Between 2021 and 2022, Barratt Developments was the company with the largest housing turnover in the United Kingdom. Taylor Wimpey was the second company in the ranking, with a housebuilding revenue of *** billion British pounds. In fourth place, Bellway generated a revenue of *** billion British pounds in 2022. However, that only refers to the turnover that those companies generated from housing activities. What is the outlook for the UK's home construction market? Although housing construction was expected to stagnate in 2024, over the coming years the number of homes built is expected to rise at a quick pace. The projected growth of housing starts in the UK is anticipated to be **** percent higher in 2028 than in 2024. A rise in construction starts would be a good sign for the market, as there is a high demand for housing which, along with other factors, has fostered increasingly higher house prices in the UK during the past years. Who are the leading home builders in the U.S.? The market size of the home building industry in the United States is even bigger than in the UK. In 2023, Miami-based Lennar Corp. and the Texas-based D.R. Horton were the largest homebuilders in the U.S. with a revenue of over ** billion U.S. dollars. Other builders, such as PulteGroup, Toll Brothers, and NVR were also prominent players in the residential construction industry, with much higher revenue figures than their UK counterparts. The value of new residential construction in the U.S. rose significantly from 2019 to 2022 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching about *** billion U.S. dollars. However, the market is expected to decrease until 2025, which could impact the revenues of these home builders.

Residential building contractors are contingent on the propensity of property developers to invest in new ventures; movements in property prices; government schemes intended to boost the housing supply; and underlying sentiment in the housing market. Industry contractors have endured turbulent operating conditions over the past five years, leading to volatile shifts in revenue and profitability. Revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.4% over the five years through 2025-26, reaching £100.5 billion. The pandemic caused a significant drop in output in 2020-21, as restrictions placed on on-site activity and fewer enquiries for new housing units reduced revenue opportunities. Aided by government support for the housing market and the release of pent-up demand, 2021-22 was characterised by a strong rebound in activity, though materials and labour shortages maintained constraints on output. Mounting supply chain disruption and heightened economic uncertainty maintained pressure on output in the following year, though revenue growth was maintained by growth in average selling prices. Interest rate hikes and inflationary pressures led to a more subdued housing market in 2022-23, holding back the number of housing starts and completions during the year. This was followed by a slump in new residential building construction in the following year, as high borrowing costs and uncertain market conditions caused developers to scale back investment plans. The new Labour government has put forth ambitious housing targets, leading to planning reforms, increased funding for SME housebuilders and a particular focus on affordable housing to speed up housing delivery. Even though economic conditions continue to affect investor sentiment, supportive supply-side policies are anticipated to boost revenue growth by 0.5% in 2025-26. This growth is expected to also be fuelled by an uptick in new orders for residential building construction, coupled with a rise in average selling prices. Revenue is slated to climb at a compound annual rate of 2.3% to reach £112.5 billion over the five years through 2030-31. Housebuilding activity is set to grow in the medium-term, aided by the release of pent-up demand. Nonetheless, significant uncertainty remains, with mortgage rates likely to settle well-above pre-pandemic levels and supply chains remaining fragile. The new government’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million houses during the first five years of parliament will boost demand for industry contractors, though the full impact of this on growth prospects is dependent on the nature and extent of accompanying funding plans.

Starts and completions of new build dwellings in the UK, on a quarterly and annual basis, time series data

Private companies were responsible for most of the new homes built in the United Kingdom (UK), amounting to ******* units in 2024. Housing completions in the UK decreased for three years in a row between 2007 and 2010. This was followed by several years of fluctuation and a gradual increase from 2013 to 2019. The number of homes completed in England remained relatively stable in 2022 and 2023, after reaching a low point in the second quarter of 2020 due to the restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Construction starts and completions Comparing the number of starts and completions in London side-by-side shows that whenever there is a significant growth or fall in the number of projects started, that peak or valley tends to be reflected in the number of buildings completed a couple of years later. Nevertheless, disruptions, delays, and other obstacles may affect that correlation. Still, observing how many home construction projects started in the UK can provide some insight into the level of activity that construction companies may have in the near future. Given that the number of housing starts is forecast to fall in 2024, there might be slightly less work to be carried out the following year. Nevertheless, housing starts are expected to pick up again by 2025 and 2026. Housing associations in the UK Housing associations are not-for-profit organizations created to develop and rent homes for a lower price than in the private market. They have acquired certain relevance in the UK, although this type of organization also exists in other countries. On several occasions during the past decade, over a fifth of housing starts in London were developed by housing associations. Meanwhile, the number of new homes completed in Scotland by housing associations has increased a lot throughout the years, with several thousand units constructed every year during the past decades.

