Market of wooden homes down to half

The market of wooden homes has not escaped the effects of the crisis, although in booming years these homes were promoted as cheap and rapid alternatives to traditional concrete and brick houses. Players on the market say their businesses have fallen by up to 50% with banks being reluctant to finance residential projects of this kind, even through the First home scheme. Therefore, most projects are for holiday homes, writes BUSINESS CONSTRUCT magazine.

In general, clients willing to pay for a wooden house tend to be young couples who inherited land from their parents and who build there a place they can use as a holiday refuge. They want around 100 square-metre homes, for which they usually pay using savings or personal loans. Mortgage loans are very seldom used to build a wooden house, builders complain.
Statistics show that out of the 62,520 homes built last year, only 3,136 were built of wood, and another 2,169 were built of wood and other materials. Builders say, however, that an accurate estimate of the market is difficult to make because there are a lot of houses built individually.