Housing construction saw a 4.3% rebound in May housing starts nationwide. As for if that trend holds true locally, SeehaferNews.com spoke this week with the leader of Bartow Builders.
Brandon Bartow says their business looks great, and he believes this to be true countywide. “When I talk to members of the Manitowoc County Homebuilders Association, everybody seems busy,” Bartow said. “I know early when the coronavirus first came out, there was some fear and some concern, and that there were some cancelations to contracts.”
Bartow explains he is aware of a couple of builders who had cancellations, while others had those interested customers come back to the table.
The local homebuilder said that up until the last few weeks, obtaining building materials had not been a problem, but now it has become a problem. Bartow explained, “That was, I’m sure, factories in certain situations where they we trying to figure out how to do social distancing at work. They had employees that didn’t feel comfortable coming to work, and not being involved, so they had some shortages. I think now we are starting to see those.”
Bartow envisions a “little bit of a slowdown in July and August” with respect to delays in receiving supplies like doors and windows.
For the year 2020 new housing starts in the Manitowoc area are up over last year, including one and two family units.
