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Worst shortages and how to plan around them (Jul 2021)


puntloos

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So at this point I'm picking building materials, brands etc. Was just wondering if anyone has collected (or should we start to collect) unusually extended delivery times?

 

For example if we know Velux is struggling and Fakro is fine we might choose Fakro if all else is equal. What about Slate vs Concrete for roof tiles. Hacker vs Leicht kitchens.

 

Has anyone spotted any trends, anecdotes, facts around crazy delays? Better to know "now" than be confronted with them later?

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56 minutes ago, puntloos said:

So at this point I'm picking building materials, brands etc. Was just wondering if anyone has collected (or should we start to collect) unusually extended delivery times?

 

For example if we know Velux is struggling and Fakro is fine we might choose Fakro if all else is equal. What about Slate vs Concrete for roof tiles. Hacker vs Leicht kitchens.

 

Has anyone spotted any trends, anecdotes, facts around crazy delays? Better to know "now" than be confronted with them later?

A friend of mine fits Hacker and he loves them Ours is Nolte Looks identical to Hacker Great quality 

We used slate on ours May look at clay lookalikes this time 

 

A friend is managing a site in the Lake District and has built four upto chamber 

and is taking the face brick down due to long lead times 

 

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Need some help decoding this ;)

3 minutes ago, nod said:

A friend of mine fits Hacker and he loves them Ours is Nolte Looks identical to Hacker Great quality 

Just an example really, point being is Nolte faster in delivery? Or Leicht? Or siemens?

 

3 minutes ago, nod said:

We used slate on ours May look at clay lookalikes this time 

Why? Delivery times?

3 minutes ago, nod said:

A friend is managing a site in the Lake District and has built four upto chamber 

and is taking the face brick down due to long lead times 

"Taking the face brick down"? I'm not sure what that means?

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15 minutes ago, crispy_wafer said:

Roof tiles at 16/18 weeks, told my builder and he dithered...  put in a materials amendment last week to change to slate (probably for the better)

Same here ,  wanted Cassius slate look clay tiles minimum 4 months,  going for the slate we wanted at the beginning now we have an excuse to spend the extra. 

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2 minutes ago, Buzz said:

Same here ,  wanted Cassius slate look clay tiles minimum 4 months,  going for the slate we wanted at the beginning now we have an excuse to spend the extra. 

Why slate (other than delivery)? Looks? Quality?

 

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6 minutes ago, puntloos said:

Why slate (other than delivery)? Looks? Quality?

 

For me slate is the best material to cover my style of home in but comes at a price premium the clay tiles would have been very nice but I secretly think i would always have looked at them and thought wish I had spent the extra and had a real slate roof , I always look at a slate roof and think classic , quality ,understated .

 

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1 hour ago, puntloos said:

Need some help decoding this ;)

Just an example really, point being is Nolte faster in delivery? Or Leicht? Or siemens?

 

Why? Delivery times?

"Taking the face brick down"? I'm not sure what that means?

They found that the face bricks they where using where going to be 20 plus weeks till the next delivery So decided to use a similar brick to build the rest and the four started 

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12 hours ago, Buzz said:

Same here ,  wanted Cassius slate look clay tiles minimum 4 months,  going for the slate we wanted at the beginning now we have an excuse to spend the extra. 

Originally after Rivius, so a slate lookalike too at a reasonable price point.  I'll spend the extra and be done with it.

 

 

11 hours ago, puntloos said:

Why slate (other than delivery)? Looks? Quality?

 

Availability, plus the look of it, I think I wouldnt be doing the build justice if we turned a blind eye on this detail.  The roofer popped round with a tile, same dimensions and style close to that as the rivius but my wife and I both agreed it was not to be.  Also I think I prefer the thinner profile of slate compared to the clay or concrete alternatives.  I think in hindsight the delay has done me a favour.

 

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Surely a change of brick, or roof tile, or window frame, will require a material amendment approval by the planning authority? If so, around here that could mean an even longer delay.

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23 minutes ago, NSS said:

Surely a change of [...] will require a material amendment approval by the planning authority?

 

Of course it will. And that delay leads to retrospective applications, and more aggro.

So round here (deepest darkest West Lancashire) its common to '... just do it ...'  Unless someone points the variation out to the Enforcement Team . And then they have a statutory duty to investigate. And that leads to - well if they do it and I keep schtumm, then when I vary something minor - they'll keep schtumm too. 

 

The only loophole I can see to that (just do it) method is the possibility of HMRCs team noticing a large item on the list of invoices: a claim for slates instead of metal roofing for example. (HMRC require a full set of building plans)

 

Within limits, just-do-it is  a sensible reaction to pifflingly niggly-naggly bureacracy. But there's always someone isn't there......

