Journal of Light Construction: All Business Articles

Investors Start Snapping Up New Houses for Rentals, Not Just Foreclosures

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:25:13 EST

Big private equity firms that started out buying up foreclosures as investment properties are now moving into the new home market.

California Builders Say Help is Getting Harder to Find

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:03:10 EST

Economic health is returning to the California homebuilding industry. What’s not returning? The skilled workers.

Social Skills

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:24:05 EST

The hottest marketing tools out there are in social media. Think of it as word-of-mouth on steroids.

Offcuts

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:22:40 EST

A new home in Dillingham, Alaska, has set a world record for the tightest residential structure ever built.

North Carolina Grapples With Local Design Restrictions

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:22:22 EST

The North Carolina House of Representatives has approved a bill that would prohibit local governments from using zoning ordinances to regulate building-design elements for single-family homes or duplexes

Using XactRemodel to Increase Profitability

Mon, 13 May 2013 01:26:12 EST

The best part of this estimating software is its extensive database of item costs, says the author

Florida: Are Small Builders Being Squeezed Out?

Thu, 2 May 2013 09:34:28 EST

Small independent builders say they can’t get equal access to land or financing in Florida’s hot housing market.

California Foreclosures Plunge In First Quarter

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:34:43 EST

A new “homeowner bill of rights” law in California appears to have cut the state’s foreclosure rate significantly.

BP Oil Spill Effects Linger in the Gulf

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:55:06 EST

The oil stopped flowing two years ago. Much of the money hasn’t started flowing yet. And the Gulf Coast, some reports say, is still hurting from the effects of BP’s disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform blowout.

Dispute Drags On Over Hard-To-Heat Energy-Star Houses

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 01:20:38 EST

Homeowners at “Somerset Run” in Franklin Township, New Jersey, have been complaining since 2003 that their Energy Star rated houses are drafty and expensive to heat. And they’re still not happy.

Court Overturns Move Abolishing Energy Code

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:03:15 EST

A New Mexico court has ruled that the state board setting construction rules can’t overturn a building code without providing a reason.

Getting Into Insurance Work

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:36:24 EST

Is insurance restoration a good fit for your remodeling business?

$700 Million in Katrina Elevation Grants Unaccounted For

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 02:37:29 EST

An Inspector General report says more than half a billion dollars in Hurricane Katrina relief money may have been misspent. Most Katrina victims who were awarded $30,000 apiece to elevate their houses never documented that the work was done.

Sandy Aid Money Not Yet Flowing

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 01:51:00 EST

Congress authorized funding for Hurricane Sandy emergency relief in January. But the actual money hasn’t started flowing yet.

Fixing Chinese Drywall: A Tampa Builder Hits Top Gear

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 02:29:53 EST

Carelessness helped create Florida’s Chinese drywall disaster. Cleaning it up is a job for a very careful builder.

Builders Hampered By Labor Scarcity As Demand For Homes Surges

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 09:52:16 EST

Sales and prices are up, and inventories are low. Builders need to boost production, but the supply of skilled trades is tight.

Colorado Monoxide Case Moves Toward Trial

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 10:13:39 EST

A Colorado general contractor’s day in court is approaching in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by relatives of a family poisoned by carbon monoxide at a ski chalet.

Connecticut Department Of Labor Stops Work On Job Sites, Citing Worker Misclassification

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:58:08 EST

Connecticut authorities have ordered 27 jobs to a halt in the state because employers were paying employees as subcontractors and failing to obtain workers comp coverage.

Materials Prices Jump As Housing Takes Off

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:17:42 EST

As homebuilding starts to surge, materials prices are surging too.

Watching the Money: Post-Sandy, Authorities Eye Fraud and Mismanagement

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:24:57 EST

From small-time scams to major misappropriation of relief money, government is on the lookout for crooked use of rebuilding funds.