Search
|
|
|
| Categories |
|
|
| Industry News |
|
|
| Code Quizzes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Bright spot is big jump in construction permits
VALLEJO, CA - Solano County has seen an 1,100 percent increase in new home construction permits so far this year compared to 2009, a building industry organization reported Friday. Though new-home building in California generally rebounded in January compared to a year ago, Solano County's was far and away the biggest jump, according to the California Building Industry Association's latest report. Full Story.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
CU researcher: Chilean earthquake shows importance of building codeS
A University of Colorado seismologist says the much lower death toll from the powerful earthquake that shook Chile early Saturday morning demonstrates the ability of adequate building codes to save lives. The Chilean government put the death toll from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake at 214 on Saturday evening. While that number is expected to rise, it is not expected to come anywhere close to the estimated 230,000 who died from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti last month. Full Story.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Homebuilding remains sluggish
NEW HAVEN, CT - Housing permits continued to be issued at a slow pace in Connecticut last month, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Full Story.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Construction unemployment still on the rise
For construction worker Christopher Allaway, installing metal roofs while teetering on 4-inch-wide steel beams is an adrenaline rush. "That's when I know I'm alive," says Allaway, a 20-year industry veteran who often worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks before he was laid off in July. Full Story.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Redesigned SecuraSpan Horizontal Lifeline System Improves Jobsite Fall Protection
Capital Safety, home of the DBI-SALA and PROTECTA brands of fall protection equipment, recently announces the introduction of the new and improved SecuraSpan horizontal lifeline system, the industry's most widely known temporary horizontal lifeline for fall protection in the construction industry. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
District details downtown quake threat
CHARLESTON, SC - District officials finally have the data to back up dramatic concerns about the seismic safety of six aging downtown campuses built before stringent building codes addressed an earthquake threat that has loomed over the region for more than a century. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Local homebuilders confident in 2010
RALEIGH, NC — Sales of new homes dropped 11.2 percent in January, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Wednesday – the lowest level on records going back nearly a half century. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Alternative energy legislation being discussed in North Royalton
NORTH ROYALTON, OH - A new building code chapter is being drafted that will regulate the construction of wind and solar energy systems. Members of the Building and Building Codes Committee will lead an in-depth discussion on the proposed legislation at its next meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 22. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Building codes a hot issue on Knox County Board
Some members outspoken in their opposition
GALESBURG, IL — The issue of building codes for Knox County remains a contentious one. A third of the members of the Knox County Board voted Wednesday against putting the resolution on public display for 30 days prior to final approval. The vote was 9-5, with one member not present, to put the resolution on public display. The opposition was not shy in voicing its misgivings. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Hycrete: Keeping The Water Out
Getting the construction industry to adopt a new product is tough. Hycrete is making headway.
When he travels, David Rosenberg likes to take along chunks of concrete and an eyedropper full of water. He demonstrates to anyone who's interested how water from the dropper seeps into one piece of concrete but rolls off the surface of the other. The difference, he says, is the product made by Hycrete, the Carlstadt, N.J. company he founded. Full Story.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Green building: Passive home design: Forget the furnace forever
SAN JOSE, CA - The Passive House is the future of homebuilding. It's not the same as the passive solar concept from the seventies, but it's not new. It's a design system that is just starting to come into its own. Imagine this: a house that is so well built that it doesn't need a heating system. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Development charges a concern for developers
TORONTO, ON, CANADA - Rising costs due to development charges have become the top concern for Canadian homebuilders, according to an annual survey. Development charges on serviced lot prices remain a "critical problem" for a large proportion of homebuilders, but particularly in Ontario, the Canadian Home Builders' Association said in its survey released Tuesday. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Stephens County commission passes building code changes
ANDERSON, SC - Stephens County Commissioners conducted a public hearing about as well as a second and final reading of the proposed changes Tuesday at a County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners unanimously approved the changes. Stephens County Administrator John Rutan said the changes were proposed after a review of the ordinances by county government staff members. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Homebuilders get gray forecast
Continuing economic ills in central Ohio
COLUMBUS, OH - Central Ohio homebuilders, coming off their worst year in more than three decades, were told yesterday to expect this year to be only slightly better. "We will see modest increases across the board," Columbus real-estate analyst Ken Danter told about 300 builders, lenders and officials gathered for an annual housing forecast. "Unfortunately, there are things impacting our market that we can't control." Full Story.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Does home building pay its way? Usually
Economist looks at benefits of new home construction
When he talks about the benefit to a community of new home construction, National Association of Home Builders Senior Economist Elliot Eisenberg is quick to point out that he is not preaching a build-it-and-they-will-come message. But he does emphasize that when new home construction occurs, that construction is not a burden to local governments but, in fact, pays for itself many times over in the form of new income and jobs for local residents and additional revenue for local governments. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
2009 Home Building Permit Numbers Released
CENTRAL COAST, CA - The Home Builders Association has tracked building permits in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties for the last twenty years. Last year was the worst year for building in that time period. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Canton council delays vote on building code changes
CANTON, OH — A vote on proposed changes to the city’s building code has been postponed for another week. An amendment was introduced Monday that would require mandatory interior inspections of rental properties every five years. That is the way it is done now by the building department. However, the original proposal would have eliminated the mandatory inspections, shifting to complaint-driven interior inspections on rentals along with a focus on significant exterior problems on owner-occupied homes. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Remodeling the home building industry
GRAND JUNCTION, CO - Many people are staying put these days, not selling, buying or building a new home. As a result, the home construction business is suffering. But, some contractors are building new ways to pull through the economic slump. "People still want to live in a nice new house, but can't afford to go buy it right now," says Nathan Staton, owner of Quality Construction. Full Story.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Firm buys up discounted home lots
MIAMI TOWNSHIP, OH - Montgomery-based HPA Development Group has acquired the equivalent of 77 home building lots at The Reserves of Greycliff - a 106-lot neighborhood where homes begin around $209,000. Full Story.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Building Code Nets Praise
FORT SMITH, AR - Years of meetings dedicated to producing the city of Fort Smith’s Unified Development Ordinance may have had a greater positive effect than the product itself. Full Story.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Lexington Releases SIR Policy for the Construction Industry
Lexington Insurance Co., a Chartis company, introduces Lex FollowUP, a policy designed for the construction industry to assume the legacy financial risk associated with general liability self-insured retentions (SIR). Full Story.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Builders adjust as market slows
Optimism is what many of the San Angelo building contractors are banking on
SAN ANGELO, TX — A recovering economy will lay the foundation for a more prosperous year in 2010 for the San Angelo construction industry. A steady stream of big projects from the city, public schools and Angelo State University helped keep the industry moving in 2009, but the recession’s effect was still felt in the Concho Valley. Full Story.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Slow construction sector anxiously awaits flood work
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - After a painfully slow winter, the Corridor construction industry is banking on some serious flood reconstruction to prevent another lackluster year. Many builders are approaching the 2010 construction season with caution. Homebuilders can’t see the demand picture clearly, especially after federal homebuyer tax credits expire in April. Full Story.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
DREAM CITY: Bright economic future requires commitment
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Heard about the lousy economy? It’s been in all the papers. Colorado Springs-area employers shed about 10,000 jobs from their payrolls last year, while the pace of home building tumbled to its lowest level in nearly two decades, office building vacancies soared and city government sales tax collections sputtered. Full Story.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Home building is picking up in Chandler
CHANDLER, AZ - Desert Viking, the developer of a big townhome project in downtown Chandler, has resumed construction after receiving a $10.2 million loan from Wells Fargo. Work stopped last summer. Full Story.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Builders see promising signs as Home Expo opens
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Homebuilders, granite countertop experts and window companies were putting the final touches on their booths Thursday for the Springfield Area Home Builders 2010 Home Expo. Many, including Jon Reynolds, president of the Springfield Area Home Builders Association, were optimistic that 2010 will be the year that homebuilders see a rebound. Full Story.
