Porter Davis customers hit by delays of up to nine months amid material shortage

Families are fuming after another building giant revealed it was experiencing supply chain issues, causing lengthy delays on new builds.

Porter Davis customers have been left ‘frustrated’ amid the material shortage.

One of Victoria’s biggest builders is experiencing supply chain issues which is causing lengthy delays for families across Melbourne.

The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal several Porter Davis customers have been notified of supply chain issues affecting frames and other building materials triggering delays of up to nine months.

The supply problems have hampered the building industry as a whole in recent years, with customers frustrated with delays in getting their dream homes built.

Porter Davis chief executive Tom Griffiths told the Saturday Herald Sun: “It will come as no surprise that Porter Davis, like every other construction business in Australia, was hit hard by Covid and the resulting supply chain and labour issues.”

“The past 18 months have been challenging for all construction, but we are pleased to see green shoots in our business and the broader industry,” Mr Griffiths said.

Erin, from Melbourne’s southeast, said she was “frustrated” after being told the company was experiencing delays of up to nine months on timber frames.

Porter Davis customers face up to nine month delays to complete their homes thanks to supply chain issues.

“We signed our contract last year and we understand the issue is widespread but it’s just taking so long and forcing us to put our lives on hold,” she said.

Other Porter Davis customers have also taken to Facebook to complain about the delays.

Amber wrote: “For those that have been handed delays on frame, is this classed under section 34 of the build contract: any other cause that is beyond the builder’s direct control?”

“I can’t see anything else that would allow such a severe delay on frames. We’ve been told as late as June, possibly July. We signed our contracts a year ago and our land titled in November, eight months is not acceptable.

“It’s been four months since title. Supply doesn’t feel like an appropriate excuse,” she wrote.

Another customer wrote he had been experiencing delays in material shortages of up to five months.

“We are now on 80 days extension,” the customer wrote.

“Has anybody successfully challenged PD’s extension due to material shortage? We are still waiting for timber after five months. I understand there are problems, but it seems like PD has longer delays than others.”

Mr Griffiths said while labour supply remained challenging, the industry had seen improvements with supply chain and labour markets.

He said the company continued to support its supply chain partners, as they did with the industry, to ensure minimal impact to all of its customers.

“We actively work with those customers to keep them up to date on the specifics of their build. Porter Davis has a healthy pipeline of work and a bright future ahead,” he said.

The Sunday Herald revealed last year that building giant Metricon had sent letters to customers triggering a clause in their contracts to extend build times due to a “shortage” of materials and labour.