Some contractors in Santa Cruz County see upswing

SANTA CRUZ -- Construction jobs in Santa Cruz County totaled 3,000 in April, up from 2,700 a year ago, according to the state, and with the rainy season over, some members of the Santa Cruz Construction Guild are busier than others.

"Construction is off to a great start for this season," said Michele Landegger of Boa Constructor Green Building and Design. "We have several design/build remodel and addition jobs in the works, and a few build-only projects."

She said homeowners are being conservative because they do not have easy access to cash as they did before the crash of 2008.

"But they are needing to shape their homes to their needs, within a tighter budget," she observed. "The general tone I hear from my material suppliers, structural engineers and numerous subcontractors is that there is work starting to break loose."

Talmadge Construction has seven jobs in various phases of design.

"People seem to be serious about getting elective remodeling done, kitchen, baths, additions, whole house remodels," said Adele Talmadge. "We had been seeing more 'have to' projects... We are working on repair jobs resulting from improper waterproofing done by other contractors within the last eight to 10 years. Some are six-figure repairs."

Some customers are willing to pay for detailed, accurate estimates.

And real estate agents are asking about building costs for multifamily or multiple single-family projects.

"We have

"Mark Concrete is very busy with a large backlog of work," said president Mark Lesnick, who asked the guild for help installing counter tops, fire pits and barbecues. "We do as many as 100 installations in a given year. They are one- and two-day affairs and require a crew of at least two and generally three for most jobs."

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Some contractors in Santa Cruz County see upswing