Why Old U.S. Homes Are a Big Opportunity for the Building Trade
A new report says the typical home in the country is 44 years old and needs “tons of work.” As new home construction continues to stagnate and offer fewer opportunities for builders, contractors and others in the trade, the stock of aging homes in America could be a big source of projects as we advance. […]
VIDEO – JUST 4 MONTHS LEFT? – With IWF fast approaching, this is your quick guide to getting the most out of the show
Get discounted early registration and the best pick of IWF hotels and rates – click here to register to attend IWF Atlanta! Check out Ethan’s furniture company at ethanabramson.com and connect with him on Instagram @thebuildwithethan.
Builders Group Asks for Tariff Relief
The National Association of Home Builders is lobbying the Trump administration for tariff exemptions on building materials. With the uncertainties surrounding the tariff situation in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling negating many duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the NAHB wants more permanent exemptions for building materials. Bill Owens, NAHB […]
Lowe’s Expands $250 Million Investment in Tradespeople Training
The goal for the program is to train 250,000 people to work in the building trade by the year 2035. Working through its foundation, the new Lowe’s initiative is building on earlier efforts by the giant retailer to train 50,000 people. The initial investment was for $50 million in 2023 and so far, it has […]
When Is a Podium More Than Just a Podium? When Jony Ive Designs It
The former Apple creative director’s new rostrum for Christie’s uses oak from the same forests that supplied the rebuilt Notre Dame. When the global auction house company Christie’s decided it needed new rostrums for all its galleries around the world, it knew it had to be something special. Enter Jony Ive, who now heads up […]
What More Rental Homes Mean for Builders
With the housing market continuing to shrink, more people are renting. Here’s what it means for builders, contractors and product makers. With the typical age of first-time homebuyers at an all-time high of 40 last year and the share of first-time buyers contracting by 50 percent since 2007, it continues to mean more Americans are […]
Outlook for High Point Furniture Market Cautious
With the ongoing slide of furniture and home furnishings sales, the industry will gather later this month with bigger concerns. When the furniture industry meets later this month, starting on April 25th, for its twice-yearly market week in High Point, NC, it will seem to be another case of déjà vu. For at least the […]
AI: We’ll Use It…But We Don’t Trust It
Americans say they are increasingly using artificial intelligence in their everyday lives. But they also say they don’t necessarily like it. A new poll by Quinnipiac University reports that “an increasing number of Americans see more harm than good when it comes to AI’s impact on their daily lives and education and they are divided […]
Floor & Decor Continues to Expand, On Its Way to 500 Locations
The building supply retail chain has opened its first store in the Pittsburgh market, one of 20 new locations planned for this year. The rapidly growing specialty retailer of hard surface flooring and related accessories for homeowners and professionals has opened in the southern Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park. At the start of the year, […]
Denmark’s Tallest Mass Timber Tower Tests Eco-Friendly Building
At 20 stories, the new development also uses a number of other low-carbon high-rise construction techniques. Metropolis magazine, the online and print design and architecture magazine, in reporting on the new mass timber structure, also asks what it calls “one of architecture’s hardest questions: can the high-rise, arguably the most carbon-intensive urban typology, be rethought […]