Another problem for fire victims — shortage of construction workers
Families rebuilding after last year's devastating Wine Country wildfires have felt the pain.
"There's still a pretty big shortage of skilled labor," said
The high demand for workers has resulted in rising prices and delays, despite an influx of general contractors from the
The Carr fire has claimed more than 1,000 homes, while the ongoing
The series of fires have claimed two dozen lives, including firefighters.
The
That's a heavy demand for a shrinking labor force, experts say. Issi Romem, chiefeconomist at Buildzoom, said expensive regions like
Young workers, in particular, are not choosing a career in construction, he said.
"It's hard, physical work," hesaid. "People are more inclined to go after a college degree and white collar jobs."
After the Wine Country fires, many residents have struggled through the emotional and complex decision to move or rebuild in a fire-prone community.
Housing prices near the ravaged communities rose, continuing a trend in the strong
One bright spot, Zillow researches found -- more homeowners listed rental properties in the weeks following the crisis. Many were pricier, vacation rentals, but the new listings helped increase the ravaged housing stock for families who lost their homes.
In
Even the influx of workers from the
Kopperund cited an example of three homes with similar re-construction projects in an upscale
"It's really driven up costs across the board," he said.
Stewart of Buildzoom has worked with about 40 homeowners this year on reconstruction projects in
He believes the increased need for workers will drain construction workers from
Trade workers in concrete, framing and fire suppression systems have been highly sought after, he said. "A lot of general contractors have come from surrounding counties," Stewart said, yet demand remains "extremely high."
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