential Exterior Project
We’ll do everything we can to get your roof, siding, or gutter work done as soon as feasible. So what can you do to help?
Your patience and cooperation are what is most important to the success of your project. Staying flexible with scheduling, particularly if dates need to shift around, makes it easier for us to get everything coordinated and completed to your satisfaction. And if a product you like isn’t in stock, we can find something that’s every bit as wonderful as what you pictured or help you postpone the project until what you want is available.
We appreciate that homeowners have been so understanding throughout these ongoing supply chain issues. By being ready to approve timelines and staying open to different possibilities, your positivity helps us all get to the finish line: a beautiful home exterior!
L.H. Krueger Gets the Job Done, Even Amidst Supply Chain Disruptions
Entrust your residential roofing, siding, or gutters project to a home exterior team that’s here to serve you. L.H. Krueger’s team is fighting our hardest to complete each project on a reasonable timeline and budget. Let us help you, too! Get started by requesting a free estimate today.
