It included the redevelopment of Farmers in Napier and Hastings, the redevelopment of the Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery in Napier and the Nelson Park redevelopment in Hastings which had kept builders "ticking along".
"We discussed volumes of work at our last Master Builders meeting and it's fair to say while things are improving, it's still coming off a lower base," Mr Sanson said.
"But any uplift, whether it be small or large, is most welcomed," he said.
The residential market had "a high level of inquiry" and builders hoped it would translate into good sales volume.
"There is quite a lot of land available in the residential market at the moment. There is also a reasonable amount happening in the existing residential market and normally construction follows after that," Mr Sanson said. Winter was traditionally a quiet period for the industry but Mr Sanson said the past three of four years had proved difficult in terms of marking a certain trend against each season.
"Judging by the amount of inquiry, we would say the market in the residential construction area won't drop off this winter, but it's not an exact science," he said.
Mr Sanson said he understood EIT Hawke's Bay had begun to offer extra classes for carpenters to either work in Christchurch as part of the rebuild there, or to fill the gaps left by other carpenters who had headed to the garden city.
The Hawke's Bay branch of Design Builders was working with Build Hawke's Bay on a programme to help ex-Christchurch residents look for housing options in Hawke's Bay.
Hawke's Bay Certified Builders president Lans Hasselman said while the organisation's members have got work ahead, and the wait between jobs is shorter, it was too soon to say "we've turned a corner".
"There are some out there undercutting with low prices and until our margins come back, until we get the money in the back, it's still survival of the fittest," Mr Hasselman said.