Friday, February 19, 2010
San Francisco smooths path for electric car chargers in every new home
Charging infrastructure to be mandated in city building code
San Francisco is accelerating its drive to establish the city as America's electric car capital with the news that the city is to revise its building code to ensure all new homes and offices will be wired for electric car chargers. The change, which raises the prospect of charging points being installed at all new buildings, is the latest in a series of measures designed to bolster adoption of electric vehicles in the city. Full Story.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Recently Released White Paper Indicates Building Code Revisions Could Create Favorable Environment for PureSpectrum's Products Lines
Emphasis on Greater Energy Efficiency Through Dimming Could Increase Demand for Both Dimmable CFL and Linear Fluorescent Products
SAVANNAH, GA - As PureSpectrum (OTCBB: PSRU - News) continues work toward completion of its dimmable product lines in multiple lighting categories, a white paper published earlier this week indicates that building code revisions being implemented will specifically emphasize dimming as a preferred performance characteristic to achieve increased energy efficiency. Full Story.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Md. environmental buffer rules tightened
BALTIMORE, MD - The Maryland Critical Area Commission will shortly finalize new regulations to establish comprehensive procedures and standards for development inside the Critical Area Buffer. Full Story.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Hawaii new-home sales dropped 40% last year
Market less than half of what it was during peak in 2006
HONOLULU, HI - Homebuilders adjusting to Hawai'i's real estate market downturn reached a nadir last year, producing and selling the fewest new homes in at least 30 years, according to a new industry analysis. The pullback in Hawai'i home construction, in progress since 2007, put statewide sales of new homes at 2,050 last year — fewer than half the recent peak of 4,842 in 2006, according to a report from local housing market researcher Ricky Cassiday. Full Story.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Realtors to have more input on code revamp
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Alamo Heights officials are delaying implementing revamped building code revisions – an ordinance overhaul affecting commercial and residential construction – in an effort to gain more input from real estate brokers. At its Feb. 8 regular meeting, City Council agreed to postpone implementing a streamlined ordinance until next month. The delay partially was sparked by a request from commercial real estate broker George Geis, owner of several local commercial properties, who personally asked council for postponement. Full Story.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Economic data on industry output, home building boost hopes
WASHINGTON — Hopes that the U.S. economy can sustain its recovery drew support Wednesday from news that industrial output rose for a seventh straight month and home construction hit a six-month peak in January. Analysts cautioned, though, that the gains in both sectors could falter if consumer demand weakens. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tucson-area home building off to a stronger start in 2010
TUCSON, AZ - Housing starts got off on a strong footing this year in Pima County, with nearly twice as many permits taken out this January compared to last. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Trade group says stimulus saved jobs
Projects funded by the federal economic stimulus package are saving and creating more jobs than expected, according to a construction-industry trade group. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) said Tuesday that $20.6 billion worth of stimulus highway projects launched in the past 12 months. Those projects have saved or created nearly 280,000 direct construction jobs. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Industrial output, homebuilding rise
WASHINGTON - Hopes that the economy can sustain its recovery drew support Wednesday from news that industrial ouput rose for the seventh straight month and home construction hit a six-month peak in January. Analysts cautioned, though, that the gains in both sectors could falter if consumer demand weakens. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Housing construction up 2.8 percent in January
WASHINGTON — Housing construction posted a better-than-expected increase in January which pushed activity to the highest level in six months. The solid gain raised hopes that the construction industry is beginning to mount a sustained rebound from its worst slump in decades. The Commerce Department said today that construction of new homes and apartments rose 2.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units. That was better than the 580,000 annual pace that economists were forecasting. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
State sees rise in new builds, but figures still down
New home construction in Lansing area stable
LANSING, MI - Michigan homebuilders could find themselves busier this year as new home construction picks up. But the expected pickup would amount to only a fraction of the homes built just a few years ago, reflecting a market that appears to have bottomed out. And activity in the Lansing area, while relatively stable, is also at a lower level. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Metro Indianapolis building permits rebound from January 2009 low
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Homebuilders, expecting more buyers this spring, filed more than twice as many construction permits in January as they did a year ago. In the nine-county metro area, permits for new homes jumped to 290 last month from 131 in January 2009, according to the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Builders see rising demand in housing industry
Expert: They’re hopeful ‘housing recovery is finally beginning to take root’
MIAMI - The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday its housing market index rose two points in February, a sign that low interest rates and federal tax credits are boosting demand for new homes. The builders group said the index reached 17 in February, after falling for two consecutive months. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
U.S. Homebuilder Confidence Rises More Than Forecast
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders rose in February to a three-month high, a sign that the housing market is stabilizing amid government support. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence increased to 17, higher than anticipated, from 15 the prior month, the Washington-based group said today. Readings below 50 mean most respondents view conditions as poor. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Damage Caused by Natural Disasters
The NY Times points to unenforced building codes and low quality cement as leading causes of the damage caused by the Haitian earthquake. The 2nd point is interesting. Cement is costly in Haiti. To economize on it, construction waters this stuff down. Full Story.
Monday, February 15, 2010
New-home trends
Here are some of the results of Better Homes and Gardens’ Next Home Survey, and some of the trends that may influence new-home building and home-improvement projects in 2010: Full Story.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Preparing for life with the electric car
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — If electric cars have any future in the United States, this may be the city where they arrive first. The San Francisco building code will soon be revised to require that new structures be wired for car chargers. Across the street from City Hall, some drivers are already plugging converted hybrids into a row of charging stations. Full Story.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Architects say Haiti disaster shows need for building code
THE Haitian disaster has put the region in an earthquake awareness mode, and has also renewed interest in a national building code for Jamaica, according to President of the Jamaican Institute of Architects Christopher Whyms-Stone. Whyms-Stone told JIS News that while the Institute mourned the tremendous loss of life and destruction of property in Haiti caused by the earthquake, it also welcomed the renewed focus on the issue of proper building codes in Jamaica. Full Story.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Production, Home Starts Probably Climbed: U.S. Economy Preview
The manufacturing rebound probably accelerated in January and homebuilding bounced back, adding to evidence the U.S. expansion began the new year without missing a beat, economists said before report this week. Full Story.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Leaky Hurricane-Proof Walls Prompt Suit
ORLANDO, FL - Local homeowners have filed a class action lawsuit against one of America's largest homebuilders over leaking, cracked walls. The reinforced, 6-inch walls were touted by Mercedes Homes as being able to stand up to hurricane-force winds and flying debris, but homeowner Bobby Freeman said his home can't even withstand a garden hose. Full Story.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
New RI program trains builders for green industry
PROVIDENCE, RI - Builders in Rhode Island's recession-battered construction industry are being retrained for jobs in renewable energy with funding from the federal stimulus program. Political leaders from across the state will celebrate Monday a new training effort by Building Futures, which offers new career skills to construction workers. Full Story.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Alaska construction spending expected to keep dropping
STATE PREDICTION: Railroad projects among the worst hit.
ANCHORAGE, AK - Alaska's key construction industry is expecting less spending again this year, continuing a gradual decline that began before the national recession started. Despite the predicted 3 percent decline in spending this year, the total value of construction activity is likely to total about $7 billion in roads, hospitals, schools, houses and other projects, according to a recent report from researchers at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Full Story.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Home building will lift state's economy somewhat, study says
SACRAMENTO, CA - Home building in California will generate considerably more economic activity this year than last, but it will remain a much smaller sector than it was during the boom times, according to a study released Thursday. The study by the Center for Strategic Economic Research, a Sacramento think tank, says new-home construction and related activities will add $20.38 billion to the California economy this year. Full Story.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Carbondale wonders, how long is too long for development rights?
