Dunedin tradesmen have been given a boost by millions of dollars in insurance money which has flowed into the city since last June's floods.
The Insurance Council estimated last year it would pay out $28 million as a result of the floods, and much of that money has flowed into the hands of local tradesmen.
Tradesmen spoken to by the Otago Daily Times said they had been kept busy since flood work had dried up, with one saying they were now experiencing a "bit of a building boom''.
Asphalt Services Ltd manager Dan Gabbott described the increase in work that resulted from the flood as a silver lining which had led to the firm taking on two extra staff.
He believed his experience after the flood was no different from that of many other tradesmen. Painters, builders and carpet layers all had a "heap of work''. It also placed a lot of pressure on temp agencies.
"There has been more than enough to go around. So everyone has been busy and it has led to employment.''
Most of the work from the floods had now been completed, but Mr Gabbott and other tradesmen said they were being kept busy with other jobs.
"I suppose there is a bit of a building boom going on in Dunedin, especially out in Mosgiel.''
Fahey Kwiat Builders Ltd managing director Jon Kwiatkowski said it had been a "pretty full on time'' since the floods.
He and his business partner usually had seven staff and this increased to up to 20 in the months after the floods.
"It was extremely busy.
"In the first three or four weeks, we would have taken on 120 jobs.''
Most of the work was completed by February, but the firm still had one job still to finish, which was delayed by insurance issues.
There had been a lot of people "hit hard'' by the floods and the firm went out of its way to "do a bit extra'' for some of those worst hit.
It was a lesson for the city's tradespeople, but he believed they had largely been up to the challenge.
His firm had remained busy "as it's ever been'' since February, as people took advantage of low interest rates and high house prices to get work done on their homes.
"We are flat out.
"We just pulled in three extra guys just to keep up''
Master Builders Association Otago branch president Stephen Jory said the boost from the floods was "quite significant'' for the industry.
His firm, Jory Builders, had helped other builders who were inundated with work in the aftermath of the floods and agreed tradesmen had remained busy since the floods.
