Boral Limited
(ASX:BLD) says demand for its products was steady in the first quarter as housing construction picks up in NSW and Western Australia.
The building materials maker says strengthening residential construction demand in those states had offset a modest decline in Victoria and a stagnant market in Queensland.
But the non-residential construction sector was expected to be weak as infrastructure demand for roads and highways fell in Queensland and Victoria.
Chief executive Mike Kane says no meaningful recovery in detached housing is expected this financial year.
However, he says Boral continued to benefit from the Curtis Island LNG projects in Queensland and favourable weather conditions on the east coast.
Boral booked a net loss of $205.7 million in fiscal 2013.