Vesting period an issue with various projects
CARBONDALE, CO - Though Carbondale has been reviewing an unusual number of large development proposals — especially given the economic recession's crippling effect on construction in the valley — whether ground will be broken anytime soon on any of them is a big question mark. For that reason, proponents of the various projects have all requested a longer period for the vested development rights to remain in effect than is normally allowed. Full Story.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Building Envelope Science Institute Initiates Patent Process on Remediation of Buildings with Defective Drywall
SOUTH FLORIDA - The Institute developed what is being referred to as the “BESI System” which provides a cost effective method that helps homeowners, insurance companies, investors, financial institutes, and builders recover from the stigma of having defective or corrosive drywall. Full Story.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Big Isle's building code going green
HILO, HI - A new "green" building code that takes effect this spring could cost a bit more green as well. The code, adapted from the International Energy Conservation Code, sets standards for new construction as well as renovations. It's the first time Hawaii County has amended its building code in 20 years. Starting May 11, insulation will be required in all new houses and multifamily structures, even if they don't have cooling or heating systems. Full Story.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Construction Industry’s Sixth Annual Statewide Safety Expo to be Held in Sacramento March 30 – April 1
SACRAMENTO, CA - The 2010 Safety Expo, an annual conference dedicated to bringing California’s construction industry the latest education and training on safety and construction management, will be held Mar. 30 – Apr. 1 at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. Presented by the Construction Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) in partnership with the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange, the event will feature more than 140 sessions and is open to all in the construction industry profession. Full Story.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mayor McKenzie warns developers
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - Mayor Desmond McKenzie has issued a warning to developers that the integrity of the council of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) would not be compromised by approving buildings that were not in compliance with the building codes. Full Story.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Schumacher Homes Announces its New Custom Home Building Blog
Canton, OH - Schumacher Homes, America's #1 on your lot custom home builder, announces the launch of its new home building blog. The new blog is an extension of Schumacher Homes' commitment to highly personalized customer service and an invitation to consumers to ask questions and learn more about building a new custom home with Schumacher Homes. Full Story.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Legislators OK drug testing for state contractors
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Employees of companies awarded state construction contracts would be subject to random drug and alcohol testing under a bill passed by the Utah Legislature Thursday. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Dual Building Codes Create Headache for Developers
KNOXVILLE, TN - In a persistently anemic economy, some developers say city government is making the already cumbersome process of downtown development even harder. “It’s so difficult that, even though I love to revitalize and build new things, I don’t know if I have the stomach to go through another ordeal with the building department,” says Leigh Burch, who developed the Sterchi Lofts, among others. He recently completed the Commerce Building, and says that project was “not twice as difficult. It was three or four times more difficult to build than the Lerner Building was, say, five years ago.” Full Story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Stephens County building code changes proposed
STEPHENS COUNTY, GA — Stephens County officials are working toward updating the county building codes. County commissioners had a first reading Tuesday of proposed building codes changes presented by Larry Krul, the county building inspector. Krul said most of the suggested changes are minor. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Architectural firm finds niche by helping others with new computer modeling
MADISON, WI - A Milwaukee company with a Madison office has formed a consulting division aimed at helping other companies in the design and construction industry capitalize on architecture's latest interactive trend. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sprinklers won't be required
SHELBYVILLE, TN - Bedford County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night approved placing the rural portion of the county under the 2009 International Building Code and the 2009 Residential Code, but exempted the county from the portion of the code which requires fire protection sprinklers in new one-family and two-family dwellings. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Ketchum eyes greener building codes
City considers following in Hailey's and county’s footsteps pursuing energy efficiency
KETCHUM, ID - Ketchum took the first step Monday in establishing a "green building code," but has a long road ahead before any changes might be made. The city's Planning and Zoning Commission is just hearing from Hailey and Blaine County, both of which have had committees working for about a year to investigate the kind of enforcement that can be done in requiring buildings to be more efficient, and what system would work best. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Really? Beleagured builders showing signs of life
ORANGE COUNTY, CA - Aside from banks, no industry was humbled by the recession as much as homebuilders. Now, a number are reporting their first profits in years. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
EDC unveils plan for green R.I. economy
WARWICK, RI – A state working group is calling for pumping millions into developing a green economy, imposing stricter building codes for energy efficiency, aiming to make Quonset a hub for the wind farm industry and developing a center for excellence in green manufacturing. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Proposed building codes creating controversy
LOGAN, IA – The public hearing on the table at the Board of Supervisors meeting Feb. 4, had the traffic backed up to get into the courthouse and the supervisors’ office packed like sardines and overflowing into the hallway. The issue – the creation of building and safety maintenance codes for Harrison County – drew more than 71 people to the meeting. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Harker Heights council to discuss building codes tonight
HARKER HEIGHTS, TX – The City Council today will consider authorizing the city to use the 2009 international building codes. The council has discussed the building codes a number of times, but the codes were not adopted during a previous meeting because of a dispute over the cost of inspections of irrigation systems' backflow prevention devices. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Economist: Housing regs up home prices in resort areas
FRISCO, CO — Mountain municipalities trying to tackle affordable housing may want to look in the mirror for solutions. Elliot Eisenberg, an economist with the National Association of Homebuilders in Washington, D.C., said the myriad regulations and codes layered on over the years are a significant reason why homes in resort areas are so expensive. While market pressure from outside money certainly has its impact, Eisenberg said towns like Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen and Vail that use subsidies to create affordable housing for local workers help create the affordability problem with rules that help drive costs up. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Bhutan pushes for eco-literacy in schools
BHUTAN - Bhutan is formulating policies for the construction industry to employ green technology and practices, said Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, while speaking to world leaders and other members at the Delhi sustainable development summit in India over the weekend. Lyonchhoen, in his keynote address, also informed participants that a process is underway to augment Bhutanese school curricula promoting eco-literacy among students within zero-waste and green schools. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Study shows home building generates net income for state, local governments
MADISON, WI - A new study by the National Association of Home Builders says the home building industry in Wisconsin more than pays for itself, providing new income and jobs for state residents along with added revenue for state and local governments. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
£60 million for new Cornish eco-towns
CORNWALL, UK - Housing Minister John Healey has today backed the country’s biggest ever green home building programme, with four areas, including St Austell, sharing £60m cash to build over 600 new homes to the toughest ever environmental standards. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
City Council to revisit limiting sizes of new homes
FREDRICKSBURG, VA - How big can a new house be before it's too big for the neighborhood, and who should be the arbiter of that kind of decision? Those questions were hot topics for Fredericksburg's City Council three years ago, when a lot more home-building was going on. Full Story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sluggish home-building comeback through 2010, economist says
RICHMOND, VA - The housing market is starting to recover, but it won't feel that much better until next year, a speaker at an annual forecast meeting of the Home Building Association of Richmond said. "Residential housing is looking better, but don't expect a repeat of 2005 any time soon," said Christine Chmura, president and senior economist of Chmura Economics & Analytics in Richmond, referring to a year when the industry was booming. Full Story.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Haiti plans stricter building codes, says there's no need to move capital
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — Haitian officials said Friday the government will develop and apply a tougher building code for the reconstruction of the devastated country. But despite calls from U.S. and other geologists to move major government buildings outside the quake-prone capital, they seemed to shrug off suggestions to move the capital. The government also is advising residents to stay away from damaged buildings until teams can review their structural soundness and develop a new code. Full Story.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Great Recession: Will Construction Workers Survive?
The middle and working-classes have been hammered by the Great Recession and no industry has taken it more on the chin than construction. Nationally, unemployment fell to 9.7% in January, but in construction it jumped to 24.7% from 18.7% in October. In many regions, union officials report 30% of their members are unemployed or "riding the bench." "In the previous 14 years, I had not been out of work for more than one week," says Pat O'Connor, 57, a Connecticut carpenter. With no work since July, O'Connor says, "It is a bad dream turning into a nightmare. Is construction dead? It's just horrible right now. No one expected this. It's a depression." Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Building code overhaul may blunt fire menace
Payson lags behind in wildfire protection, but $300,000 federal grant and code changes may avert ‘disaster’
PAYSON, AZ - A $300,000 federal grant and an overhaul of the building codes may soon help ease the dire threat of Payson’s greatest potential disaster — a wildfire sweeping in out of a thickset, fire-prone forest. “In terms of a disaster risk, it’s the No. 1 thing the town faces,” said Payson Fire Chief Marti deMasi. Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Rebuilding Haiti Will Take More Than Just Money
Habitat for Humanity official: Helping Haiti will require overcoming a government in shambles, rampant poverty and the absence of building codes.
The displacement of an estimated one million Haitians, by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that decimated their country on Jan. 12, will require a monumental rebuilding effort that, so far, is neither completely organized nor neatly funded. The effort to get Haitian citizens into transitional shelters quickly is made urgent by Haiti’s impending rainy and hurricane seasons. But in a country that has neither building codes nor, for that matter, zoning enforcement; and where basic necessities such as food, electricity and water remain scarce, the reconstruction of Haiti’s now-flattened capital Port-Au-Prince is anything but a certainty. Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Joblessness in Construction Industry Spikes to Nearly 25%
WASHINGTON, DC - Today’s U.S. Labor Department unemployment report showed a decline in national unemployment but workers in the construction industry saw another month of devastating job loss. While jobless in some sectors eased, resulting in an overall loss of about 20,000 jobs, construction unemployment spiked to 24.7 percent as another 75,000 construction jobs were lost. Nearly 2.1 million construction jobs have been lost since the recession began. Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Don’t skimp on kitchens, builder says
RICHMOND, VA - Don't skimp on the kitchens. "Kitchens still have to be wonderful," said Lloyd Poe, one of two speakers at the annual forecast seminar by the Home Building Association of Richmond. Poe is owner of LifeStyle Builders & Developers Inc. in Midlothian. Granite countertops are standard features, not just for high-end homes, he said. Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Will Baby Boomers Lead Housing Industry Toward Recovery?
