Frigid temperatures and snowy streets couldn’t stop area residents from checking out the Springfield Area Home Builders Association’s Home Expo on Saturday morning.
Showgoers roamed around the vendor booths and tables that filled the Bank of Springfield Center.
On hand Saturday morning were area vendors specializing in roofing, siding, windows, garages, home furnishings, sunrooms and general construction.
The vendors stood by, ready to field questions and offer advice on building or buying a home and remodeling.
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Chris Hartsook, owner of the Big Dog Design n Build Construction Co. in Carlinville, said now would be the time to build a home before material (prices) go up more because of inflation and before interest rates rise.
“We’ve seen anywhere from a three percent to eight percent price increase across the board on a lot of our materials.” said Hartsook, standing at his booth. “Material prices are going up. What we’ve seen is a a ripple effect. As manufacturers don’t have employees coming in, they can’t produce the same amount of product production wise, which makes their demand higher. Demand goes up, prices go up. Fuel costs go up, prices go up.”
Curt Trampe, owner of Dream Maker Bath and Kitchen in Springfield, offered some insight into current trends.
He’s seeing a lot of remodeling projects being done.
“The one thing that you’re probably more at risk of if you build a new home is the fluctuation of building materials can swing pretty dramatically. You’re not exposed to that risk with a remodel,” Trampe said.
Trampe said more people are willing to invest in their homes since the pandemic started.
“People are much more willing to invest and not as concerned about return on investment. They want it fixed up the way its going to work for them because they’ve spent so much time in their home over the last two years.” Trampe said.
Trampe said he also has noticed another trend of people wanting more closed-off areas in their home as well. “They want more spaces that can be shut off from the rest of the home. It used to be everybody wanted everything wide open.” Trampe said.
The expo, which opened Friday, continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.