Construction & Real Estate
Continuing to Evolve
Steady demand for homes along our state’s beaches prompts more sustainable and efficient practices from Delaware’s Coastal Building and Construction Industry BY MARNIE OURSLER CONSTRUCTION, much like any other industry, has certainly changed over the past few years. With everything the COVID-19 pandemic affected, builders throughout our area faced major roadblocks in our standard everyday practices and procedures. As builders who specialize in custom homes along the Delaware beaches, my team and I faced an incredible increase in demand for secondary homes as people wanted to get away from larger cities, but still spend time in their own homes along the coastline. As national demand for new construction and home improvements surged, our own area’s inventory became sparse, driving home prices even higher. Recent high interest rates have slightly damped this demand; however, we are still very busy building at the beach. Overall building and construction material and labor prices have increased drastically since 32
2019, and although prices have stabilized, they have not come down to pre-pandemic levels. All of this has also disrupted our industry’s supply chains, which are just now becoming more balanced. We are still seeing delays with certain home products, but for the most part, logistically, it’s close to pre-pandemic timelines.
Strong Foundations Building oceanfront and beachfront homes requires strict protocols to properly reinforce a build to withstand nature’s elements. It all starts with the foundation, so we typically build strong concrete foundations and go up from there with a steel framed structure. One of our main priorities is incorporating steel into every build to withstand high winds and heavy driving rain. And when building close to the water, we abide by November/December 2023
| DELAWARE BUSINESS
