Wealthy Chinese turn to high-end materials as they seek value for money in home renovations
Homeowners are shunning the traditional bricks and mortar and embracing materials that are easier to install, such as premium plasterboards
As China’s construction labour costs rise, Chinese homeowners are increasingly finding it more value for their money to use higher-end building materials.
More homeowners – especially the wealthier ones – are embracing higher-quality building materials that are easier to install, such as premium plasterboards, and shunning the traditional bricks and mortar.
“I was surprised to receive the renovation firms’ quotations as the labour costs had more than doubled from a decade ago when I renovated my first home,” said Shanghai homeowner Li Minghui. “It doesn’t make sense for me to pay so much more for a similar kind of décor using the same materials.”
Li, a middle-level manager with a state-owned service firm, said she opted instead to fork out thousands of yuan more to use higher-end building materials as her family could now better afford the expense.
In Shanghai, a homeowner typically spends at least 100,000 yuan (HK$127,000) renovating a new apartment.
China’s growing economy and its people’s increasing wealth have spurred multinational building-material productmakers such as USG Boral to speed up their expansion on the mainland.
A joint venture between Australia’s biggest building-materials group Boral and America’s largest plasterboard manufacturer USG, USG Boral is a global leader in producing building materials. It makes and supplies gypsum-based walls, ceiling-lining systems and metal frames, among other materials.