Building crafts warns of rising prices

"Difficulties in the supply of materials and equipment (...) have already been felt for several weeks and (...) are likely to increase", said the Confederation of Crafts and Small Building Enterprises (Capeb) in a statement.

"Consequences of a combination of several factors: health crisis, shutdown of certain industries, the price of materials increases sharply and supply times are lengthening", adds the organization.

Capeb believes that this "critical situation" pourrait "be harmful for certain categories of work supported under 'MaPrimeRénov +', financial assistance offered by the State for the thermal renovation of housing, "since the financing is based on cost calculations per m²". "This phenomène would therefore automatically increase the remainder payable by the beneficiaries " help, she adds.

In the first quarter, the overall activity of artisanal construction companies recorded an increase of 9,5%, compared to the same quarter of 2020 when activity was down 12% due to the first containment and the virtual shutdown. total number of sites.

Professionals note a 10% growth in new buildings and 9% in the maintenance-renovation activity which "takes advantage of the dynamism of energy performance work on housing".

Despite a "encouraging economic situation" in the first trimester, the Capeb says "cautious for the coming months concerning in particular the activity in new construction which shows a decline of 17,4% and starts of 9,5% at the end of February 2021 over the last 12 months compared to the same period one year earlier".

Conjoncture for the Building Crafts industry - summary in figures:

• At the start of the year, the volume of activity increased for all the trades, which saw their activity grow between 7 and 12%. Electricity, carpentry-locksmithing and planning-decoration-plastering are the most dynamic with increases of between + 10,5% and + 12% in the 1st quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Masonry and roofing-plumbing-heating recorded more moderate growth, at + 9% and + 7% respectively.
• The cash flow of craft construction companies is improving: the balance of opinions stands at 23 points with 31% of companies declaring an improvement in their cash flow against 8% a deterioration.
• The number of days of order books stood at 102 days at the beginning of April, an increase of 35 days compared to the same period of the previous year.
• In addition, the number of companies declaring that they want to invest over the next 6 months is up sharply (12% against 1% a year earlier).
• A balance of opinions on the rise regarding contract labor; Thus, 1% of companies note a decrease in their activity carried out in subcontracting while 28% note an increase. In total, 18% of companies say they perform subcontracted work