Mick Banks has been the president of the Central West Master Builders Association for eight years now and also is the owner of Banksia Building.

He said timber shortage combined with a lack of tradespeople could see building delays for months to come.

"There's probably more work in Orange than what Orange tradesmen can handle," he said.

"I think that being organised is going to be a big thing. Home owners and customers are going to have to be a little bit understanding because they'll either need to wait for a little bit or change a product here or there because of the shortage.

"The timber shortage is just one piece of the puzzle at the moment that we're facing in Orange and regionally.

"It's going to be a bit challenging for the next 6-12 months."

As a result of the pine shortage, the building of the frames and trusses are being slowed down.

Brendan Kent is the manager at Kents H Hardware store and says pine framing is used for 90 per cent of new houses.

"What I've been told by suppliers is that it's going to be an issue that will take years to improve, it won't be fixed overnight," he said.

"I've been told by a few of our customers that they're being delayed by two to three months. I hope I'm wrong but as far as I can gather this will be the new norm.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel."

Normally Mr Kent would import the timber from New Zealand or South America.

But the global demand for the wood has seen prices skyrocket.

"Now the US and Europe are buying it off them for 30-40 per cent more than what we pay," he said.

"Unfortunately most places are now limiting how much people can buy, so full packs of timber we unfortunately can't sell to anyone.

"The way we see it, instead of selling it all to one customer we're better off sharing it around so everyone can stay in work."

Industry groups say it's part of an Australia-wide problem, partly prompted by the HomeBuilder stimulus measures.

Mr Banks said honesty and loyalty will play a big role these next few months.

"Because there's a bit of a land shortage, once a sub-division gets released a little mini boom happens," he said.

"What we're finding is that it's a big boom at the moment because the HomeBuilder grant kicked things off a bit. A lot of people are investing in Orange because it's a good place to be.

"You're going to have to be open and honest to the customer if there's going to be delays and I think the customers have to be a bit open to either choosing a different product or be prepared that it's going to take a bit longer than it would a couple years ago."

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