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1 hour ago, NSS said:

Surely a change of brick, or roof tile, or window frame, will require a material amendment approval by the planning authority? If so, around here that could mean an even longer delay.

 

Indeed, yes it does, and a cost implication too, I could have done the old get on with route and face the consequences should anyone notice, but I just wanted to go by the book as I don't need the potential hassle should anything arise, I also had an amendment to window frame colour to include and a varcon for solar panels, so I needed to be in contact with the planners anyway.

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10 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Of course it will. And that delay leads to retrospective applications, and more aggro.

So round here (deepest darkest West Lancashire) its common to '... just do it ...'  Unless someone points the variation out to the Enforcement Team . And then they have a statutory duty to investigate. And that leads to - well if they do it and I keep schtumm, then when I vary something minor - they'll keep schtumm too. 

 

The only loophole I can see to that (just do it) method is the possibility of HMRCs team noticing a large item on the list of invoices: a claim for slates instead of metal roofing for example. (HMRC require a full set of building plans)

 

Within limits, just-do-it is  a sensible reaction to pifflingly niggly-naggly bureacracy. But there's always someone isn't there......

 

'Just do it' may work in you neck of the woods TBC, but the eight neighbours who objected to our planning application would have been on to the council in a flash if we'd tried that here. One even tried to claim that the ridge height was too high (it wasn't) and that the screening shrubs we planted were not of the prescribed minimum height of 2.5m (they were). 

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2 hours ago, NSS said:

...

but the eight neighbours who objected to our planning application would have been on to the council in a flash if

...

 

Ugh. Move North young man,  move north.

 

Beer's better,  wimmin don't complain, fish and chips are better , fewer speed cameras, land is cheaper and neighbours build houses INSIDE their caravans.  Honest

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1 hour ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Ugh. Move North young man,  move north.

 

Beer's better,  wimmin don't complain, fish and chips are better , fewer speed cameras, land is cheaper and neighbours build houses INSIDE their caravans.  Honest

Funnily enough, a couple of weeks ago I ventured as far north as I've done in probably 20 years or more (to collect a new caravan from Sheffield as it happens). Never seen so many speed cameras, particularly average speed cameras, on A-roads - we only get those on motorway roadworks down here. As for the beer and the fish & chips, you must be joking, though admittedly I can't comment regarding the ladies ?

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10 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Ugh. Move North young man,  move north.

 

Beer's better,  wimmin don't complain, fish and chips are better , fewer speed cameras, land is cheaper and neighbours build houses INSIDE their caravans.  Honest

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/home-owner-baffled-petty-320-21024142

 

The bureaucracy is better as well.

 

You can get beer/fish and chip down here.

 

 

Edited by SteamyTea
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OK, so I should move my plot North. Got it. :)

 

But seriously, hmm, so cement-style tiles are in short supply in UK, but @Conor says he had no problems in Ireland (I take it?) .. 

Also @SteamyTea's link on commodity prices - https://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/ - seems to say we had a bad period but it's improving somewhat. 

Will definitely keep an eye on it and perhaps go for actual slate rather than 'xyzcrete' ;)

 

Any other supplies that are terrible? How are "foreign appliances", e.g. Neff (german, I believe?) ovens etc etc. 

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29 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Are you not considering roof integrated PV?

Well remembered - my current feel is that the PV tiles or embedded in roof systems are not worth the extra hassle + price compared to the classic panels, but I'll be getting an idea with the ME design soonish.

 

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3 hours ago, puntloos said:

Any other supplies that are terrible? How are "foreign appliances", e.g. Neff (german, I believe?) ovens etc etc. 

I honestly think if you can get through the entire rest of the build and have to hold out a couple months using a temporary £50 oven before the perfect one gets back in stock, you'll be delighted :)

(Also, in a multi year project, storing an oven or american fridge and not having it get bashed up is a challenge, and you may even find it's obsolete or been superseded by the time installed)

 

What I did when about 4 months out from kitchen fitting was phone applianceworldonline.com and negotiated a package deal for the whole lot. They gathered them in stock over a few months, then kept them in their warehouse until the nominated day I needed them. They're going to charge a fee to hold them for 24 months though.

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, puntloos said:

 

But seriously, hmm, so cement-style tiles are in short supply in UK, but @Conor says he had no problems in Ireland (I take it?) .. 

Also @SteamyTea

 

No issues at all with cement, plaster, plasterboard, paving, concrete products, slates, flooring etc. Just have to wait slightly longer then normal. I think it's because so much is made here and there's spare production capacity for quarry and cement products.

 

Only issues I've had are timber and insulation. Both doubled in price and hard to get. Steel isn't far behind, still waiting on stuff from Lindab a month after ordering. Stud wall guy luckily has his own stockpile of metal C studs and ceiling stuff.

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