Baby boomer buyers fueled a big run-up in U.S. home construction and sales in the 1970s and 1980s. Now beleaguered homebuilders say they’re hoping aging boomers, who are just entering retirement age, will once again give them robust housing sales. “We believe this segment of the market is going to lead the housing industry toward recovery as the market turns around,” said Sharon Dworkin Bell, a senior staff vice president of the National Association of Home Builders. Full Story.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Foreclosures hampering green homes
Contractors realize extra features not adding to appraised values
LAS VEGAS, NV - Foreclosures that are depressing home values could temporarily slow the incorporation of green features into homes, a consultant to the homebuilding industry said. That was one of the issues that emerged at the 2010 International Builders Show in Las Vegas in January when manufacturers were touting the latest in energy efficiency for appliances, window insulation and water conservation measures. Full Story.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Glimmer of good news for local home builders
RICHMOND, VA - If Richmond area home builders and developers were looking for a glimmer of good news about their industry, they found it at forecast meeting this morning sponsored by the Home Building Association of Richmond. Full Story.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
While '09 is over, state's housing recovery will lag, economist says
DETROIT, MI - The best news a national home-building economist could deliver Wednesday to a group of local builders was: 2009 is history. "It's over -- 2009 was the worst year the U.S. housing market has seen since a World War," said David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. Full Story.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Household Water Wells Come Under Scrutiny in Montana
BILLINGS, MT – Montana officials have agreed to hold hearings on the potential repeal of a state rule that has allowed tens of thousands of homes to be built in rural subdivisions without water permits. A dispute over that rule is pitting ranchers worried that water supplies are drying out against homebuilders who say tightening the spigot will undermine the state's building industry. Full Story.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Recovering Haiti needs a building code that works, UW professor says
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA - After medical help, food aid and clean water, the next most important thing Haitians could use right now just might be a building code that works. Without one, says Sriram Narasimhan, a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo, the impoverished nation is doomed to rebuild the same dangerous kind of dwellings that led to so many deaths in last month’s earthquake. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Perdue calls for new building codes, reservoirs
ATLANTA, GA — Gov. Sonny Perdue said Wednesday that the state should require low-flow fixtures and other water-saving measures in all new buildings starting in 2012. The governor also said he’ll call for new standards for industrial cooling towers and for individual water meters for all units at new apartment complexes. Full Story.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Delaware Homebuilder, Schell Brothers, Wins Unprecedented Seven National Awards
REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - The National Association of Homebuilders recently held its prestigious annual event in Las Vegas, titled "A Night of Recognition". The exclusive affair honored the best of the best homebuilders across the country and, as usual, some of the smartest design and marketing minds were in attendance, hailing from places like New York and California. These heavy hitters from the marketing and architectural industries were there representing the big boys in homebuilding for whom they had created house plans, marketing, and more. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Alberta to update building code to make new homes energy efficient
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA — The Consumers Council of Canada says Alberta is looking at changing its building code to require that new homes be made more energy efficient. Full Story.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Time to Improvise
Remodeling the answer for struggling builders
MEMPHIS, TN - The past couple of years have been brutal for homebuilders as demand for new houses plummeted and companies did what they could to cope. 2009 was especially bad for Shelby County builders, who filed just 529 new home permits all year, a 43.7 percent decline from 940 permits in 2008 and a staggering 80 percent decline from 2,643 permits in 2007, according to the latest data from real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Boulder County considers tweaking green-building codes
BOULER, CO - Revisions that would make Boulder County's green-building code far more flexible will be recommended to county commissioners after gaining the unanimous approval of an advisory board on Monday. The three elected commissioners will decide whether to adopt the revisions to the county's BuildSmart program, which went into effect in April 2008, at a meeting tentatively scheduled for March 2. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Green gurus give NYC building-code proposals
NEW YORK, NY - New rules for insulating all-glass high rises and getting stores to shut off their lights after hours were among 111 proposals unveiled Monday by a panel of environmental experts charged with devising a blueprint to green the city's building stock. The recommendations of the NYC Green Codes Task Force affect the city's building codes as well as rules impacting zoning, health, consumer affairs, and environmental protection. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Pace of homebuilding increases in January
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The pace of homebuilding for 2010 got off to a solid start last month in the Pikes Peak region. Single-family homebuilding permits totaled 95 in January in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, a 43.9 percent gain from the 66 permits issued in the same month in 2009, according to a report released Monday by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Los Angeles might require rainwater capture
LOS ANGELES, CA - A proposed law would require new homes, larger developments and some redevelopments in Los Angeles to capture and reuse runoff generated in rainstorms. The ordinance approved in January by the Department of Public Works would require such projects to capture, reuse or infiltrate 100% of runoff generated in a 3/4 -inch rainstorm or to pay a storm water pollution mitigation fee that would help fund off-site, low-impact public developments. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
CityBuild Abu Dhabi from April 18-21
ABU DHABI - A new premier international trade show for the building and construction industry is being launched in Abu Dhabi as the United Arab Emirates’ capital continues to forge ahead with major long-term initiatives. CityBuild Abu Dhabi will take place from 18-21 April 2010 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre bringing together industry suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, architects, engineers, importers and procurement decision makers. Full Story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Construction spending drops sharply in December
WASHINGTON — Construction spending dropped sharply in December to its lowest level in more than six years as new home building fell by the steepest amount in seven months, evidence that housing remains a weak spot in the U.S. economy. The Commerce Department said Monday that spending on new homes, office buildings and highways fell by 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $902.5 billion, the lowest since August 2003. Full Story.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A look at the city's million dollar homes
SIOUX FALLS, SD - Filled with unique details and special touches that give it an old-world, Mediterranean feel, Cosette and Dion Pease's home is stunning. From the custom 22-foot ceiling in the main floor great room to the chiseled-edge travertine tiles throughout the lower level, every inch of the home was carefully planned and designed by the Peases themselves, Sioux Falls homebuilders. Full Story.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Structural change: Builders respond to a shifting market with innovative products
LAS VEGAS, NV — Innovation in homebuilding hasn’t stopped just because the bad economy has pounded the construction industry. That was evident at the annual International Builders Show this month, as industry suppliers displayed an array of new products and technologies to an audience of more than 55,000 building-industry professionals. Full Story.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Galveston buyout homes might be moved
GALVESTON, TX — At least one of the contractors hired to demolish upscale West End beach houses the city acquired through a federal buyout program said he intends to move the houses off the island and sell them. Lamson Nguyen, who owns Lamson Construction, bid $1, or 33 cents each, to demolish three houses in Sands of Kahala Beach the city expects to buy out once the homeowners association releases the properties. Full Story.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Builders meet demand for lower-priced homes
2009 raw numbers show construction was down, but picture is incomplete
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The 2009 numbers for homebuilding here didn’t lie, but they fudged a bit. The fact is builders in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Midwest City, Moore and Norman started 3,380 new houses last year, down 11.4 percent from 2008. Full Story.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
2010 International Builders Show: At home in the future
In ways large and small, the 2010 International Builders Show held last week in Las Vegas reflected the still-troubled home-building industry. One entire exhibition hall was vacant, most exhibitors rented smaller spaces than usual, and the dancing models in the upscale showers -- standard fare for years in the high-end plumbing-fixture booths -- were notably absent. Full Story.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Homebuilders hope boomers beat path to their door again
DALLAS, TX - Baby boomer buyers fueled a big run-up in U.S. home construction and sales in the 1970s and 1980s. Now beleaguered homebuilders say they're hoping aging boomers, who are just entering retirement age, will once again give them robust housing sales. Full Story.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Acton green building code meeting nears
ACTON, MA — Many Acton residents agree that being green is a top priority. With a special advisory board, an active citizen group and town leaders who continually push for energy-efficient initiatives, Acton has many reasons to call itself a “green community.” If residents vote to take a few more steps, Acton could be the first town in the state to make that description official. The Green Advisory Board will host a public forum Monday, Feb. 1, to give a presentation on one major move: Adopting the “stretch code,” a list of green regulations on new building construction and renovations. Full Story.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Just redo it: An expert tells you how to build on trends in your kitchen and bath
Kitchen and bathrooms are the most important rooms in the house when it comes to remodeling, selling and buying. Interest in them is so rabid that they command their own trade shows and gobble up a huge portion of HGTV’s and DIY’s online Web sites. According to the Association of National Homebuilders, improvements in these extensively plumbed rooms also carry one of the largest rates of return when houses are sold; 78 percent of the remodeling costs are usually refunded, so builders, potential buyers and soon-to-be-sellers carefully watch the trends in kitchen and bath design. Full Story.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Businesses expect increased home-improvement enthusiasm
PITTSBURGH, PA - Even though the past year was brutal for homebuilders and remodelers alike, everyone hopes things will look up this year. Local merchants hope to get a boost by showing what they have to offer at this year's Pittsburgh Indoor-Outdoor Home Show at the new Monroeville Convention Center, located in the former Wickes Building on Mall Boulevard. Full Story.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Affordable housing demand grows in Hesperia
Fifty-eight new units already filled at San Remo Apartments
HESPERIA, CA - Hesperia’s affordable housing units just grew by 58, but the demand continues to outpace multi-family construction geared for low-income families. “They’re already sold out,” Hesperia Mayor Thurston “Smitty” Smith said about the recently completed second phase at San Remo Apartments. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Are there New Home Deals in Southern California?
