Inflation in the price of construction's now running at 8.3 percent - close to the record levels seen during the Celtic Tiger.
That's according to the Society of Chartered Surveyors, which says hold-ups in international shipping have led to "exceptional" increases in the price of materials.
The society's vice-president Kevin James says consensus in the sector is that the cost of materials will ease next year.
But he says rising labour costs won't be going away soon: