South Fork Supply Houses, Showrooms Unseasonably Busy As Summer Homes Become Full-Time Homes

The supply houses, lumber yards, showrooms and hardware stores on the South Fork that serve the home improvement and building trades have been unseasonably busy this month.

Several suppliers said this week that this December has been as active as a typical June, which is normally their busiest time of the year. They attributed the increase in foot traffic and demand primarily to second-home owners who are staying in their summer homes year-round due to the coronavirus pandemic and the opportunity to work remotely. Meanwhile, the pandemic has led to shortages of some products and building materials. Manufacturers worldwide were affected by the pandemic, and here in the United States, the pandemic’s effect on the supply chain was coupled with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Isaias in August.

Between shortages and increased demand, in many instances longer lead times are required to fulfill orders.

“Business is more like May or June right now than a December,” said Michael Velys, the general manager of Revco Lighting + Electrical Supply, which has locations in Southampton, East Hampton, Riverhead, Southold, Miller Place and Bohemia. “There are a lot of people out here and there’s a lot of construction going on, and it’s certainly good for businesses like ours.”

Business has been busier both on the electrical supply side and in the lighting showroom, Mr. Velys reported, and it’s not just happening on the East End — all six Revco locations have been very active.

Keeping products in stock poses a challenge. Mr. Velys said that there have been shortages across the board, but certainly in circuit breakers and PVC pipe. The circuit breakers are manufactured in Mexico, where the virus shut down factories for a time, he explained, and there was a shortage of resin used in the manufacturing of PVC due to hurricanes in the Carolinas.

He added that there is a huge shortage of generators, which he attributed to many people working from home. “They want to make sure that they have reliable electricity even when power happens to go out,” he said. “So there’s a two- or three-month wait on generators right now, and we’re fortunate that we got into that business a couple years ago.”

Last week, Long Island was hit by a snowstorm that blanketed the East End with several inches of snow, though prolonged power outages did not prove to be a widespread problem.

“We certainly don’t need a snowstorm, but that’s what happens in the Northeast on occasion,” Mr. Velys said.

For some other businesses, the first significant snow of the year meant they went from being busy to even busier.

At Shinnecock Hardware in Hampton Bays, manager Dana O’Sullivan said all divisions of the store — paint, plumbing, electric — have been strong.

“It’s magnificent. Yeah, it truly is,” she said. “And the snowstorm really impacted the business. We’ve had ice melt throughout all of it, and hundreds of snow shovels. We were really well-prepared, and the customers showed up.”

Fortunately for Shinnecock Hardware, when the Ace warehouse has been out of stock of certain products, the shop has other avenues to tap, Ms. O’Sullivan said, but the one product they have struggled to keep in stock is Lysol wipes.

Water Mill Building Supply has been busy all year. As an essential business, it stayed open during the region’s shutdown in spring, said Amos Ericson, a millwork specialist there, and business is not expected to slow down anytime soon. In fact, the company anticipates all-time highs for January and February.

Water Mill Building Supply’s vendors were also deemed essential businesses, but there have been shortages and price increases.

Mr. Ericson said it started soon after COVID-19 broke out. “You see the greatest increases in cedar, plywood, and treated materials like ACQ, but it’s across the board.”

ACQ stands for alkaline copper quaternary, which is a water-based wood preservative. Mr. Ericson said it was almost impossible to come by ACQ-treated wood earlier this year, but it has since become available again. At first, treaters could not get the chemicals fast enough, and then they couldn’t treat wood fast enough to meet the demand, he said.

Cedar remains scarce.

“Cedar is increasingly harder to find, and we’re watching prices go up daily,” Mr. Ericson said, adding that cedar shingles, which are hugely popular on the East End, are one of the hardest things to find right now.

Deborah Donegan, the branch manager for plumbing supplier Ferguson in Southampton, said this week that business typically slows down near the holidays, but this year, business is steady and the demand usually seen in March and April is happening now.

She credits remote work at formerly seasonal homes.

“Older kitchens and bathrooms that were acceptable for summer homes are being remodeled and upgraded since residents are choosing to stay year-round,” she said.

With the surge in remodeling, rough-in plumbing is especially popular, according to Ms. Donegan. “Our showroom has also been very busy, with homeowners upgrading their sinks, faucets, bathtubs, toilets, etc.”

Orders of air conditioning equipment and any product with electronic controls have longer lead times, she added. “Some toilets have been difficult to get since manufacturing plants in various countries have been affected by COVID-19.”

Right now and into the new year, it’s remodels driving business, Ms. Donegan noted, and then new construction will begin in spring when the weather warms up.