ORANGE COUNTY, CA - We all see the media reports, nearly everyday, regarding the state of the home building industry and real estate in general. There are more signs and reports that pricing has stabilized or even reached bottom in some submarkets. However, these are still very cautious times. The new home inventory is certainly down and within reason. The Southern California new home market is no different. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Construction panel supports rail
Task force says project will contribute most to economy by creating jobs
HONOLULU, HI - Going forward with Honolulu's much-discussed Rail Transit Project tops the list of recommendations by a task force set up to look at ways to boost Hawai'i's ailing construction industry. Other initiatives recommended by the panel include developing more affordable housing projects, creating tax incentives to spur construction and easing government regulations faced by contractors. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Adapting to the environment
Green jobs program brings a fresh angle to construction industry
BEND, OR - The inch-thick sheets of Styrofoam were all that passed for floor insulation at a northeast Bend house. “This is the first I’ve seen Styrofoam,” said Dave Bowman, looking at a pile of the broken up material. But at least someone had made an attempt to insulate the place when it was built several decades ago — even if it was ineffective, he said. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Engineer: Construction methods at heart of Haiti quake tragedy
OAKLAND, CA - Haiti's construction industry is to blame for hundreds of thousands of deaths in a tragedy that will repeat itself unless there are changes to building practices there, a Berkeley engineer said Tuesday. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When will construction rebound? Local companies weigh in
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Nearly nine in 10 contractors say there will be no recovery in the construction industry this year, according to a national construction hiring and business outlook forecast issued by the Associated General Contractors of America. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Homeowners fighting for right to sue
Lawmakers could ban "arbitration only" clauses
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Recent landslides in a neighborhood in San Antonio is spurring some homeowners to fight for more rights in Texas. Homeowners of Texas, Inc. said the Texas Legislature needs to pass a law that bans homebuilders from putting "compulsory arbitration" clauses in contracts. "If [homeowners] have housing defects and they cannot be resolved and the builder won't fix them, they can't take them to court," said Tom Archer, the president of Homeowners of Texas. "They have to go to arbitration. That is a private justice system." Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Analysts expect permits to rise
PHOENIX, AZ - Metropolitan Phoenix's home-building market can only improve after last year's dismal results. The Phoenix Housing Market Letter reports that 8,027 permits for single-family homes were issued in the region during 2009, the lowest level in at least 20 years. In 1990, during the middle of the last real-estate-led recession, 10,619 permits for new homes were issued in the area. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Study measures impact of local homebuilding
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Economist Elliott Eisenberg made the case Tuesday for the impact that home construction has in the Tallahassee area, fortifying his case with statistics based on 2009 building activity locally. "There's a nagging debate about housing. We'd like to see a new company come here, and there's an economic development corporation that takes pride in bringing new business here," he told a luncheon audience of the Tallahassee Builders Association at the Ramada Conference Center. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Pa. Debate Over In Home Sprinklers Heats Up
WRIGHTSTOWN, PA - The debate over requiring home sprinklers for newly constructed homes is heating up. The Pennsylvania Builders' Association is suing to prevent enactment of certain new building codes, mandating sprinklers, claiming they could add thousands to the cost of new homes. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cemex Jumps the Most in Six Weeks on Home Price Gains (Update1)
Cemex SAB, the largest cement maker in North America, rose the most since November as U.S. home prices increased more than forecast, signaling the country’s housing and construction industry may be stabilizing. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Maryland construction firms face gloomy 2010 forecast
Industry accounts for 7% of state's employment
Maryland's construction industry is one of the hardest hit in the nation, and the picture nationally is not likely to get much better, according to a forecast released last week. The Associated General Contractors of America released its construction employment forecast for 2010, predicting privately funded construction would continue to decline. Although the organization released some state-by-state data, Maryland was not singled out. Full Story.
Monday, January 25, 2010
New Habitat houses to have sprinklers
It's a year earlier than required, but the city fire chief says the equipment saves lives.
YORK, PA - A building code change that requires new homes to have sprinklers inside doesn't kick in until 2011. But York Habitat for Humanity will install them in homes to be built this year on East Poplar Street, at the site of four homes damaged by fire last year. Sprinklers will also go in homes in a Habitat project on West Princess Street, said Rosie Boileau, executive director of York Habitat. Full Story.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Construction industry recovery remains slow
Building trades anxiously await start of major construction projects
Economic indicators tell us the worst recession since the Great Depression is over. But for Northwest Indiana's construction trade, the light at the end of the tunnel is a barely visible pinpoint. Full Story.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Landslide threatens 80 San Antonio homes
SAN ANTONIO, TX - San Antonio Fire Department officials continued Monday to keep residents out of about 80 homes in a Northwest Side neighborhood, where engineers working for homebuilders shored up a steep hill that partially collapsed, threatening homes above and below the growing gap. Full Story.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
System lets builders, Realtors access projects, clients remotely
Sitting on a beach in St. Bart's on his honeymoon, Columbia home builder Brantley Jones flipped on his laptop and checked in on a construction site in Newberry. He chatted with his project manager, who was wearing a helmet cam, and helped his crew through a crucial stage of adding a second floor to a single-story home. Full Story.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sprinklers: Worth the expense?
SHELBYVILLE, TN - Shelbyville has adopted the 2009 International Building Codes, but specifically exempted itself from the section of that code which would require fire protection sprinkler systems on new one-family and two-family homes. Full Story.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Local homebuilders waiting out recession
MEMPHIS, TN - Last year was a slow one for home construction in the suburbs, and the same was true in Memphis, as homebuilders waited for the last of the building boom inventory to be absorbed. "Builders don't have any reason to want to build a house right now. I don't," said Don Caylor, vice president of Summerset Homes Inc., which didn't build any in 2009. Full Story.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Energy efficiency for homes dominates booths, seminars at builders' convention
Building executive calls Las Vegas 'a good foam market'
It's an overused term yet to be fully embraced by the average consumer, but "green building" dominated the 2010 International Builders Show in Las Vegas, from seminars to the 1,100 exhibitors of home-building products, materials and construction techniques. Green building can be interpreted in a number of ways, but is generally viewed as construction practice that saves energy and natural resources. It could be a simple as installing fluorescent lights or as complicated as a solar-generated energy system. Full Story.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Edmond couple turn to UBuildIt to create house
EDMOND, OK — Rick and Sharron Wolf, with no experience in construction, with busy lives, have built two homes for themselves. They worked with UBuildIt, the nationally franchised network that allows individuals to act as their own contractors on home building and remodeling projects. Full Story.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Governor Proclaims January Kansas Radon Action Month
Topeka, Manhattan, and Lawrence building codes require new homes to be built using radon-resistant techniques. Some cities in Kansas are considering changing their building codes to require them, too.
TOPEKA, KS - Governor Mark Parkinson and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) are urging Kansans to protect their families by testing their homes for an odorless, invisible gas. Parkinson signed a proclamation today proclaiming January as Kansas Radon Action Month. The Governor encouraged testing of homes, schools and work sites for radon to minimize long-term health risks. Full Story.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Charity plans one-room homes in Haiti
CHICAGO, IL - Home-building charity Habitat for Humanity hopes to erect thousands of expandable one-room houses to shelter Haitians left homeless by a devastating earthquake, the group's chief executive said on Thursday. "We need direction to make sure we build the homes where the infrastructure is going to be," said Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford in a telephone interview. Full Story.
Friday, January 22, 2010
New Mexico Gains Green Building Manufacturer
SANTA FE, NM - A company that manufacturers sustainable building products for the construction industry is moving to the Gallup area, which state officials claimed as proof they're making good on their word to bring more jobs to New Mexico's rural areas. Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Waynesboro repealing use of BOCA codes
WAYNESBORO, PA — The Waynesboro Borough Council wants to pull the plug on certain electrical building codes, despite opposition from the building inspector and some firefighters. The council is in the process of repealing its use of BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators) codes. If the codes are repealed, the borough would continue to operate under the UCC (Uniform Construction Code). Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Association update: In construction, trying times might still be looming
Thomas Paine once wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Amen to that! The economy, both at the national level and in Minnesota, continues to drag. The national recession has sent the construction industry into a severe downtown. Both construction companies and workers have been hit hard. From June 2008 to June 2009, Minnesota lost 18,000 commercial and residential construction jobs, 16.2 percent of the employment in that sector, according to AGC reports. Areas like Duluth lost 31 percent of their construction employment. The Twin Cities metro area has experienced a similar loss of jobs and job opportunities. These numbers have not improved in the past six months. Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Home building fell 4% in Dec.; permits rising
Negatives include bad weather, as well as rise in FHA's fees, standards to back mortgages
WASHINGTON - The housing market remains a significant risk to the economy, data released Wednesday showed, as bad weather across much of the country hammered the construction industry. Along with icy storms, the real estate recovery is facing man-made head winds. The government said Wednesday that buyers will face higher fees and tougher standards for home loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, a popular source of loans for first-time buyers. Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Homebuilders Sticking With Less-Is-More Approach
Think of it as the shrinking American dream. What's out: Outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, two-story foyers and deluxe bathroom features like multiple showerheads in the master bathroom. What's in: Smaller homes with lots of natural light, storage and energy efficiency features that save money — and don't cost too much. Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Lean Lending Could Trim Homebuilding's Forecast Surge In '10
The sound of homebuilders' hammers will rise again in 2010 after relative quiet last year. Economists and building associations agree on that. But they vary on just how much housing starts can ramp up amid high unemployment, low home prices and the dearth of construction financing available to homebuilders. Full Story.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Homebuilders' New Sugar Daddy: Private Equity
Opportunistic investors are backing strapped builders—and risky as it is, the strategy may pay off
Their love affair with traditional lenders is on the rocks, so some residential real estate developers have found a new partner: private equity. More than 20 firms are looking to team up with homebuilders to go bargain shopping for distressed properties. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Construction Weighs On Homebuilders
The Commerce Department said the rate of new home construction unexpectedly fell 4%, but applications are up.
