Persistent rain has delayed housing construction for up to two months across much of Canberra, dashing the hopes of families planning Christmas dinner in their new homes.
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Canberra Airport has recorded more than 540mm this year, still below its annual average of 616.4mm and less than the corresponding period last year of 944.8mm.
Nevertheless rain has disrupted cashflows for builders unable to finish projects and caused heavy losses for materials suppliers.
Elvin Concrete general manager Chris Rutledge said he would lose $100,000 on a rainy day like yesterday, after paying people for concrete that was not delivered.
Employing 55 people, he was geared up to dispatch a load every 10 minutes to meet demand, but cancellations because of wet weather ''wreck us completely''.
The ACT Master Builders Association wants more flexible occupancy certificates to allow people to move into new homes, even if landscaping and driveways have not been completed.
MBA deputy executive director Jerry Howard said the number of wet days did not count as much as delays getting back on a building site. ''You could have 50 recorded wet days, but that could equate to 25 more days lost because you cannot get on to the site because it has to dry out.''
Mr Howard said civil works would be suffering, including external work like landscaping around bigger projects.
Colliers International ACT chief executive Paul Powderly said civil works at Molonglo had been completed after a two-month delay. Blocks in the first-stage suburb of Wright were settling, so home building could begin.
Land Development Agency chief executive David Dawes said rain was causing significant delays which could lead to extension-of-time claims.
''Individual project managers are having discussions with site superintendents and contractors for each of the affected projects to determine the likely impacts.''
Blackett Homes spokesman David Howarth, who had to postpone a concrete pour yesterday, said delays were not dramatic, and the biggest time losses were in putting in services at new subdivisions.
''A day like today, there would not be much work there, and you couldn't do much tomorrow. Roads and trenching for mains, that's where rain's having a major effect.
''It hasn't been as bad as you'd think, but compared to five years ago in the middle of the drought where we had virtually no rain, it does have [an] impact.''
Canberra developer Doma Group director Jure Domazet said excess water at the Kingston Foreshore ''Dockside'' units development was not because of rain but a peculiar section of Lake Burley Griffin's harbour wall, which had disrupted construction. This, coupled with an Actew valve failure which flooded the excavation, had caused several months of lost time.
A spokeswoman for Territory and Municipal Services said road re-surfacing could not be done during rain, nor could lines be re-marked on newly resurfaced sections if the surface wasn't dry. Re-surfacing was 10 days behind schedule.
