House building in the West Midlands continued its revival towards the end of 2013 with the private sector leading the way, according to a new survey.

The last quarter of 2013 saw 53 per cent more chartered surveyors indicate that private home building levels were continuing their upward trend, according to the latest RICS Construction Market Survey.

However, the current increase in activity is hitting a skills shortage, particularly for blue collar workers in the West Midlands due to the strong demand from the housing sector.

Meanwhile, commercial and private construction continued on its upward trend, a welcome sign that demand from businesses in the region is steadily rising.

Elsewhere, infrastructure construction is also showing signs of picking up speed.

Expectations for future construction activity in the region were upbeat with positive predictions for workloads, employment levels and company profits.

Adrian Aston, director at Wakemans Birmingham and RICS West Midlands construction spokesperson, said: “House building is certainly leading the way but the commercial sector is experiencing a more modest growth as businesses are slower to recover.

“The shortage of materials, especially bricks and blocks is contributing to rising tender prices, which we are experiencing across the board and is reflecting these longer lead in times and skills shortages.

"Tender documents should be as robust as possible to mitigate this as we are likely to see more price increases as the recovery gathers momentum.”