Homebuilders were in the red on Wednesday after the Commerce Department reported an unexpected dip in the construction of new homes last month. Construction of new homes and apartments fell 4% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 557,000, from an upwardly revised 580,000 in November, lower than the 580,000 forecast by economists. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue Honored With Eight More Prestigous Awards at 'The Nationals' by NAHB
High-Rise Condo Tower Continues to Earn Regional and National Awards for Development Excellence
SEATTLE, WA - Executives at OPUS NWR Development, LLC today announced that The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has recognized Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue with eight awards including a silver finalist for "Project of the Year" for 2010 – one the most prestigious honors in the national homebuilding industry. The NAHB held "The Nationals" awards ceremony on January 19, 2010 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Hundreds of industry representatives and guests attended the black-tie gala, which kicks-off the annual International Builder's Show. Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue was selected by a panel of judges during a three-day evaluation of more than 700 individual award entries. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Homebuilding: How your town compares
Building in the south metro is showing few signs of a bounceback, although some are doing better than others.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL, MN - Homebuilding remains in a deep slump across most of the southern suburbs, but it may have bottomed out in one or two places. A Star Tribune analysis of building permit data south of the river finds: Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Homebuilding forecast: Modest growth in 2010
LAS VEGAS, NV - The fragile housing recovery should gather momentum this year as the economy strengthens, but high unemployment at least through 2011 will make for a slow turnaround, housing experts said Tuesday. The panel of economists at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas agreed broadly on the outlook for the housing market and economy. Both, they said, had turned a corner, but there are slim prospects for a swift rebound. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Rise in permits could herald building ramp-up
But hurdles such as rising foreclosures could suppress housing recovery
WASHINGTON - Applications for future construction projects unexpectedly climbed last month, foreshadowing what could be a better spring for home building after a rough winter, government data showed on Wednesday. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Optimism interrupted
Any good news for home builders comes with big asterisks
LAS VEGAS, NV - Home builders, mired in their deepest slump since the Great Depression, are likely to see a rebound in sales in 2010 as stabilizing home prices and record-high affordability conditions draw buyers into the market, the chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders said here this week. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Residential sprinklers may not be required
SHELBYVILLE, TN - Bedford County Board of Commissioners' rules and legislative committee placed a proposal that the county adopt the 2009 International Building Code but exempt itself from residential sprinkler systems on the full commission's February agenda, but did not add its own recommendation. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Homebuilder confidence drops unexpectedly
WASHINGTON, DC — Confidence among U.S. homebuilders unexpectedly dropped in January to the lowest level since June, a sign the housing recovery may stall in coming months. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence decreased to 15 from 16 the prior month, the Washington-based group said Tuesday. Readings below 50 mean most respondents view conditions as poor. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Homebuilders Look Beyond Banks, To Private Equity
Convinced that banks will reject homebuilders' loan applications for years to come, the builders' industry association is playing matchmaker to connect members with private equity firms. To ramp up the bonding, the National Association of Home Builders plans to launch this initiative at a kind of blind "speed dating" forum at its annual convention in January. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Pretty, Pioneering and Easy to Live in: AARP and NAHB Name Four Unique Homes and Developments to be 2009 Livable Communities Awards Winners
WASHINGTON, DC - Convenience and cachet combine naturally in the home and community designs named the 2009 Livable Communities Award winners today by AARP and the National Association of Homebuilders. The winning projects represent unique combinations of style, universal design and energy efficiency to make them desirable homes and neighborhoods for people of all ages to live in. AARP and NAHB established the annual Livable Communities Awards to recognize homes and developments designed to enhance the daily comfort, convenience and safety of the people who live in them. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Web Site Giveaway: BUILDER CONCEPT HOME 2010 To Give Away Kindle e-readers
BUILDER, the number one information source for the home building industry, announces a giveaway promotion of Amazon Kindle e-readers for people who tour the first entirely virtual show home and Web site during the 2010 International Builders’ Show. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Homebuilders end dismal '09 on up-note
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Indianapolis home builders enjoyed their best month of 2009 in December, as permits for new homes jumped 33 percent, to 279, over the same month in 2008. But 2009 ended up as one of the weakest in decades. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Stable Housing Prices, Reduction of Home Inventory Needed for Recovery
LAS VEGAS, NV - Despite recent data suggesting increased sales activity, foreclosure improvement and inventory reduction, the environment for a sustained improvement in single-family starts activity may not be as positive as it seems. According to a recent report by the Portland Cement Association (PCA), homebuilders are unlikely to accelerate construction activity until two critical conditions are met - low inventory levels of unsold new homes and stable or rising home prices. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
State leads way in 'green' building
SACRAMENTO, CA - Already one of the most environmentally-conscious states, California is again leading the pack with the passage of the strictest green building codes in the nation. The California Building Standards Commission approved the code, nicknamed Calgreen, last Tuesday. When the more stringent building code becomes mandatory Jan. 1, 2011, it will apply to new residential, commercial and public building construction. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Council considers tougher codes
FARMINGTON, NM — City councilors will consider whether to make penalties tougher for contractors who violate building codes. Councilors at their meeting 9 a.m. today will weigh whether the city should penalize contractors convicted of continuing construction after the city orders them to stop. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
International Builders' Show likely to see attendance plummet
Builders from around the country meeting in Las Vegas this week can expect to see the latest thing in home appliances, construction materials and homebuilding equipment. What they won't see are the record crowds that the International Builders' Show drew a few years ago.
Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
State builders association asks court to block new building code
The Pennsylvania Builders Association today asked Commonwealth Court to block implementation of new building code requirements that went into effect on Jan. 1. Association Executive Vice President Douglas Meshaw said that the new building codes will drive up the cost of an average single-family home in Pennsylvania by more than $10,000. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Business Professor Expects Boom For Local Construction Industry
WATERTOWN, NY - Business experts predict 2010 will be a time when people and companies will continue to tighten their belts, but there are some areas of the economy that are expected to boom. The construction industry is a prime example. Full Story.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Chusid Associates' 10 Best New Building Products of 2009
TARZANA, CA - Chusid Associates, the nation's leading marketing consultant for building products, has announced a list of 10 Best New Building Products of 2009, available on the BuildingProductMarketing.com blog. The list highlights not only innovative products but also the important construction industry trends and developments that they represent. Full Story.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Homebuilding To Rebound In 2010/2011, Masco (MAS) Predicted To Have Strong Performance According To Industry Expert
NEW YORK, NY - The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Large-Cap Growth and Other Investing Strategies Report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This 53 page feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers. Full Story.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Builders seek to snuff out sprinkler law
Developers worry about homebuyers' ability to pay higher prices. Fire officials say extra costs will be neutralized by preservation of property.
HARRISBURG, PA - Homebuilders plan one more effort after losing the fight to keep Pennsylvania from being the first state to require home sprinkler systems. As of Jan. 1, under the law, all new town homes and apartments must have sprinklers. Sprinklers must be installed in every new duplex and single home starting in 2011. Full Story.
