Stock up for the year ahead – do you have enough timber in your yard?

As the recent bad weather begins to lift and we head firmly into 2025, do you need more timber to prepare for the coming months? Recent Storms Eowyn and Darragh caused significant damage across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall in particular, with tens of thousands of properties damaged and now in need of repair.

Roofs, fencing and power cables were particularly hard hit, which means a likely surge in demand for timber roof battens, joists, studwork, cladding and fence panels, posts and the ancillary products needed to install them.

That, plus the expected increase in construction output forecast for the second half of 2025, means now is a great time to inventory your timber stocks and check you have enough to fulfill your customers’ orders.

While overall demand for timber may not be as strong now as we have seen in previous years, particularly during the post-pandemic period, there are still plenty of opportunities out there for timber merchants.

Longer days and, hopefully, warmer weather means construction sites across the country will be also opening up fully again after the Christmas break. So, contact your timber supplier to make sure you have sufficient replacement stocks scheduled for delivery.

Check your treatment knowledge

Also check that your staff – including any new team members – fully understand the importance of timber treatments and Use Classes. Which timber stocks in your yard are treated to Use Classes 2, 3, or 4? Do you know which ones are most suitable for external and ground-contact projects? Does your store have signage to make the terms clear to your customers?

It’s vital that the right timber is used for the right application, otherwise there can be structural failures and poor performance after installation. For example timber for fence posts, deck joints and deck sub-structures, parts of which will be used at or below ground level, must be Use Class 4 treated, while above-ground external timbers like cladding must be Use Class 3(u).

Learn more at www.timberdevelopment.uk