Construction volumes increased in the 3rd quarter

In the 3rd quarter of 2013, the production value of construction enterprises amounted to 697 million euros, of which the production value of building construction was 380 million euros and the production of civil engineering totalled 317 million euros. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2012, the volume of building construction and civil engineering in real terms increased by 4% and 5%, respectively.

The growth on the domestic construction market was mainly caused by the upturn in new building construction and was also supported by civil engineering. The repair and reconstruction work in building construction stayed on the level of the previous year.

The construction in foreign countries, which showed a downward trend in the first half of this year, took a little upturn in the 3rd quarter. The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries increased by 2% in comparison with the same period of the previous year. The increase was mainly caused by building construction. The share of the construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 8% of the total volume of construction in the 3rd quarter of 2013.

According to the data of the Register of Construction Works, in the 3rd quarter of 2013, the number of dwelling completions was 436, i.e. 50 dwellings more than in the same period of 2012. About a half of completed dwellings were situated in one-family, two-family or terraced houses. The majority of completed dwellings were situated in the neighbouring rural municipalities of Tallinn. There is still a demand for new dwellings with a good location and high quality. In the 3rd quarter of 2013, building permits were granted for the construction of 784 dwellings, which is about a fourth more than in the 3rd quarter a year ago. The most popular type of building was block of flats.

In the 3rd quarter of 2013, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 223 with a useful floor area of 176,500 square metres – this was primarily made up of new storage and agricultural premises. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2012, the useful floor area as well as the cubic capacity of completed non-residential buildings increased.

Construction volume index and its trend, 1st quarter 2000 – 3rd quarter 2013 (average of quarters of 2010 = 100)