Monday, January 18, 2010
New Product Saves Time and Money Sealing Building Core Holes
AUBREY, TX - While working in the commercial tenant finish-out industry, Chuck Longhenry realized there had to be a faster and less intrusive way to seal the core and penetration holes that typically contain electrical and data wires in multi-story buildings. After two years of trial and error he perfected and applied for a patent on the SealCore Safety Plate, an innovative way to seal core holes during construction and post-construction that saves money and reduces installation time while meeting all building codes. Full Story.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Warren County Community College offers construction code licensing courses
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Licensing to become a New Jersey Uniform Construction Code Enforcement Inspector or Official requires candidates to complete a combination of trade experience, national testing, and mandatory educational programs. Warren County Community College has been approved by the NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to help candidates meet these requirements by offering the required courses. Full Story.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Company's speed-up invention suffers in weak home-building market
DENVER, CO - During the housing boom, builders sought ways to construct houses as quickly as possible. That was all right with Keith Dietzen, chief executive of Boulder's Keymark Enterprises LLC. When it comes to home-building, "we speed up the cycle time," said Dietzen, who started Keymark, which produces prefabricated framing materials using proprietary design software, in 1975. Full Story.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
New home numbers have bright spots
GAINESVILLE, GA - The end-of-the-year numbers of new housing starts last year in Hall County, which we reported a few days ago, seem bleak but one man close to the construction industry here there is a bright side. "I'm hoping to see some positive results coming the latter part of this year," said Van Neese, executive officer of the Gainesville-Hall County Homebuilders Association. Full Story.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Building in quake resistance
Code requirements are based on geology, not geography or seismic zones
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Oklahoma City or Los Angeles, the minimum code requirements for earthquake resistance in new buildings are the same if the geology is the same. That’s the gist of what structural engineer Bob Zahl said was the hard-to-explain requirements of the International Building Code adopted by most municipalities. Gone, or on the way out, are requirements pegged to seismic zones and geography, he said. Full Story.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Haiti earthquake relief: Voices in rubble drive one rescue team
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI – Homes slapped together, offices and stores constructed with no building codes: The complete devastation of parts of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is rooted in part in structural weaknesses that posed threats even before the quake hit. Now, rescuers are having to negotiate the consequences of substandard construction as they rush to save lives. For many of them, it's the most perilous task they’ve ever been assigned. Full Story.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
SoCal Learns from Disasters
LOS ANGELES, CA - It wasn't just poverty that conspired against a building code in Haiti. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Bay Area engineer surveys destruction in Haiti
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - One Bay Area engineer now in Haiti is weighing in on the lack of building codes people believe contributed to the massive destruction in Haiti during Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake near Port-au-Prince. "There was a lot of unreinforced masonry," structural engineer Eduardo Fierro said during a Skype interview from the Dominican Republic. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Lessons From a Century of Disasters
An earthquake expert says, it can't happen here
LOS ANGELES, CA - It wasn't just poverty that conspired against a building code in Haiti. Illiteracy and an inability to learn from previous disasters also played a role, according to scientists. Southern California has been learning those lessons from more than a century of earthquake disasters. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
UB quake center providing vital data, hands-on help
BUFFALO, NY - The earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday is a tragic reminder of how critical the development, application and regulation of building codes are, according to one local expert. "Earthquakes do not kill people," said Andre Filiatrault, director of the University at Buffalo's Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research. "If you're sitting in the middle of a football field with a lawn chair and an earthquake occurs, no problem. However, it's what we build that can potentially collapse." Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Centerpiece house for builders’ conference a no-show
LAS VEGAS, NV - A Las Vegas house has come to epitomize the struggles of the homebuilding industry. For the first time in the International Builders’ Show’s history, the so-called New American Home, which depicts cutting-edge innovation and technology in the housing industry, won’t be open for tours when the show begins in Las Vegas next week. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Four and half plus years after Katrina, homebuilding continues
PLYMOUTH, MA — Homes are a luxury to the people of New Orleans who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina more than four years ago. For former Plymouth resident Andy Chase joining the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans in September has been a fulfilling experience. The St. Bernard Project is a nonprofit rebuilding organization that helps Katrina survivors rebuild their homes and lives. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Home sales, prices seen falling in 2011
ORANGE COUNTY, CA - Orange County-based homebuilders were told Thursday that the recession may be over, but the future for the economy and the housing industry remains uncertain. As if to underscore that point, economist Chris Thornberg released a forecast projecting that after modest gains this year, home sales and prices will dip again in 2011 because of rising foreclosures and interest rates. Full Story.
Friday, January 15, 2010
'High death toll in Haiti quake result of widespread corruption in construction industry'
WASHINGTON - The high death toll in the Haiti earthquake, which is only expected to rise in the coming days, is a consequence of corruption and resulting shoddy construction practices in the impoverished country, a seismologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder has said. Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Impoverished Haiti May Be Stuck in Seismic Safety’s Past
As rescuers in Haiti struggled to locate victims of a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island at 4:53 p.m. on Jan 12, the U.S. government and construction industry mobilized to assist. U.S. engineers familiar with the Caribbean also speculated that impoverished Haiti and its structures may have existed in a seismic safety time-warp with 1970s standards or worse. Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Senate committee delays workers' comp law
NASHVILLE, TN — State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, won unanimous approval of legislation in the Senate Finance Committee today calling for immediate suspension of a new law to require sole proprietors and partners engaged in the construction industry to carry workers’ compensation coverage on themselves. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Economist gives developers optimism they can build on
TOMS RIVER, NJ — An economist gave a group of local builders some good news on Wednesday after years of bad. Yes, the market for new homes bottomed out in 2009. Yes, there will be improvement in the second half of 2010, with the number of construction starts increasing by about 15 percent for the year. Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Missouri Kicks Off Program to Jumpstart Housing Market, Create Construction Jobs
ST LOUIS, MO - Gov. Jay Nixon and State Treasurer Clint Zweifel joined skilled craftsmen in St. Louis and Kansas City to kick off the Home Ownership Purchase Enhancement (HOPE) Program, a $15 million initiative designed to jumpstart the state's housing-construction industry. Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Homebuilders see a resurgence in small
DENVER, CO - Shea Homes Colorado is rolling out its first new community at Reunion in four years. The homebuilder is using the Commerce City development as the local launching pad for a smaller, simpler product designed to appeal to younger, more mobile buyers. "The buyer today is different than a few years ago," said Chetter Latcham, president of Shea Homes Colorado. "They've reprioritized their lives and are scaling down. The day of the McMansion is gone." Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Devastation blamed on lack of building codes
In many ways, the catastrophic quake that struck Haiti on Tuesday was the perfect storm: A massive, shallow eruption below a densely populated city with few, if any, building codes. The magnitude 7.0 quake occurred along the boundary separating two major tectonic plates, the Caribbean and North American plates. Full Story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
New state fire codes aimed at reducing fires and protecting the environment
SACRAMENTO, CA – Updated fire and building codes developed to increase fire resistance in buildings and homes across California will take effect this month. The new codes, which will be enforced by Cal Fire's Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and fire and building departments throughout the state, bring California in line with the 2009 International Building, Fire, and Residential Code. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
California Approves Requirement for Fire Sprinklers in All New Homes Beginning in 2011
PATTERSON, NY - The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), the longest-tenured fire sprinkler advocacy organization in the U.S., announces the State of California has adopted building code changes that will require all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses built in the state starting January 1, 2011, to be equipped with life-saving fire sprinkler systems. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
California Bolsters Green Building Codes Despite Controversy
It may not always be greener on the other side of the fence, but now it will be in California. Yesterday (Jan. 12) the California Building Standards Commission unanimously approved a series of changes to its state building codes, branded as CalGreen, which include the addition of mandatory statewide green standards that are the strictest in the country. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Brown: Smaller is better
WICHITA FALLS, TX - It’s amazing how little I know about the value of housing in Wichita Falls, yet here I am trying to explain why homebuilders are downsizing the square feet in homes now being built. This trend to smaller homes includes smaller lots on which they are being built. One Realtor complained some of these new homes have lots so narrow that it is difficult to have a practical driveway and garage. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Heated debate on sprinkler mandate
CONCORD, NH – Fire prevention experts squared off against homebuilders yesterday over the need for fire sprinklers in one and two-family homes. State Fire Marshal William Degnan asked the House Commerce Committee to reject two bills that would prevent a change in building and fire codes. The code changes will require sprinklers in new and heavily renovated homes starting April 2012. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Signs of life in the home-building industry
A large-scale development in Irvine and profits posted by some builders bring hope for a turnaround, but the industry's outlook remains fragile.
