Turner Building Cost Index: Construction Activity Continues at High Level

This represents a 1.23% quarterly increase from the first quarter of 2019 and a 5.51% annual increase from the second quarter of 2018, respectively.

“Raw material costs in the second quarter of 2019 have been relatively stable and contractors continue to be selective due to the availability of skilled labor,” said Attilio Rivetti, the Turner vice president responsible for compiling the Cost Index. Attilio continued, “We will also need to keep a watchful eye on the potential of tariffs on specific materials in the third and fourth quarters of 2019.”

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.