The effects of a particularly brutal winter will be felt by some Rochester-area homeowners for months to come.
Rick Herman, CEO of the Rochester Home Builders' Association, says roof and wall damage caused by ice damming has created a backlog of work for home contractors. If you need to hire a reputable repairman, you may have to wait.
"We actually have a backup in new construction due to the harsh winter as well, so that's adding to the problem”, Herman said. “And then on top of it, we've actually seen an increase in people not only repairing the damage, but increasing upgrades and home remodeling."
Herman admits not all of the news is bad. "It's good news that there are going to be a lot of new opportunities, a lot of jobs in the residential construction markets. It just may be a little inconvenient for people looking for a dry wall repair or for a gutter to be hung, or something like that."
He says contractors will have to play catch-up with the construction of new homes in the next three quarters.
"We certainly have seen less permits pulled this first quarter, so we have to do some making up here to stay on par with other years for the rest of the three quarters of 2015."
