Large Project Starts Continue to Lift Construction Activity

This represents a 1.13% quarterly increase from the second quarter of 2019 and a 5.16% annual increase from the third quarter of 2018, respectively.

“Large project starts in a fairly busy construction market are continuing to impact availability of skilled labor. Many contractors are taking on work within the limits of their current in-house capacity. This has the potential to increase costs,” said Attilio Rivetti, the Turner vice president responsible for compiling the Cost Index. Attilio continued, “Raw material costs have been relatively stable in the third quarter of 2019. As we move into the fourth quarter, there will be some uncertainty in the markets until issues around tariffs become more firmly settled.”

Turner has prepared the construction cost forecast for more than 80 years. The building costs and price trends tracked by the Turner Building Cost Index may or may not reflect regional conditions in any given quarter. The Cost Index is determined by several factors considered on a nationwide basis, including labor rates and productivity, material prices and the competitive condition of the marketplace. This index does not necessarily conform to other published indices because others do not generally take all of these factors into account.