News

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark ( KNWA ) - Construction material costs are increasing by more than 7% nationwide as a trade war with china continues.

According to the Associated General Contractors of America, constructing a home and turning it into a fully built house is becoming more expensive due to rising tariff costs on construction supplies.

Fuel, asphalt, and particularly metal costs have increased by double digits while labor costs also continue to rise. 

Local construction companies say they aren't immune to the cost increase. Brock Posey with Southern Brothers Construction says while he mostly works with lumber, the metal he uses did see those price spikes. 

"Sheet metals, big iron buildings, re-bar, wire cage, stuff that you would use in the slab. A lot of those kind of metals did see those hikes from the tariffs and preliminary hikes just to protect themselves," Posey said.