The number of housing starts and completions in London decreased sharply in the fiscal year 2024/25. That came after a period of steadily increasing housing starts between 2019/20 and 2022/23, with ****** units started that latter year. Meanwhile, the number of new residential property starts in London amounted to ***** dwellings in 2024/25. However, the overall housing starts in the United Kingdom were forecasted to grow significantly in the coming years. How do residential construction costs compare across regions in the United Kingdom? Construction costs have been an important challenge for contractors and homebuilders in the United Kingdom, having an effect on their profit, but also on the final price of housing. Residential construction costs in the UK varied significantly by city and building type, with apartment high-rises generally being more expensive to construct than medium-standard townhouses. Overall, construction costs reflect a trend in which urban centers like London and Manchester have the highest average residential building construction costs in the UK. What is the price of a newly built home in the United Kingdom? Over the past decade, house prices have generally increased, reflecting a steady upward trend in the housing market. By the end of 2023, the average price of a newly built house in the UK amounted to nearly ******* British pounds. However, this represented a slight dip compared to the previous quarter, which recorded the highest average house prices since 2013. These trends suggest that the rise in housing costs will continue in the long-term, even if prices fluctuate slightly in certain quarters.

Repair and maintenance of private homes was the segment of residential construction with the highest annual growth rate in 2023. Meanwhile, new private and public housing construction increased by over five percent that year.

Carpentry and joinery product manufacturing revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 4.1% over the five years through 2024-25 to £7.5 billion. Residential construction activity in the UK has faced a downturn in recent years, despite government housing targets due to rising material costs, labour shortages and a drop in housing projects. However, demand for greenhouses, garden sheds and DIY products has swelled thanks to people spending more time at home during and after the pandemic, with working from home staying strong, presenting niche market opportunities for new entrants to explore. At the same time, non-residential construction activity has been boosted by government policy, particularly school and hospital building projects. Competition between manufacturers is intense as companies fight fiercely for market share, aiming to offer high-quality products at competitive prices. With the added challenge of competition from substitute products, heightened interest rates and a higher cost of borrowing, this has limited profitability. Recently, inflationary pressures have begun to ease, reducing the financial strain on homeowners and businesses. This relief is stimulating increased demand for property renovations, leading to a boost in carpentry and joinery product sales. In 2024-25, revenue is forecast to expand by 1.5%. Over the five years through 2029-30, revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.6% to £8.5 billion. UK government policies intended to relieve the nationwide housing shortage are set to stimulate the residential construction market. The non-residential construction market is also expecting a boost due to increased funding for public buildings and fiscal stimulatory measures. Improving economic conditions, commercial investment in new projects and the legal target to cut greenhouse emissions by 2050 should drive the demand for residential renovations and commercial construction, promoting sales of carpentry products.

Construction companies and property developers require demolition contractors to demolish or dismantle obsolete structures during the pre-construction development phase, through either a total/selective demolition process or sustainable repurposing methods like retrofitting. The Demolition industry’s performance runs in tandem with cyclical fluctuations endured by different construction markets, particularly the residential and commercial markets. Persistent inflation, though lower than its peak of 11.1% in October 2022, has shattered business confidence since 2021-22, discouraging new capital investment and weighing on revenue. In 2021-22, revenue experienced a strong recovery from its pandemic-induced shock. Still, the Russia-Ukraine conflict curbed this recovery as supply chain disruptions emerged, worsened in 2025-26 as President Trump announced a wave of tariff policies that promoted economic uncertainty. Demolition companies have experienced mixed fortunes as investors have been hesitant to spend big on new construction projects, though there’s been some respite from the resilience of infrastructure construction, with initiatives like the New Hospital Programme offering a steady stream of work. Despite fluctuating revenue, profit has trended upwards over the past five years due to these lucrative contract opportunities in infrastructure construction. At the same time, housebuilding policies like the Affordable Homes Programme and the government’s 1.5 million new home target have supported revenue from the residential construction market. Decommissioning projects set out by the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have also helped provide an alternative revenue stream through the demolition and decommissioning of obsolete nuclear power plants. Overall, revenue is expected to climb at a compound annual rate of 4.7% over the five years through 2025-26, primarily due to a strong post-pandemic recovery. In 2025-26, revenue is expected to fall by 1.8% to £1.3 billion amid ongoing economic uncertainty. Revenue is slated to swell at a compound annual rate of 2.9% over the five years through 2030-31, reaching £1.5 billion. Supportive supply-side policies will continue to support residential construction output as the Social and Affordable Homes Programme takes effect in 2026 and the ongoing target to build 1.5 million new homes remains in place. Commercial output should inch up as business confidence rises and infrastructure construction will see a boost from the government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy. The Building Cost Information Service forecasts that these policies will aid an 18% spike in construction output over the four years through 2029-30, supporting revenue growth for demolition contractors. The ongoing commitment to nuclear decommissioning will also provide a valuable revenue stream, presenting both demolition and decommissioning opportunities.

