In response to Hurricane Helene’s impacts, a large portion of WNC’s construction industry has pivoted toward restoration work, though the demand for residential construction remains high, according to the President of the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The urgent need for restoration and remodeling efforts took weeks to translate into jobs for contractors. Homeowners filed claims through their insurance agency or through the Federal Emergency Management Association, which takes time, and also sometimes results in low cost estimates and payouts. Some of Cope’s recent work involved hiring an insurance specialist to advocate with adjustors on behalf of his clients.

“Not all, but about 98% of adjusters are low-balling the heck out of people, so we’re trying to fight that,” Cope said. “People just don’t know what things cost or why certain things are necessary, so they don’t know how to take that information to adjusters.”

Across the construction industry, many companies have shifted their focus from new construction to remodeling and rebuilding, including retail and commercial projects. However, not all businesses are equipped to make this change. Remodelers, in particular, have adapted to meet the growing demand for restoration work. By late 2024, navigating the abundance of work became a significant challenge, prompting many companies to ramp up hiring efforts.

“Carpenters are typically a challenge to find,” Cope said. “More so now, the challenge is that there are a lot of unskilled carpenters and people that are now out of work who are handy and want to do carpentry stuff but don’t have a pedigree of it. Office-type roles have been easier to fill, but as a general rule, skilled carpenters are tough to find.”

Looking ahead, 2025 is expected to be a record year for many construction businesses, driven by the overwhelming demand for restoration services across WNC. Builders are also collaborating to support rebuilding efforts for those most affected by the hurricane.

The Builders Association of the Blue Ridge established a Disaster Relief Task Force to assist the community. One of their first efforts is helping fellow Association members recover their own businesses, enabling them to return to work. Some have pivoted to working out of warehouse space, and some have had to permanently close their doors.

“We have several members whose offices are gone,” Cope said. “It’s going to be really hard to build back a community without our builder members able to be in business. The Task Force is centered around how we, as an organization, get our members back to the business of building, and that is the best way that we can help the region.”

With several subcommittees on the Task Force, fundraising to support fellow builders is a large part of the efforts. Another aspect involves putting community members who still require services in touch with builder members who are able and willing to volunteer or drastically discount the needed work. A new Builders Association website, WNCFix.com, facilitates this type of communication, allowing people to ask for help and enabling builders to reach out and provide assistance. 

“Our industry requires us to collaborate so much already,” Cope said. “From personal experience, I’ve developed more relationships with builders, and I would say collaboration has gotten stronger in terms of referring work to other builders and sharing ideas. There’s also been collaboration from a donation perspective, helping collect donations and how to get them to the right people, which I assume is probably common in our region right now.”

Local municipalities are also collaborating with the construction industry by paving ways to make it easier to accomplish damage repair. Additionally, the state Home Builders Association has raised and donated about $400,000 to support rebuilding efforts in the region. Cope said the combination of donated funds and reduced bureaucratic barriers is helping to get jobs done faster.

Members of the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge have noticed an influx of out-of-town builders that are overcharging customers. Cope and other members are helping to spread awareness regarding the importance of doing business with local, reputable companies.

“The Attorney General just filed a case against a contractor out of Durham that was here price gouging people, which was great,” Cope said. “I hope they make an example out of that.”