HBWeekly

Florida Swimming Pool Construction Report – Q1-2020

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Erika Carruth

A review of new pool construction permits in Florida and on record with HBW during the first quarter of 2020

There is no doubt that swimming pools are a very popular (and often expected) feature of homes in Florida. Year after year, and over the past five years, new swimming pool construction has been on the rise in the Sunshine State, with annual spikes ranging from 4 percent to 7 percent. Since the start of this year (thru March 2020), the market for new swimming pool construction is strong, with nearly a 25 percent year-over-year increase in pool starts resulting in 7,100 new swimming pool construction permits on record with HBW.

Out of the six major Florida regions reviewed (West, Southwest, Northeast, Northwest, West and Central), the greatest volume of new swimming pool permits can be found in the southwestern region of the state (1,962 permits) where there has been a 45 percent increase in new pool construction in comparison to the same time last year. In the southwest, more than half of all new construction took place in the two counties of Lee (675 permits) and Sarasota (401 permits), with both counties demonstrating year-over-year increases in new pool permits of approximately 55 percent.

Other Florida regions that have carried a higher volume of new swimming pool construction activity since the start of the year include the western and central portions of state. In West Florida, there has been a 10 percent year-over-year increase in pool permits (thru March 2020), resulting in more than 1,305 pool starts on record with HBW for the three-month period.

In Central Florida, there has been a major 29 percent increase in new swimming pool construction (Q1-2020) in comparison to the same time last year, resulting in more than 1,250 new swimming pool permits on record for the three-month period. The counties driving the high construction figures in the central region include both Orange (415 permits) and Osceola (348 permits) counties where more than half of all new construction took place, with both counties reflecting an average of a 30 percent year-over-year increase in pool starts.

Moving to the southeast, there have been approximately 1,170 pool starts since the start of the year (thru March 2020), reflecting an 8 percent increase in new pool construction in comparison to the same period last year. The bulk of new construction originated from the two counties of Palm Beach (409 permits) and Miami-Dade (312 permits), with both counties demonstrating year-over-year increases in pool construction of 3.5 percent and 35 percent respectively.

While new pool construction in the northern region of Florida is lower than other portions of the state, there has still been significant growth in pool starts during the first quarter of this year. Both the northeast and the northwest have demonstrated increases of 23 percent and 35 percent respectively (Q1-2019 vs. Q1-2020), resulting in a combined total of 1,411 new swimming pool permits on record for the northern region.

To gain more information on the builders, homeowners and permits for the construction activity above, check out HBW for your copy of the latest construction data reports. To gain access to the HBW database and receive custom and detailed reports on the latest residential and commercial building activity in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma, please contact HBW for details.

Florida Quarterly Residential Construction Review: Q1-2020

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Erika Carruth

A review of permit data on record with HBW for new residential construction in Florida during the first quarter of 2020

Over the last five years, new residential construction has been soaring in Florida year-after-year, with annual increases ranging from 2 percent to 14 percent. At the start of this year, gains in Florida’s residential construction market are already evident, as there has been a 22 percent year-over-year in housing starts from January through March 2020, resulting in 23,930 new permits on record with HBW.

Out of the six major regions reviewed (Central, West, Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, Northwest), West Florida held the highest concentration of new residential construction activity (5,684 permits), while the northwestern region of the state exhibited the highest increase in new permits (48%+) in comparison to the same time last year.

Here is a closer look at the total permits, leading counites and YTD % change in new permits during Q1-2020:

West Florida

As previously mentioned, West Florida is currently the leading region for new residential construction as there were 5,684 housing starts since the start of this year (thru March 2020), reflecting a significant 29 percent increase in new home construction in comparison to the same time last year. Out of the seven area counties reviewed, three counties carried the bulk of new construction activity: Polk County (1,640 permits); Hillsborough County (1,623 permits); Pasco County (1,310 permits).

Southwest Florida

In the southwestern region of the Sunshine State, there were more than 4,800 housing starts in the first quarter of this year, reflecting just over a 29 percent increase in new home construction in comparison to last year. Out of the five counties reviewed, both Lee (1,573 permits) and Sarasota (1,018 permits) carried the bulk of new residential construction permits, with year-over-year increases (YTD-Q1) of 44 percent and 33 percent respectively.

