Houzz Focusing on Pro Sector with New Software Platform
The design and construction planning site has launched Contracts within its Houzz Pro section, geared towards contractors. The Houzz Pro Contracts tool allows professionals to create, send and finalize contracts for clients and subcontractors directly from the site, rather than using third-party applications. “Contracts are the foundation of every project, yet managing them has […]
New Toronto Mass Timber Building Tallest in the City
At ten stories tall, the newly opened Limberlost Place structure sets a new precedent in Canada’s largest city. Up until 2022, mass timber buildings in Toronto could only rise six stories but Limberlost Place’s height represents a new standard for the city and the entire mass timber field. Located at the city’s George Brown College […]
Big Two DIY Retailers Still Need Some Improvement
The latest financial results from the two big national retailers – Home Depot and Lowe’s – show the business is still soft and may get worse before it gets better. When the two home improvement giants issued their numbers for their most recent quarters, they were nothing to write home about. But more importantly, they […]
NAHB Reports Remodeling Gaining on New Construction
The new home building market remains stagnant but a new study reports home renovation is driving a larger share of the building market. The number of remodeling companies has nearly doubled over the past 25 years, the National Association of Home Builders discovered when analyzing census bureau data, growing from fewer than 69,000 companies to […]
Home Values Plummet in October, the Most Since 2012
A new survey of housing values shows more than half dropped in October, the most since 2012. Zillow’s latest “Zestimates” rankings showed that 53 percent of homes they surveyed registered declines, the most since 2012 and up from just 16 percent a year ago. The most widespread value drops were in the West and the […]
Gibraltar Buys OmniMax in Big Roofing Supplier Deal
Another merger has hit the building trade with this $1.335 billion acquisition creating a new powerhouse in the residential roofing sector. Gibraltar paid just over $1.3 billion for OmniMax International, which had been owned by Strategic Value Partners and its affiliates. OmniMax operates 16 manufacturing facilities around the country and is projected to have adjusted […]
Harvard Gets Its First Mass Timber Building
Add one of the nation’s most prestigious universities to the list of mass timber proponents with the completion of the David Rubenstein Treehouse. The 55,000-square-foot facility, part of Harvard’s new Enterprise Research Center in Allston, MA, was designed by Studio Gang. The firm said it looked to the “architecture of trees” for the new structure, […]
The Housing Market Remains in Record Slump
With home turnover at its lowest rate in 30 years and first-time buyers at historic lows, builders continue to deal with a dismal market. No matter what numbers you check, the U.S. home building market is at levels builders haven’t seen in decades – or ever. New statistics released over the past few weeks continue […]
Tech Gains as Factor in Bathroom Design: New Report
As with every room in the house, new technologies are driving bathroom design, but wood is also gaining in popularity. A new study on bath design trends points to a number of key technological areas that will influence builders going forward. It also identified several materials and color preferences that homeowners say they want in […]
What Happens Next in Renovo Bankruptcy Shocker?
The parent company of the home improvement player filed for Chapter 7 in November in what seems to be a sudden collapse of its business. HomeRenew Buyer Inc., which operated under the Renovo brand name, had been rolling up a number of regional remodeling and renovation companies, apparently funded largely by private equity firms. According […]