Costs Are On The Rise

The year is winding down. It was a wild year. We escaped any significant hurricanes in NE Florida in 2021. This storm we call COVID persists. The number of jobs available to be filled outnumbered the volume of people actually looking for work; causing employers to increase pay to land their desired candidates. Other work simply went undone, like garbage and recycling pickup, because there was nobody to do it.

Home prices did some crazing things this year given supply chain issues that spiked lumber for a while and created on again, off again, shortages with other products required when building a home. Gas pricing has been climbing, and inflationary pressures – something we have not experienced in a generation – have resurfaced.

The theme behind all these trends is higher prices, for both the labor and materials that go into homes and home improvement efforts. The new year is less than a week away and these themes will remain for the time being. What does this mean for you, as a homeowner, as you lay out plans for your home in the new year?

As you take stock of needs around your home, or investment properties, in the coming year these escalating costs are not something to be ignored. They are something to be anticipated and planned for. It is reasonable to assume that a project done in January or February will be less expensive than a project done in June or July.

This is because seasonal demands usually drop in Q1, our coldest and darkest months in NE Florida, and also because inflationary pressures will send prices up further as the year goes on. If you have some projects you want or need to get done already on your to-do list, early in the new year may be the best time to tackle them.

Another consideration in this environment is the impact of undone maintenance. Simple tasks like painting and caulking are part of the process of keeping the exterior of your home weather-tight. Folks attempting to ‘save’ by delaying exterior maintenance often find themselves paying for a much more expensive repair or replacement project down the road. We do a lot of rotten wood repairs on homes, and in almost all cases the damage, in whole or part, is a result of failure to do periodic maintenance.

Resolve to take care of your home in 2022, by keeping up with your to-do list. Prioritize those items with the potential for high damage, and thus higher cost, to be done early in the year before they get even more expensive as labor and materials prices continue to climb.

If you are committed to keeping on top of home maintenance and repair, but not as enthusiastic about doing the work yourself, know that Mr. Handyman serving Greater Jacksonville is capable of helping with most home maintenance and repair work, and most home improvement projects. We have the staff (all employees, background checked and drug screened), skills, tools, and discipline to manage your project – large or small – so a successful completion. Check us out online to see what customers are saying across popular reviews and rating sites.

And, given January and February are typically slower months in this business, we are offering 10% off labor for projects of $750 or greater. This helps us during slower months when we need the work, and it helps you get on top of your to-do list at our best possible pricing. Call to discuss your specific needs.