Tag Archive for ‘concrete’

Porches on New Homes as Popular as Ever

Porches have been a popular home feature, consistently ranking in the top 10 in the NAHB surveys of recent and prospective home buyers published in What Home Buyers Really Want.  And porches remain as popular as ever specifically on new homes, according to NAHB tabulation of the latest Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial… Read More ›

Building Materials Price Inflation Cools in September

According to the latest Producer Price Index report, the price level of inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e., building materials) was unchanged in September (not seasonally adjusted) after climbing 0.4% in August.  Prices have increased 0.8%, year-to-date, the smallest YTD gain through September since 2019. The Producer Price Index for all final demand goods rose 0.9% in September after increasing… Read More ›

Patios Are Increasingly Popular on New Homes

The share of homes with patios edged up to another record high last year.  Of the roughly one million single-family homes started in 2022, 63.3% percent came with patios—up from 63.0% in 2021, and the seventh consecutive year of setting a new record.  The source for these numbers is NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by… Read More ›

OMB Proposes Standards on Building Materials Made in America

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed new standards to determine if construction materials for federally funded infrastructure projects are made in the USA.  The new guidance, required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)—“sets standards to carry out the statutory requirement that all manufacturing processes for construction material occur in… Read More ›

Concrete Prices, Volatility Continue Torrid Pace as Lumber Normalizes

The prices of building materials decreased 0.3% in November (not seasonally adjusted) following 0.5% and 0.1% declines in September and October, respectively, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. The index has decreased five of six months for the first time since 2015. The PPI for goods inputs to residential construction, including energy, fell 0.8% in November. The index… Read More ›

Share of New Homes with Porches Dips Below 64 Percent

Of the roughly 1.1 million single-family homes started in 2021, 63.4 percent came with porches, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development). This marks the first time the share of single-family homes with porches has dipped below 64 percent since 2015. … Read More ›

Building Materials Prices Decline in September

The prices of building materials decreased 0.3% in September (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. The PPI for goods inputs to residential construction, including energy, declined for the third consecutive month in September (-0.1%). Prices have fallen 2.3% since June, the largest three-month drop since April 2020. The price index of services inputs to residential… Read More ›

Building Materials Prices Increase in July as Concrete Surges

The prices of building materials rose 0.4% in July (not seasonally adjusted) even as softwood lumber prices increased 2.3%, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. Prices have surged 35.7% since January 2020, although 80% of the increase has occurred since January 2021. The PPI for goods inputs to residential construction, including energy, decreased 1.2% as the prices of… Read More ›

Lumber Price Decline, Volatility of All Building Materials Highlight June PPI

The prices of goods used in residential construction climbed 1.5% in June (not seasonally adjusted) even as softwood lumber prices fell 23%, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. Prices have surged 41.7% since January 2020. Building materials (i.e., goods inputs to residential construction, less energy) prices have increased 4.8%, year-to-date, and are 12.2% higher than they were… Read More ›