I was speaking earlier this morning to the head of a top 50 house builder, a man with years of experience and someone’s who opinions are worthy of respect.

He is as baffled as the next person about where things are going. Each week brings a whole new set of uncertainties and oddities.

What I found impressive was that while he is, no doubt, under intense pressure he is calm and considered – a man to cope in a crisis.

The details of the woes facing the business were much as they are for most house builders. The biggest being no one knows when the market might “normalise” and what that “normal” market might look like when we get there.

The level of uncertainty and randomness is so great that it is near impossible to have any sensible view of the future on which to base detailed planning decisions.

What came out of this brief chat that I found particularly intriguing was how, oddly, this uncertainty and the crisis the industry faces is strangely liberating. Normal rules don’t apply so managers can make decisions free from the normal constraints.

“I have three scenarios and I’ll pick one,” he said.