Tag: housing: Page 6

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All-American-made homes would provide economic boost, but are they feasible?

Is it possible to build a home from 100 percent American materials? That’s the question Anders and Jake Lewendal decided to try and find out with a recent build, as chronicled by Builder. Anders Lewendal Construction Inc., a custom builder based out of Bozeman, Montana, set out to build a home made completely of materials […]

March 18, 2013

Workforce

Big construction employment gains indicate rising contractor confidence

On Friday the latest round of figures from the U.S. Labor Department showed that the construction industry enjoyed its highest monthly gain in six years by adding 48,000 jobs in February. The construction industry employs 5.784 million Americans as of February. That’s the highest mark the industry has attained since September 2009 and is a 2.5-percent […]

March 11, 2013

Construction Equipment

Automakers prepare for truck war as housing and construction industries recover

As the housing and construction industry recoveries slowly build momentum, NPR reports automakers are preparing for an all-out truck war to reap the profits. The media outlet recently paid a visit to Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan plant where 7,500 of the company’s popular F-150 pickups roll off the assembly line each week. The F-150 has been […]

March 7, 2013

Construction Equipment

Repurposed drain pipe makes the ultimate man cave

I doubt many of you order more concrete drain pipe than you need, but if you do here’s a great way to reuse them. Just might make the ultimate man­ cave. Or you could start a business with them just like the interesting German hotel pictured above. Located in Bottrop, Germany, Dasparkhotel (The Park Hotel) […]

March 5, 2013

Business

New home sales surge 16% to nearly 3-year high

New home sales made a huge leap in January, rising nearly 16 percent from December 2012, according to data from from HUD and the United States Census Bureau. New single-family homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 437,000 in January, besting the consensus estimates of 381,000. It is the highest monthly total […]

February 26, 2013

Business

Builder confidence in housing market dips 1 point in February

After stalling completely in January, builder confidence in new single-family homes was was virtually unchanged in February with a one-point decline to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The index’s tipping point is 50. Once higher than 50, that indicates more builders have a good feeling about the […]

February 21, 2013

Business

Following four-year high, U.S. housing starts drop 8.5% in January

After surging to a four-year high in December, much of the momentum in housing starts was lost in January though things remain markedly better than they were at the same point in 2012, according to numbers from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Census Bureau. Construction began on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted rate of 890,000 […]

February 20, 2013

Business

Obama stresses importance of construction, infrastructure, skilled labor in State of the Union

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama stressed the great importance of construction, housing, infrastructure, manufacturing and energy in creating new jobs and aiding the ongoing recovery of the American economy. Obama spent several minutes of the address discussing the sad state of the country’s infrastructure, which he said is […]

February 12, 2013

Business

Home sales rise to best in 5 years

Despite falling below November’s pace, December sales of previously-owned homes were up 12.8 percent year-over-year, CNN Money reported. Full-year sales increased 9 percent over 2011 to 4.65 million, the highest they’ve been since 2007, when 5 million homes were sold before the recession. Among causes for this boost in sales are near record low mortgage […]

February 5, 2013

Business

Construction spending up 7.8 percent annually in December

Construction spending increased by 7.8 percent in the year between December 2011 and December 2012, to a three-year high of nearly $885 million, according to seasonally-adjusted data released by the United States Census Bureau. Month-to-month, the preliminary spending figure of $865.9 million was down 0.9 percent from November 2012’s revised figure of $877 million. The […]

February 1, 2013

Business

NAHB: Multifamily housing will remain strong in 2013

During a panel at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, experts from the National Association of Home Builders said multifamily housing will continue to lead the housing market’s recovery in 2013. The NAHB cites the multifamily market’s recovery, noting that it is at about 70 percent of the way back to a sustainable level. […]

January 23, 2013

Business

U.S. home construction surges in December to highest mark since 2008

In December, builders began work on new homes at the fastest rate since the Summer of 2008, according to numbers from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Census Bureau. Construction began on houses and apartments at a rate of 954,000 in December, marking a 12.1 percent increase over November’s rate and capping off the best year for […]

January 18, 2013