Single-family housing starts declined further in September as high mortgage rates, ongoing building material production disruptions and flagging demand stemming from rising affordability challenges continue to put a damper on new home production. Overall housing starts decreased 8.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.44 million units in September, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing… Read More ›

By Michael Stone Learn how to marry density with livability to deliver new homes at attainable prices. Michael Stone Senior Designer at Bassenian Lagoni Architects REGISTER NOW

In a further signal that rising interest rates, building material bottlenecks and elevated home prices continue to weaken the housing market, builder sentiment fell for the 10th straight month in October and traffic of prospective buyers fell to its lowest level since 2012, with the exception of two months during the Spring of 2020. Builder confidence in the market for… Read More ›

Over the first eight months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 728,866. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 6.0% below the August 2021 level of 775,772. Year-to-date ending in August, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The South posted a modest decline of 3.9%, while the Midwest region reported the steepest… Read More ›

In the summer of 2020, the Traditional Neighborhood Development of Provenance debuted the design of five cottages to be built along Woodberry Avenue across from the three-acre Greenleaf Park and surrounding the new community garden. All were under contract in just over 30 days. These quaint Southern cottages range from 1,083 to 1,410 sf and exude charm. Located just steps away from multiple parks and pools, a clubhouse, gym, and brand new community garden, these cottages encourage the residents to…

To address a severe shortage of affordable homes, Sego Homes purchased a transit-oriented site two blocks from a light-rail station in Daybreak and designed an efficient townhome that is 12 feet wide. This yielded 57 homes on 1.88 acres yielding 30 du/ac. The four-story Manhattan Sky plan has 1,440 finished sf, 3 bedrooms, den/flex room, roof deck, sky room, and 2 1⁄2 bathrooms. An in-board switch-back staircase allows living areas to experience the full 12-foot width. Care was taken to…

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 ›

The Maren is a 380-unit, 12-story apartment development in DC’s Capitol Riverfront district. Amenities include a contemporary rooftop clubhouse and sundeck, private event space, glass-enclosed fitness center, and an activated plaza with direct connection to the city’s best restaurants, fitness concepts, green spaces, and entertainment destinations, including Nationals Park and Audi Field. Inspired by the project’s direct waterfront access and contribution to the riverfront as a destination with eclectic public realm, the design concept infuses refined, urban-organic elements with textures…

Consumer prices eased in September for the third-straight month as declines in energy prices partly offset increases in food and shelter indexes. Despite this slight improvement, inflation remains above an 8% year-over-year rate for the seven straight month. The food and shelter indexes continued to rise at an accelerated pace, with the owners’ equivalent rent index seeing the largest monthly… Read More ›

The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the third quarter of 2022 posted a reading of 77, declining 10 points from the third quarter of 2021. The RMI is based on a survey that asks remodelers to rate various aspects of the residential remodeling market “good,” “fair” or “poor.” Responses from each question are converted to an index that… Read More ›