Contractors! Why You Should Care About National Code Compliance Month

Contractors! Why You Should Care About National Code Compliance Month

 By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer National Code Compliance Month was established by the American Association of Code Enforcement many years ago to recognize work that Code Enforcement Officers provide to make sure buildings are safe for use.  They perform inspections using building codes and zoning ordinances on residential to industrial to environmental and other types…

AGC & Procore Technologies Launch New Scholarship To Assist African American & Minority Students in At-Risk Areas Studying Construction at HBCUs

AGC & Procore Technologies Launch New Scholarship To Assist African American & Minority Students in At-Risk Areas Studying Construction at HBCUs

By Subcontracts USA News Provider The Associated General Contractors of America and Procore Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of construction management software, are launching a new scholarship program to assist African American and minority students in at-risk situations who are studying construction fields at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The new scholarship is being…

AGC Reaches Out to Federal Agencies on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

AGC Reaches Out to Federal Agencies on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Recently, The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reached out to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council and other federal agencies to highlight the uniqueness of the construction industry, the many safety measures contractors have implemented throughout the pandemic, and to advocate for clear guidance…

Builder Confidence at 13-Month Low on Higher Material Costs, Home Prices

Builder Confidence at 13-Month Low on Higher Material Costs, Home Prices

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Higher construction costs and supply shortages along with rising home prices pushed builder confidence to its lowest reading since July 2020, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released recently. Builder sentiment in the market for newly built single-family homes fell five points to 75 in August. “Buyer…

July Construction Employment Lags Pre-Pandemic Peak in 36 States as Delta Variant of Coronavirus Threatens To Hold Down Further Gains

July Construction Employment Lags Pre-Pandemic Peak in 36 States as Delta Variant of Coronavirus Threatens To Hold Down Further Gains

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Construction employment in July remained below the levels reached before the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020 in 36 states, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said construction employment would benefit from new federal infrastructure investments and urged…

NAHB Accepting Entries for 2021 Global Innovation Awards Through Oct. 18

NAHB Accepting Entries for 2021 Global Innovation Awards Through Oct. 18

By Subcontractors USA News Provider The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is now accepting entries for its 2021 Global Innovation Awards (GIA) through Oct. 18, 2021. The NAHB GIA program annually recognizes the most cutting-edge products, homes and communities, and individuals who champion home building from around the world. Applicants are invited to submit…

5 Things To Consider When Permitting a Building With a Change of Use

5 Things To Consider When Permitting a Building With a Change of Use

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer There are too many times to count where our PermitUsNow team members have answered the company’s 1.844.PERMIT.4 line, and the voice on the other side says, “I am having problems getting a permit.”  We ask the caller basic questions like the scope of work, location, type of use, and their…

Construction Employment Trails Pre-Pandemic Level in 39 States as Supply Chain Challenges, Rising Materials Prices Undermine Demand

Construction Employment Trails Pre-Pandemic Level in 39 States as Supply Chain Challenges, Rising Materials Prices Undermine Demand

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Construction employment in June remained below the levels reached before the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020 in 39 states, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials noted that many construction firms are struggling to cope with supply chain…

Construction Employment Declines by 7,000 in June as Nonresidential Firms Struggle To Find Workers and Materials To Complete Projects

Construction Employment Declines by 7,000 in June as Nonresidential Firms Struggle To Find Workers and Materials To Complete Projects

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Construction employment declined by 7,000 between May and June as the industry still employs 238,000 fewer people than before the pandemic, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said that job losses in the nonresidential construction sector offset modest…

Producer Prices for Construction Materials and Services Soar 26 Percent Over 12 Months as Contractors Cope With Supply Hitches, Weak Demand

Producer Prices for Construction Materials and Services Soar 26 Percent Over 12 Months as Contractors Cope With Supply Hitches, Weak Demand

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Unprecedented price increases for a wide range of goods and services used in construction pushed up contractors’ costs by a devastating 26.3 percent from June 2020 to June 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released recently. Association officials cautioned that rising…

5 Permitting Tips to Employ When Slapped with Pages of Rejection Comments

5 Permitting Tips to Employ When Slapped with Pages of Rejection Comments

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer Picture this: you sip your favorite cup of coffee, log into a jurisdiction permitting e-portal to check the status of your plan reviews, then you take a double-look at the screen and shake your head wondering why you have received multiple pages of rejection comments from plan reviewers.  What the…

Construction Employment Declines In 40 States Between April And May As Soaring Material Costs, Supply-chain Disruptions Impede Recovery

Construction Employment Declines In 40 States Between April And May As Soaring Material Costs, Supply-chain Disruptions Impede Recovery

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Construction employment in May remained below the April level in 40 states and the District of Columbia, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said skyrocketing materials prices and excessive delays in receiving key construction supplies were holding…

What Do High Lumber Prices Have To Do With Pulling Building Permits?

What Do High Lumber Prices Have To Do With Pulling Building Permits?

Helen Callier, Contributing Writer  Time is money, so let me get right to the point on the connection between high lumber prices and building permits.    It is no secret that since early 2020, lumber prices have increased to its highest point in history.  High lumber prices combined with some jurisdictions taking much longer than usual…

Greater Houston Builders Association News: Will the Housing Boom Go Bust?

Greater Houston Builders Association News: Will the Housing Boom Go Bust?

By Lawrence Dean, Regional Director, Zonda Intelligence Back in 2005 and 2006, I was a land acquisition manager for the Houston division of one of the finest privately held home builders that is unfortunately no longer with us. That was before my career pivot to, as my eight-year-old son says, “counting all of the houses…