Real estate: Building is becoming more and more expensive
Created: 2022-02-07 11:07 am
New buildings are in a development area in the Hanover region.
(Archive image) © Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
Construction prices rose last year more than they have in over 20 years - and there is currently no end in sight.
Berlin - The construction prices in Germany * are expected to increase this year.
Last year they rose by six percent, said the general manager of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry, Felix Pakleppa, the German Press Agency.
Construction industry: Prices for wood continue to rise
"That was the strongest increase in over 20 years." This year, the association expects growth of four percent.
“That means things are calming down a bit, but prices are still rising.” It is not foreseeable that the level before the pandemic will be reached.
"And that is mainly due to the sharp rise in material prices."
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By far the most expensive timber has increased in price.
Prices almost doubled in 2021, Pakleppa said.
"For plastic and insulating materials it was about 30 to 40 percent, for steel 70 percent." Since the turn of the year, construction timber has become somewhat cheaper.
"We are now at an increase of 89 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period, so it is still at a very high level."
Californian houses with wood from Germany
From the point of view of the central association, there are various reasons for this.
More damaged wood in Europe due to the bark beetle plague is one thing, the significant increase in demand last year after the slump due to the 2020 pandemic is another.
The US also imported more wood from Europe after US tariffs made Canadian wood significantly more expensive, Pakleppa said.
"As a result, many wooden houses in California were built with wood from Baden-Württemberg."
There would also be inflation, energy prices and wage increases*, said Pakleppa.
The construction industry is in a balancing act.
"On the one hand, there is the goal in the coalition agreement that 400,000 new apartments are to be built per year and that apartments can be rented at affordable prices." On the other hand, there are ambitious goals in the areas of sustainability and climate change.
"Such requirements also lead to building becoming more expensive because we have to build with higher energy efficiency." (
dpa)
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