Travis Perkins bosses eye ‘considerable’ price rises after boom in building work during lockdown

DIY disaster as cost of materials hits the roof: Travis Perkins bosses eye ‘considerable’ price rises after boom in building work during lockdown

  • The builders’ merchant said on Sunday Britons faced ‘considerable’ cost rises
  • Price of bagged cement expected to rise by 15 per cent and chipboard by a tenth
  • The rises follow a boom in extensions and conversions during lockdowns
  • B&Q and Wickes also have supply issues but have not so far raised prices


The cost of building work is set to rocket as a shortage of materials hits crisis point, Britain’s biggest builders’ merchant warned yesterday.

Travis Perkins said Britons faced ‘considerable’ cost rises following a boom in extensions, conversions and landscape gardening projects in lockdown.

Customers at its 560 branches have been told to expect the price of bagged cement to rise 15 per cent, chipboard to go up by a tenth, and for the price of paint to go up by 5 per cent.

Some DIY enthusiasts and builders have been unable to get hold of cement ‘for weeks’, the wait for roofing tiles has hit 20 weeks and orders of concrete fence posts can take 16 weeks.

It comes after families diverted lockdown savings to building projects just as rising house prices fuel a building boom.

The cost of building work is set to rocket as a shortage of materials hits crisis point, Britain’s biggest builders’ merchant warned yesterday. Travis Perkins said Britons faced ‘considerable’ cost rises following a boom in extensions, conversions and landscape gardening projects in lockdown [Stock image]

B&Q and Wickes also have supply issues, but Travis Perkins is the first to raise prices. It said: ‘We continue to work closely with our suppliers to minimise price increases.’

A spokesperson added: ‘The market is facing considerable cost and availability challenges on a number of key commodity items at the moment.’

The development will push up inflation fears after the rate of price rises doubled in March, due to rising petrol and energy prices.

There are fears prices will rise as the economy reopens and consumers start spending again, exacerbated by rising wages in some industries.

The supply problems started during the lockdown, with companies struggling to catch up with demand.

The building boom has been fuelled by the housing market, which recorded its strongest April sales for 14 years last month.

Last month industry groups reported that demand for builders was rising at its fastest rate for a decade, placing incredible pressure on supplies.

Larger housebuilders, such as Barratt or Taylor Wimpey, are unlikely to be hit by the shortages, but for smaller builders it is ‘yet another test’, according to the Federation of Small Builders.

The National Federation of Builders added that ‘material prices are up considerably’.

Customers at Travis Perkins' 560 branches have been told to expect the price of bagged cement to rise 15 per cent, chipboard to go up by a tenth, and for the price of paint to go up by 5 per cent [Stock image]

Customers at Travis Perkins’ 560 branches have been told to expect the price of bagged cement to rise 15 per cent, chipboard to go up by a tenth, and for the price of paint to go up by 5 per cent [Stock image]