The number of orders last year increased by 69 percent for roofers and plumbers in the Czech Republic

Prague - The number of contracts last year increased by 69 percent among roofers and plumbers in the Czech Republic compared to the previous year. Compared to 2017, this share decreased by three percentage points. About a quarter of contracts stagnated last year, and five percent of craftsmen reported a decline. This is derived from a survey conducted by the portal krytiny-strechy.cz, which involved nearly a hundred roofing companies from the Czech Republic.

Customers were most often interested in clay tiles, which accounted for 24 percent of the market. This was followed by metal tiles with 17 percent. Concrete tiles had a share of 16 percent. The remainder belonged to trapezoidal sheets, plastic templates, or asphalt shingles. A year earlier, metal tiles held the largest share.

Roofing materials were most used by roofers and plumbers for repairing roofs in family houses (40 percent). Another 28 percent were used for new family house constructions. Repairs of roofs on apartment buildings accounted for 14 percent, and 12 percent were dedicated to repairing roofs in industrial buildings.

According to roofers and plumbers, the most important factor for one-third of customers when purchasing roofing material was recommendations, 32 percent chose based on price, just under a fifth based on quality, and 12 percent based on references. While the price criterion had a similar weight as two years ago, the selection based on recommendations increased by nearly ten percentage points year-on-year.

Three-quarters of customers, according to the survey, had roofs done on a turnkey basis last year, while the rest sourced materials themselves.

Nearly two-thirds of companies and craftsmen had contracts within 50 kilometers of their headquarters, and only eight percent of companies were willing to accept contracts up to 200 kilometers away. The willingness to travel for work across the country remained roughly the same year-on-year.

According to estimates by portal operator Martin Smutný, there are about 5,000 roofing and plumbing companies actively operating in the Czech Republic, employing around 12,000 people. He estimates there are about a hundred manufacturers of roofing materials, employing around 5,000 people. The largest manufacturers are Bramac and Wienerberger with the Tondach brand, with an annual turnover of around one billion crowns. Following closely are companies like Satjam, KM Beta, Lindab, and Ruukki.