Bricks and labour cost more in South-west

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Construction firms in the South-west pay above average rates for bricks and labour, according to the EC Harris/Construction News Contractor's Input Cost Index for September.

Bricks cost £220 per 1,000 compared to the UK mean average of £209 while bricklayers and carpenters daily rates stood at around £178. That compares to an average labour cost in the region of almost £171.

The data shows that the annual UK-wide rise of building materials for the third quarter of 2008 was 14.3 per cent. The rise in materials costs and labour rose by 9 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively.

Other materials are cheaper with timber costing £2.33 per metre compared to a national average of £2.70 while ready mix concrete costs £70 per cubic metre compared to the UK average of £72.75 per cubic metre.

The high cost of oil has played a leading role but since hitting a record high in July of $147 a barrel, the price of oil has now fallen under $100 a barrel.

Despite this firms can get structural steel cheaper in the region with a price of £1,450 a tonne while the UK average is £1,621 a tonne.

John Perkins Construction contracts director Rupert Perkins said: "At the moment we are finding that there is upward pressure on materials costs but we are seeing labour costs drop because there is not enough work. People are falling over themselves to work."

He added that over the last six months materials as well as landfill costs were rising. Mr Perkins added: "But we price materials in line with everyone else so in many ways it's a level playing field."