Stucco Remains Most Used Principal Exterior Wall Material 

Stucco was the most common principal siding material for new single-family homes started in 2023 at 26.8%, according to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). Stucco was followed by vinyl siding at 25.6%, fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard) at 21.7% then by brick or brick veneer at 18.5%. Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last year had wood…

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Single-Family Starts Weaken in June

Elevated interest rates for home mortgages and construction and development loans kept single-family production and demand in check during June. Overall housing starts increased 3.0% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.35 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau….

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June Marks Highest Yearly Increase in Building Material Prices Since February 2023

Inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, rose 0.19% in the month of June according to the most recent producer price index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, represents building materials used in residential construction. In May,…

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