Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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One-Person Construction Trade Firms
From the trough of the housing downturn in 2010 through 2015, the number of homes under construction increased by 131 percent and the number of employees working in construction trade businesses increased by 18 percent. Over that span, how much would you guess the number of one-person construction trade firms increased? The answer, believe it or not, is not at all. … Read More ›
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Construction Trades: A Step on the Path Toward Higher Paying Jobs
A recent NAHB study identifies eight senior positions at home building companies that are often to nearly always filled by someone with experience in one or more of the construction trades. Average annual compensation (salary and bonus combined) for each of the eight positions is at least $80,000—at least $100,000, if the position is Head/Director or above of one of… Read More ›
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Impact of the Canadian Lumber Duties on the U.S. Economy in 2018
On November 2, 2017, the Commerce Department announced its final decision to impose duties averaging 20.83 percent on Canadian softwood lumber shipments into the U.S. The impacts of these duties on the U.S. economy next year will include increased production by U.S. sawmills, reduced imports from Canada, and higher prices paid for lumber by consumers in the U.S., which in… Read More ›
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Share of New Homes with Decks Edges Up
Of the roughly 780,000 single-family homes started in 2016, 23.7 percent came with decks, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD). This is up slightly from 23.3 percent of single-family homes started in 2015. From a slightly longer historic perspective, the share of new homes… Read More ›
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Recent Homes Have Just Over 3 Toilets, 2.5 Showers
Single-family homes built after the 1990s have an average of 3.1 toilets, 2.6 showers and 2.3 bathtubs, according to a recent NAHB study. Standard tables from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from HUD) show that the share of single-family homes built with at least 2 bathrooms has increased regularly from 60 percent of… Read More ›
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Home Features that Use Water
Almost exactly half of residential water use consists of water used outside the home (e.g., for watering lawns), according to a recent NAHB study. Indoors, the biggest users of water are toilets, followed by showers, faucets, clothes washers and leaks. These results of the NAHB are based on data that became available in 2016 in the form of Residential End Uses of… Read More ›
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How Much Water Homes Use
The residential sector accounts for less than 8 percent of water used in the U.S., according to a recent study published by NAHB. The recent NAHB study draws on information published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS compiles data on water use every five years. The latest numbers (from 2010) were published in 2014. The USGS labels water used by residences as “domestic.” NAHB follows terminology… Read More ›
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Share of New Homes with Porches Back Over 65 Percent
Of the roughly 780,000 single-family homes started in 2016, 65.1 percent included porches, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC). The SOC is conducted on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Among other things, the SOC shows that, over the period when single-family starts were… Read More ›
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Large Builder Share Edges Upward in Major Markets
NAHB’s analysis of information published in Builder Magazine shows that, although major markets became slightly less concentrated overall, large builders tended to gain market share. Every year, Builder Magazine lists the top local home builders, measured by total closings, in the country’s 50 largest markets. For each of them, NAHB calculates four summary measures. The first is a basic four-firm concentration ratio… Read More ›
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Sources of Home Buyers and New Renters
According to NAHB’s latest special study, households who recently changed addresses fall into a natural order: 1) Buyers of Newer Homes, 2) Buyers of Older Homes, 3) Renters of Newer Homes, and 4) Renters of Older Homes, As you move up the scale from 4 to 1, the following interrelated tendencies become evident: The movers have, on average, higher incomes. More of… Read More ›