Building materials made of steel, copper and other metals had some of the highest price growth rates in the U.S. in the first half of 2025 in comparison to the previous year. The growth rate of the cost of several construction materials was slightly lower than in late 2024. It is important to note, though, that the figures provided are Producer Price Indices, which cover production within the United States, but do not include imports or tariffs. This might matter for lumber, as Canada's wood production is normally large enough that the U.S. can import it from its neighboring country. Construction material prices in the United Kingdom Similarly to these trends in the U.S., at that time the price growth rate of construction materials in the UK were generally lower 2024 than in 2023. Nevertheless, the cost of some construction materials in the UK still rose that year, with several of those items reaching price growth rates of over **** percent. Considering that those materials make up a very big share of the costs incurred for a construction project, those developments may also have affected the average construction output price in the UK. Construction material shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there often were supply problems and material shortages, which created instability in the construction market. According to a survey among construction contractors, the construction materials most affected by shortages in the U.S. during most of 2021 were steel and lumber. This was also a problem on the other side of the Atlantic: The share of building construction companies experiencing shortages in Germany soared between March and June 2021, staying at high levels for over a year. Meanwhile, the shortage of material or equipment was one of the main factors limiting the building activity in France in June 2022.

The construction output price in the United Kingdom has reached an annual growth rate of *** percent in June 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year. Construction costs had been increasing at a lower rate than in 2022 and 2023, but started rising again slowly in late 2024. The year-over-year growth rate was over ** percent in May and July 2022. Public and private housing was the construction segment with the highest output price increase. How have material costs developed over the years? Several factors influence construction material costs, including supply and demand, regulatory requirements, and transportation logistics. Manufacturing efficiency and global trade policies also play a big part, along with economic factors like inflation and currency fluctuations. In June 2022, the price of construction materials for new houses in the UK were ** percent higher than in 2015. What is the largest component of those costs? Labor costs are often one of the largest expenses in construction projects. That is due to the skilled nature of the work, which has a high demand for specialized trades. The construction sector's labor costs accounted for around ** percent of the sector's earnings in the United Kingdom in 2024. In the past years, the size of labor costs as a share of the construction sector have increased slightly, but they were still lower than in before 2014. As of June 2025, the construction output price growth rate has been revised to *** percent.

Housing and non-housing repair and maintenance were the segments with the largest construction output in the United Kingdom in 2024. Those two sectors together amounted to over ** percent of the industry. Meanwhile, the output of new private housing construction amounted to **** percent. The output volume of infrastructure in the past five years has been higher than in previous decades. A look at the construction output index for new private housing shows that output increased in 2021 and 2022, but it has fallen after that. Construction GVA increasingAn increased output also translated into a growing contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP). In the fourth quarter of 2024, the construction industry had a gross value added of nearly ** billion British pounds. That value reached a low point during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, the overall GDP of the United Kingdom was valued at over **** trillion British pounds. Private housing construction expected to declineThe output of the private housing sector was forecast to increase significantly in 2025. The few years after that, the output of private housing construction is expected to keep increasing but at a slower rate. The average price of houses in the UK increased noticeably in 2024, higher demand for and higher prices of housing generally incentivize the housing sector.