Calgary construction workers can’t keep up with demand
Many flooded homeowners face a shortage of contractors when beginning home repairs.
According to the Government of Alberta, the floods impacted more then 100,000 people within 30 communities. In addition, over 2,000 Albertans are still currently without a home.
Flooded resident Keith DeMan says that putting his house back together will require a lot of remodeling. He plans to move his hot-water tank and furnace into his main-floor office – compromises he says are crucial.
“If we get flooded again, after the evacuation when we can come back in, we’ll have heat and we’ll have water,” says DeMan.
However, while trying to begin these renovations, DeMan says he cannot find contractors who do not have full schedules.
Homeowner Keith DeMan with his dog Daisy, have been severely affected by the June flood.
Photo by Brittany Fong
“They were busy before the flood and now we’ve been hit by all this extra work for them. I don’t know, it doesn’t look good,” he says.
While business from the flood has brought revenues up, Randy Cosh, owner of Dukes Plumbing Inc., says there is still an unusually high demand for plumbers in the city.
“The demand for plumbers did increase in June, almost every company was hiring,” Cosh says. “I probably did about 10 furnaces and I never do furnaces in the summer, they’re usually in the winter.”
But DeMan is not giving up hope yet. He says he is determined to have his home functional for him and his family by this time next year.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to put this house back together in such a way that if we get flooded again, our losses are going to be minimal.”
bfong@cjournal.ca