IRVINE, CA - A construction site in Irvine is alive with the sound of the boom years. Workers hammering fresh wood beams shout orders at each other in Spanish. Diesel trucks rumble through newly paved subdivisions. Men with scrolls of construction plans tucked under their arms bark instructions into mobile phones. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Vail to hold workshop on new building codes
Vail changes impact energy conservation code, plumbing code and accessibility standard, among others
VAIL, CO — The town of Vail will host a free workshop this month to provide information on newly-enacted building code changes. It will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 27 at Donovan Pavilion, 1600 S. Frontage Road. Contractors, builders, architects and property owners are encouraged to attend to learn more about the changes and amendments that became effective Jan. 1. The changes impact the international building code, energy conservation code, fire code, fuel gas code, plumbing code and accessibility standards. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
PetersenDean Partners with SunRun to Offer Revolutionary Solar Leasing Program to Benefit Homebuilders, Buyers, and the Environment
New Solar Leasing Program to Deliver Fixed Prices and Green Energy to California Homeowners
NEWARK, CA - PetersenDean Roofing and Solar Systems, the nation's largest, privately-owned roofing and solar energy company, has announced an exclusive partnership with SunRun, the nation's leading provider of residential solar financing, on a ground-breaking leasing program that enables Californians to purchase a new solar home at the price of a standard home, locking in low, fixed electricity bills for 20 years. Full Story.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Beazer Homes Takes eSMART Program to Heightened Levels of Performance
Innovative Building Measures Aimed at Curbing Energy Use and Lowering Ownership Costs
ATLANTA, GA - Beazer Homes USA, Inc., one of the country's top 10 homebuilders, today announced the expansion of its eSMART initiative to include three progressive levels of high-performance homes, all engineered as a whole-house system to achieve greater energy efficiency, conserve water and improve indoor air quality. The enhancements strengthen the Company's eco-friendly home offerings and are modeled after best practices from its award-winning "green" building partner Imagine Homes of San Antonio. Full Story.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Environmental groups try to block parts of California's green building code
The Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council are among six groups waging a last-minute campaign to derail some of the rules, saying they aren't tough enough.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Environmental groups are mounting a last-ditch effort to derail key elements of the state's first-in-the-nation green building code -- a major initiative of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration. The proposed code, likely to be adopted Tuesday, would slash water use, mandate the recycling of construction waste, cut back on polluting materials and step up enforcement of energy efficiency in new homes, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings statewide. Full Story.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
U.S. construction unemployment at 22.5%
According to the Associated General Contractors of America’s analysis of December nationwide jobs data … Full Story.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Record lows: Single-family construction numbers down again in 2009
CAPE CORAL, FL - 2009 was the worst year in a decade for the construction industry in Cape Coral. A mere 173 single family home permits were pulled last year in the city, a far cry from the 1,753 permits pulled in 1999. As the years progressed, so did the housing and construction industries, with the number of permits and their values steadily increasing as the decade wore on. Full Story.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Small homebuilders’ goal: Survival
Bill Watt is the founder and president of Baywood Development Group in Newport Beach, a small private homebuilder specializing in developing “unique homes and uncommon neighborhoods.” The firm has built abut 2,500 homes in communities such as Brea, Tustin Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita and San Diego County. Full Story.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Half-built homes can be bargains, but with strings attached
More custom homebuilders have gone out of business than the big subdivision builders, making buying and completing a usually much larger structure more of a challenge than garden-variety foreclosures or short sales.
ORLANDO, FL — First came foreclosure sales, then short sales. Now we are seeing more half-finished homes for sale: bare-stud, bare-yard houses abandoned by their builders and left to languish on the market. Purchasing a partially built home is nothing new; during the housing boom, many new-home contracts were signed before even a slab had been poured. The difference now is that the builder might no longer be around to finish the job, particularly if it's a house started by a custom builder who subsequently lost clients, financing ... or its entire business. Full Story.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Report shows steep construction decline in 2009
ST GEORGE, UT — Utah’s construction industry was defined by severe declines in 2009, with the value of permit authorized construction plunging by 25 percent last year, according to the 2010 Economic Report to the Governor. The value of new construction in Utah was $3.5 billion in 2009, reaching its lowest level since 1996. When the data is adjusted to account for inflation, the $3.5 billion value of authorized construction in 2009 represents the state’s lowest level since 1992. Full Story.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thicker drywall now code for carports, garages
It's a safety issue, supervisors told; 5/8-inch rated as fire-resistant
MEMPHIS, TN - DeSoto County supervisors unanimously approved a change to the residential building code Wednesday, requiring the use of 5/8-inch drywall in garages and carports. The current code only required the use of 1/2-inch drywall in garages. In a public hearing, County Emergency Services Director Bobby Storey told supervisors it was a simple matter of public safety. Full Story.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Schwarzenegger proposes tax credit to spark new home building
SACRAMENTO, CA - More than 20,000 California homebuyers could get state tax credits of up to $10,000 this year under a new stimulus proposed Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor's plan to allocate $200 million in credits to buyers of new or existing homes is part of a job creation strategy. It goes now to state lawmakers for consideration. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Local home resale market saw a bit of a rebound in 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Pikes Peak region’s resale market enjoyed an upswing last year, in contrast to the home building industry. A Pikes Peak Regional Building Department report this week showed home construction last year fell to its lowest level in nearly two decades. Statistics released Wednesday by the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, however, continued to show hopeful signs for the resale market: Full Story.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
AIA Predicts Continued Decline for Nonresidential Construction
Although the economy is showing signs of recovery, tough times are still ahead for the non-residential construction industry. According to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Consensus Construction Forecast released today (Jan. 6), spending in the sector is predicted to decline overall by 13.4 percent in 2010. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Experts at The Dubai Forum call for greater knowledge transfer on sustainability in construction industry
UAE - Sustainability cannot be generalized, but should integrate histories, geographies and traditions, including contemporary building aspects, and Dubai is a perfect example for these trends that professionals need to emulate and share at all practical levels, according to Elizabeth O'Donell, Associate Dean, Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, US. Full Story.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Bouchard unveils plan to spur state's construction industry
LANSING, MI - Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, a Republican candidate for governor, today unveiled a plan for a 12-month moratorium on property tax increases on home and business additions and remodeling in an attempt to spur the state's moribund construction industry. Projects completed within that window would be exempt from tax increases on the new construction until the home is sold. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Contractors group tabs Vertegy for LEED course
ST LOUIS, MO - Vertegy was recently recruited by the Associated General Contractors of America to develop and update a course aimed at training people in the construction industry on the new LEED guidelines for new construction. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Tough times for Utah's construction industry
Economy: Employment drop in St. George among country's deepest.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - New monthly figures from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) emphasize how hard the recession has hit the construction industry in Utah -- particularly the St. George area. Out of 337 metropolitan areas in the country, only four had a greater percentage decline in construction jobs than Utah's fast-growing Dixie region between the Novembers of 2008 and 2009. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Council adopts 2006 building codes
2009 version requires homes to have sprinklers
BILOXI, MS — By adopting the 2006 International Building Codes instead of the 2009 version, the City Council kept its discount for insurance premiums and satisfied builders’ concerns. On Tuesday, the council adopted the codes, which will take effect 30 days after being signed by Mayor A.J. Holloway. Full Story.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Judge Orders Review Of Plastic Piping
California State Pipe Trades Council, Some Environmental Groups Sued State
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The commission that administers California's building codes will have to conduct a new environmental review of plastic piping used for drinking water after a ruling by a judge. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch on Dec. 4 ruled the California Building Standards Commission improperly approved polyethylene cross-linked pipes for use in construction projects. Full Story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Foreclosures weigh on home appraisals
LOS ANGELES, CA — It wasn’t the first time that Katherine Scheri ruined a real estate agent’s day with a low property appraisal. Scheri, a real estate appraiser, had sized up a three-bedroom, two-bath house in Santa Ana, Calif., for $30,000 less than what the buyers offered to pay. A typical deal-killer for a seller. Full Story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
2009 was worst year for local homebuilding industry in almost two decades
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Last year was one to forget for several home builders and thousands of homeowners in the Pikes Peak region: The pace of home construction dropped to its lowest level in nearly two decades in 2009, while soaring numbers of foreclosure filings shattered a record that had been set only a year earlier. This year should be better for builders and homeowners — but only slightly so, say some industry experts and economists. Full Story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
U.S. construction spending fell 0.6% in November
Construction spending in the U.S. fell for the seventh straight month in November to the lowest level in more than six years, led by declines in homebuilding and fewer commercial projects. The 0.6 percent drop followed a revised 0.5 percent decrease in October, previously reported as unchanged, Commerce Department figures showed Monday in Washington. Construction spending was down 13 percent in November from the same month a year earlier. Full Story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New rules govern garage door replacements
MANATEE COUNTY, FL - Because of recent Florida Building Code changes, on Jan. 1, the Manatee County Building Department began a permitting and inspections process for all garage door replacements in the unincorporated areas of the county. “This is being done for the health, safety and welfare of our customers,” Building Director John Barnott said. “We don’t want people installing garage doors that are going to fail.” Full Story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
2 proposals to amend new NH sprinkler regs
CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Legislature is expected to consider two bills that would prevent the state from enforcing amendments to building codes that expand requirements for sprinkler systems. Full Story.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sullivan County residential building code takes effect
BLOUNTVILLE, TN — A new residential building code and new property maintenance code took effect Jan. 1 in non-incorporated sections of Sullivan County. “Up until now we’ve only enforced zoning, flood plains, and health and safety regulations,” said Ambre Torbett, planning director for Sullivan County. Full Story.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Builders, safety experts, debate sprinkler rules
DES MOINES, IA - Intense lobbying has begun in Iowa over a new state building code that will require fire sprinklers in new one-family and two-family homes starting in 2013. Fire safety advocates say installing sprinklers during construction of houses, duplexes and townhouses will save Iowans' lives. But homebuilders say the requirement will inflate building costs and hamper Iowa's housing market. Full Story.
<--- Previous Page
|
|
|
|
