COVID-19 impacting completion time for homes in Amarillo by 2-3 months

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The average time to build a standard 2,000 square foot home takes five to six months, but local companies are saying its taking two to three months longer now to finish building homes.

Factors contributing to this are shipping delays, supply shortages, and the number of construction workers impacted by COVID-19.

More people are selling their homes in a low interest market to only find new homes available in the outskirts of the city.

The Amarillo National Bank sales report for August 2021 shows that sales for housing units are nearly double the amount made two years ago.

With high demand with little supply, if one construction worker gets sick, it pushes back the schedule for other homes in the area.

“For every job if we’re running 10 jobs, if I have one guy lined up and he has six more of my projects behind him, if he’s a week late on project number three then that impacts projects four through 10,” said Cole Stanley, owner of Cole Stanley Builders.

With workers having to go on sick leave and even some not returning to work due to COVID-19, the demand for workers is heightened as more people are wanting to build.

“They’ll show up with a four man crew pre-COVID-19, right now they’re hoping to get a helper to show up to install floors or concrete,” Christian Bass, owner Christian Bass Construction.

Another local factor contributing to the longer wait time in building homes is the competition between commercial companies like Amazon.

They increase wages for builders to work on their projects leaving home builders with setbacks.

The Texas Panhandle Builders Association said there are fewer subcontractors, so they have to order materials earlier to avoid delays.

Private contractors share that it is best to plan in advance for wanting to build a home in the area.

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