Construction Backlog at Highest Level in Nearly Two Years
New findings from the Associated Builders and Contractors show a significant increase for both large and small contractors. The housing slowdown and looming impacts to cost increases due to pending tariffs remain but right now the backlog remains strong, the association said in a survey taken in the period of late April to early May. It […]
He Was the Most Famous Builder Ever in American Residential Construction
A new book on the man behind Levittown shows how William Levitt changed the way the country builds new homes. Over a career spanning decades and stretching from the former potato fields on Long Island to as far away as France, William Levitt claims to have built 140,000 new homes, becoming the Henry Ford of […]
Mass Timber Support Bill Pushed in U.S. Senate
The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act, which has bipartisan support, promotes the use of mass timber in U.S. construction. The renewed effort to pass the legislation originally introduced last year is led by Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Idaho Republican Senator James Risch and supports efforts to promote the use of mass timber in […]
A New 3D-Printed Railway Shelter Shows the Potential for the Technology
Most uses of 3D printing are still for smaller objects and products but the technique is increasingly being used in new construction. In a remarkable example of the potential for 3D printing technology and how it might ultimately compete with more traditional building methods, workers in Hatsushima, Japan built a rail transit shelter in less […]
February Was an Unexpected – and Pleasant – Surprise for Housing Starts
Even as the new construction market for housing continues to struggle the results from February were better than expected. The new numbers are in from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development and they are encouraging compared to the previous month. Privately owned housing starts were 1,501,000, an 11.2 percent […]
Lumber Prices Finish 2024 in More Traditional Pattern
Madison’s Lumber Reporter’s year-end review shows a return to less volatile prices, encouraging news for 2025. The noted source for lumber prices says there is a “sureness” for the new year that should be good news for the construction industry which saw widespread volatility over the past several years. In 2024, lumber prices stayed within […]
Home Depot’s Latest Acquisition Targets Kitchen Sector
The big home improvement chain continues to build out its business in the home design category. With the new home construction sector continuing to stay challenged, Home Depot has made an additional move to strengthen its business in finished products and home services. In late December the Home Depot subsidiary, Construction Resources Company, announced it […]
A Medieval Carpentry Technique Helped Rebuild Notre-Dame
The reconstruction of the legendary cathedral in Paris used “scribing,” a technique employed in its original construction. When French officials made the decision five years ago to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral as close as possible to its original design following a massive and devastating fire in April of 2019, it meant using a carpentry technique that […]
Registration Opens for 2025 Mass Timber Conference
As the mass timber movement continues to gain momentum next year’s conference is already well into preparation. It’s the largest gathering in the world for the entire mass timber sector, focusing on the supply chain for the construction method gaining increased popularity in the U.S. and around the world. Now in its ninth year, the […]
Building Trade Steps Up in Wake of Hurricane Helene
The latest natural disaster caused billions of dollars of damage in a path from the Florida Big Bend into the Western Carolinas. The toll will be staggering when it’s all added up following the destructive bent Hurricane Helene took and while it will eventually result in a boom in the rebuilding trade in the affected […]