The export turnover of wooden houses made in Estonia fell by almost 26 percent in 2023, the Estonian Wooden House Association (Eesti Puitmajaliit) saidl

Hobbiton, a company that produces log houses near Räpina in south Estonia, saw a 30 percent drop in turnover last year. But the first months of this year give hope that the number of orders will increase.

"The number of inquiries has increased significantly since the beginning of this year. Whereas last year it was still the case that for several weeks no one was interested, now it is the case that practically three, four, five people contact us every week," said board member Ragner Lõbu.

While timber companies are seeing more orders from the Nordic countries, it is too early to talk about a stabilization of the economic situation in the Scandinavian countries, said Martin Talts, chairman of the board of the Estonian Wood House Association.

"The construction industry in the Nordic countries has not yet taken off today. It is difficult to speak of any stabilization or re-opening of the market. Some positive signs can be seen in the fact that construction projects that have been on hold for a long time are scheduled to restart at some point and that the number of requests for quotations for new projects has increased somewhat," Talts told AK.

Varola, a company also operating near Räpina, exports garden houses and saunas to Western Europe, and although the company has had to hire more employees to fulfill new orders, it is not counting on a quick recovery.

"We actually live hand to mouth. We are taking on more staff, but we do not see the long term in a positive light. At the moment, we are so conservative, not investing much, being frugal and managing," explained Toomas Heering, CEO of Varola.

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