The skilled labor shortage, which has taken many builders and remodelers by surprise over the past few years, is now widespread. "Most places where the market is strong, there is a shortage," says Gopal Ahluwalia of the economics department at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). While it's difficult to gauge the situation from city to city, Ahluwalia says, more than 80% of builders in a recent survey identified labor shortages as a problem. "Overall, it's bad," he says. For many, like Terry Streich, owner of Silver Bullet Design and Build in Minneapolis, the labor crunch means taking on less work. "The labor shortage limits the amount of work we can do," says Streich. Sonoma, Calif., contractor Mike Moll, of Moll Construction, has a
