How a Lincolnshire builder is preparing for a warmer, wetter future

From Stories From Round Our Way by Round Our Way

March 16, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how climate change is impacting the construction industry in the UK through the experiences of builders in Lincolnshire.

In this story we meet Chris Carr, managing director of Carr & Carr Builders, a family-run housing company that has been building homes in Northern Lincolnshire for more than 110 years. We visited a construction site near Grimsby to talk about how climate change is beginning to reshape the realities of building in the UK. Chris, who also serves as president of the Federation of Master Builders, reflects on the pressures facing the construction industry as extreme weather, changing regulations, and rising costs begin to alter how homes are designed and built. From heavier rainfall and flood risk to the need for more resilient materials and infrastructure, he explains why adapting the UK’s housing stock will be one of the defining challenges for builders in the years ahead. We also hear from Richard Parrott, a carpenter at the company, about the changes he’s seeing on the job - from working through more intense summer heat to the growing awareness of risks like overheating and skin cancer for those spending long days outdoors - and how builders are beginning to adapt to a changing climate.

People in this episode

Guests: Chris Carr, Richard Parrott

Topics covered

climate change
construction industry
housing design
extreme weather
resilient materials

Keywords

climate change
construction
housing
extreme weather
resilience
Lincolnshire
building materials

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Carr & Carr Builders, Federation of Master Builders

Places: Northern Lincolnshire, Grimsby, UK