by Nick Timiraos Housing construction was depressed to such a low level for so long that it wasn’t going to take much to boost the ailing sector. What it needed was for demand to recover. Now, with consumer confidence rising and mortgage rates falling to their lowest levels on record, buyers are coming back. It began [...]
by Teresa Burney Fresh out of Penn State, the ink hardly dry on his civil engineering degree, Michael Burkentine started preaching the gospel of the Apple iPad to his home builder father. The device could make the company’s operations more efficient and giving one to every home buyer would energize sales, Michael, 23, told his father, [...]
By Clea Benson on September 19, 2012 Jerry Howard, chief executive officer of the National Association of Homebuilders, says he wants to know when President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are going to outline plans for reviving the U.S. residential property market. He’s not the only one. So far, discussions about housing by Obama [...]
The two presidential candidates agree that the middle class needs to be rebuilt, but no one seems to be focusing on the dramatic fall in home ownership. by James Sterngold FORTUNE -- One of the few things Mitt Romney and Barack Obama seem to agree on in this acid election season is that they want to [...]
Home builders are finding iPads to be business game changers. By Teresa Burney Like kudzu, computer tablets are quickly spreading over the home building landscape, eliminating fax machines, hard-wired telephone lines, office space, file cabinets, and the ubiquitous milk crates on the front seat of superintendents' pickup trucks. Unlike kudzu, they are beneficial, cutting costs and [...]
Form And Function Meet In The Busiest Room In The House PulteGroup Design Expert Says Kitchen is the Driving Force in Defining Decor of Overall Home BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As families congregate to cook, do homework and watch TV, the kitchen has become the busiest room in the house. Yet the [...]
by Ainsworth Engineered When you’re sheathing a structure, it’s important to create crisp cut lines in the OSB walls for your rough openings. A clean, square rough opening guarantees a good solid surface for attaching window and door flanges, as well as trim. But it’s difficult and very time-consuming to accurately pre-cut the rough openings in [...]
Home builders are finding iPads to be business game changers. By Teresa Burney Like kudzu, computer tablets are quickly spreading over the home building landscape, eliminating fax machines, hard-wired telephone lines, office space, file cabinets, and the ubiquitous milk crates on the front seat of superintendents' pickup trucks. Unlike kudzu, they are beneficial, cutting costs and [...]
Each year, the editors explore the building products market in search of the most innovative new materials, finishes, and systems geared toward the residential construction market. Products are selected across 16 product categories, including Doors, Decking/Outdoor Living, Home Technology, HVAC, Kitchen & Bath, Siding, Structural, and Windows. In evaluating the hundreds of new products that debut [...]
The troubles that plagued the clunky products of the past are now history, manufacturers say. By Nigel F. Maynard After languishing in relative obscurity for years, the electronic faucet is poised to enter the spotlight—or so manufacturers believe. As a result, major players in the plumbing industry are making a play for the category with sleek [...]
