Home Construction

Author Sheri Koones is on a mission to educate American homeowners about home building. Her first three books focused on the basics on home construction, borne of her own experience as a frustrated homeowner trying to remodel her Greenwich, Conn., house. At that time, she said in a recent interview, there was almost no information to help her make intelligent choices as she faced an endless number of decisions about this or that flooring material, plumbing fixture, roof shingle and on and on. Koones's last four books have zeroed in on...

HOME BUILDING: U.S. builders broke ground on fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. Construction fell 16.5 percent in April, but most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month. PERMITS UP: Applications for new construction, a good barometer of future activity, surged 14.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.02 million, the most since June 2008. OUTLOOK:...

New home construction has rebounded to levels not seen since the depths of the financial crisis, according to new government data , as what had once been a major drag on the economy now appears to be a bright spot. The Census Bureau reported Thursday that new home construction rose 28 percent in 2012. That was capped by a roaring December in which the building of homes reached an annualized pace of 954,000. And more new houses are on the way: Builders received permits for more than 800,000 units last year, up 30 percent from...

New-home construction in April fell to the lowest level in five months, but applications for building permits soared to a five-year high, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday. The data show that the housing recovery could continue to be marked by a low inventory of homes over the near term, analysts said. Home sales and prices have rebounded significantly over the past year, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows — though rates have shown a slight uptick over the past two weeks.

Builders broke ground on fewer homes in February than a month earlier, and the trend is not likely to improve anytime soon, according to federal data released Wednesday. Construction of single-family and multi-family homes fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 479,000 in February, the lowest level since April 2009, the Commerce Department reported. That's down 22.5 percent from January, the largest monthly plunge since 1984. Meanwhile, fewer builders pulled permits in February, suggesting that construction is unlikely...

It has been a controversial question in the home real estate market for years: Is there extra green when you buy green? Do houses with lots of energy-saving and sustainability features sell for more than houses without them? If so, by how much? Some studies have shown that consumers' willingness to pay more for Energy Star and other green-rated homes tends to diminish during tough economic times. Others have found that green-certified houses sell for at least a modest premium over similar but...

New-home construction in April fell to the lowest level in five months, but applications for building permits soared to a five-year high, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday. The data show that the housing recovery could continue to be marked by a low inventory of homes over the near term, analysts said. Home sales and prices have rebounded significantly over the past year, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows — though rates have shown a slight uptick over the past two...

Employment in the construction industry bottomed in 2011. Here's a look at the 10 states with the biggest percentage gains and declines in construction jobs since then. The numbers reflect seasonally adjusted jobs in residential and non-residential construction combined for March compared with the same month in 2011. (Figures for home construction jobs alone weren't available.) — States with sharpest increases in construction jobs: 1. North Dakota (32.8 percent)...

HOME BUILDING: U.S. builders broke ground on fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. Construction fell 16.5 percent in April, but most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month. PERMITS UP: Applications for new construction, a good barometer of future activity, surged 14.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.02 million, the most since June 2008. ...

New-home construction tumbled to a record low last month, according to government data released yesterday, further proof that the housing sector's woes keep deepening. Declining demand and a glut of homes for sale have pushed builders to cut production. Builders have also struggled to secure financing amid rising foreclosure rates and a tight credit market, analysts said. Housing starts fell to a seasonally adjusted 791,000 in October, down 4.5 percent from September, according to the Commerce...

U.S. builders and the subcontractors they depend on are struggling to hire fast enough to meet rising demand for new homes. Builders would be starting work on more homes — and contributing more to the economy — if they could fill more job openings. In the meantime, workers in the right locations with the right skills are commanding higher pay. Consider Richard Vap, who owns a drywall installation company. The resurgent housing market has sent builders calling again. Vap...

Employment in the construction industry bottomed in 2011. Here's a look at the 10 states with the biggest percentage gains and declines in construction jobs since then. The numbers reflect seasonally adjusted jobs in residential and non-residential construction combined for March compared with the same month in 2011. (Figures for home construction jobs alone weren't available.) — States with sharpest increases in construction jobs: 1. North Dakota (32.8 percent)...

Author Sheri Koones is on a mission to educate American homeowners about home building. Her first three books focused on the basics on home construction, borne of her own experience as a frustrated homeowner trying to remodel her Greenwich, Conn., house. At that time, she said in a recent interview, there was almost no information to help her make intelligent choices as she faced an endless number of decisions about this or that flooring material, plumbing fixture, roof shingle and on and on. Koones's last four books...

While the nation's for-sale housing market continues to improve, don't lose sight of just how much runway is left in the recovery before the existing home market is restored to equilibrium, and how that dynamic is serving to catalyze new home construction. At the rate homes are sold, there were only about two months' worth of inventory on the market in January, about half the five-year average, according to the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, which has paved...

New home construction has rebounded to levels not seen since the depths of the financial crisis, according to new government data , as what had once been a major drag on the economy now appears to be a bright spot. The Census Bureau reported Thursday that new home construction rose 28 percent in 2012. That was capped by a roaring December in which the building of homes reached an annualized pace of 954,000. And more new houses are on the way: Builders received permits for more than 800,000 units last year, up...

A housing comeback is now underway; that much is clear. Adding to a steady drumbeat of positive data for the sector, new data on Tuesday showed a surprising 3.6 percent gain in housing starts in October, which came on the back of a 15.1 percent rise in September. The question now is how strong it will be and where it will take place. And to answer those questions, it helps to look into the fundamentals of the major U.S. housing markets. These numbers suggest the future for housing is looking bright in the...

While the nation's for-sale housing market continues to improve, don't lose sight of just how much runway is left in the recovery before the existing home market is restored to equilibrium, and how that dynamic is serving to catalyze new home construction. At the rate homes are sold, there were only about two months' worth of inventory on the market in January, about half the five-year average, according to the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, which has paved the way for a...

Housing starts and permits for new home construction fell sharply again in September, with requests for new building permits falling to levels not seen since the recession of the early 1980s. The slump in the housing and real estate industries is a central component of the global financial crisis, with falling home values and rising default rates leaving banks worldwide saddled with bad or questionable loans. It has also helped contribute to a broader decline in economic activity.

Home prices are on the rise again , a key index released Tuesday morning confirmed, with housing values up 0.44 percent in 20 major cities in July, as measured by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index . But that report, which also showed a 1.2 percent gain over the past year, masks a housing market that is flashing wildly different signs in different places in the United States, from down 9.9 percent in Atlanta to up 16.6 percent in...