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Construction

Adventures in Housing

Storybook-style houses evoke "nostalgia, whimsy" says Dallas designer

by Sarah Leeson
Oct 21, 2024
"It would be definitely a bucket list of mine to get to visit all of them in my lifetime," said Annilee Waterman, a residential designer in Dallas.
Marie Antoinette's cottage on the grounds of Versailles is considered the first storybook-style home.
Chesnot/Getty Images
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Why is there more work for specialty contractors like electricians?

by Stephanie Hughes
Oct 4, 2024
It has to do with building new data centers and retrofitting old office buildings.
The specialty contractors sector includes electricians, plumbers and painters. Most of the new jobs in the sector are in nonresidential work.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
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He bought a property in China. Nine years later, he got the key.

by Jennifer Pak
Sep 24, 2024
Chen Peng wanted a home to attract a wife. Condo projects fraught with financial and legal battles made him wait nearly a decade.
Chen Peng recently moved into a new condo in Zhengzhou city that lacked any amenities or finishing touches. Its bare-bones condition allowed him to afford the down payment, which he made almost a decade ago.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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Homebuilders still glum with rates still high

by Daniel Ackerman
Jul 16, 2024
In the midst of a lagging housing market, builders hope for easier terms on mortgages and construction loans.
The sluggish housing market has some builders on the sidelines.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
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Why steel prices have been sagging all year

by Henry Epp
Jul 9, 2024
Slowing demand in construction and manufacturing in the U.S. and around the globe have pulled steel prices lower for months.
Two reasons steel prices have dropped? Slowed construction spending and flat-ish manufacturing activity.
David Becker/Getty Images
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Construction spending fell in May, weighed down by interest rates

by Caleigh Wells
Jul 2, 2024
Even massive government spending hasn't been enough to counteract the downturn.
Government-funded construction of infrastructure is doing fine, unlike the residential sector.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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Lumber is cheap, but building or renovating a home isn’t

by Mitchell Hartman
Jul 1, 2024
The price of lumber has plummeted since early in the pandemic, but other building materials are up 30% from 2019.
Lumber prices have fallen, but other home construction materials have not followed suit.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
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Baltimore Bridge Collapse

For local firms, Baltimore bridge reconstruction is personal

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Jun 17, 2024
Baltimore businesses are lining up for a chance to bid on the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a project which hits close to home.
Janet Groncki, president and CEO of Sunrise Safety Services, stands in front of a memorial to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Nancy Marshall Genzer
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3 years after bombing, Nashville wants tourists to give its downtown another chance

by Cynthia Abrams
Jun 7, 2024
Fewer pedestrians are wandering onto popular 2nd Avenue, hurting businesses. That’s prompted an initiative to help boost foot traffic.
A sign points pedestrians to Second Avenue, where businesses are rebuilding after a 2020 bombing.
Cynthia Abrams/WPLN
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The parts of the economy that make stuff are in a bit of a slump

by Mitchell Hartman
Jun 5, 2024
The government reports construction spending fell for a second month in April. And factory orders were up less than 1% after being revised down for March.
Over the past few months, manufacturing employment has been stable.
Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images
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