Northeast Florida

In the northeastern region of Florida, there were 3,880 housing starts in the first quarter of this year, reflecting a 22 percent year-over-year increase in new permits on record with HBW. Out of the eight area counties reviewed, more than half of all new residential construction permits originated from Duval (1,308 permits) and St. Johns (1,009). While Duval County is significantly ahead of last year’s figures for new home construction (+58%), St. Johns is falling just behind with a 7 percent decrease in new permits in comparison to the same time last year.

Central Florida

Since the start of this year (thru March 2020), there have been 3,580 housing starts in the Orlando area, reflecting just over an 8 percent increase in new home construction in comparison to the same time last year. Out of the six major counties reviewed, Orange County held the highest concentration of new residential construction activity (1,094 permits), despite the fact that it experienced a 19 percent year-over-year decrease in new home construction. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lake County is currently exhibiting a major spike in new home construction with a 213 percent year-over-year increase in new residential construction activity (Q1-2020), resulting in approximately 725 new permits on record with HBW for the three-month period.

Northwest Florida

In the northwest, there were more than 3,360 housing starts during Q1-2020, reflecting approximately a 48 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction. For the northwestern region of Florida, 18 counties were reviewed, including two neighboring counties in Alabama (Mobile and Baldwin), and more than half of all new construction took place in the three counties of Baldwin (699 permits), Santa Rosa (613 permits) and Escambia (445 permits).

Southeast Florida

During Q1-2020, there were approximately 2,620 housing starts in the southeastern region of Florida, reflecting a 3 percent decrease in new home construction in comparison to the same time last year. Out of the seven counties reviewed, St. Lucie County carried the highest volume of housing starts (1,009 permits) and surged ahead of the previous year with a 21 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction.

New Swimming Pool Construction in Texas on a High in Q1-2020

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Erika Carruth

A review of the latest permit data for new swimming pool construction in Texas during the first quarter of 2020

Based on the latest construction permit data available from HBW, new swimming pool construction has started out strong in Texas early this year. From the combined metropolitan areas of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, new swimming pool construction in Q1-2020 was up by 14 percent in comparison to the same time last year, resulting in more than 2,060 new permits on record with HBW for the three-month period. Every metro area (with the exception of Dallas) exhibited year-over-year increases in new pool construction ranging from 27 percent to 34 percent, with the highest concentration of construction activity taking place in the Dallas area (950 permits).

Here is a closer look at new swimming pool construction permit totals, and leading counties by Texas metro area from January through March of this year:

Dallas

New swimming pool construction in the Dallas area appears to be holding steady since the start of this year (thru March 2020), as there were 950 pool starts in the first quarter, reflecting a nominal 1 percent year-over-year decrease in new pool construction. Out of the six Dallas metro area counties reviewed, more than half of all new construction originated from two counties: Collin County (271 permits) and Tarrant County (244 permits); both counties demonstrated year-over-year increases in new pool construction ranging from 9 percent (Tarrant) to 21 percent (Collin).

Houston

Behind Dallas, the Houston area ranked #2 for new swimming pool construction as there were 635 pool starts in Q1-2020. Out of the four major Texas metro areas reviewed, Houston demonstrated the greatest percentage of growth in pool construction over the previous year, as there was a 34 percent year-over-year increase in new swimming pool permits on record with HBW. Out of the five Houston area counties reviewed, Harris County carried the highest concentration and the bulk of all new pool construction activity, having 410 new permits on record for the three-month period.

Austin

In the Austin area, there were approximately 300 pool starts in the first quarter of this year, reflecting a 27 percent year-over-year increase in new swimming pool construction. Out of the four counties reviewed in the Austin metro area, nearly all new pool construction permits originated from Travis County (228 permits) where there has been a 24 percent increase (Q1-2020) in pool starts in comparison to the same time last year.

San Antonio

In San Antonio, there were 180 new swimming pool construction permits added to the HBW database in the first quarter of this year, reflecting a 27 percent year-over-year increase in pool starts. Out of the three counties reviewed in the San Antonio area, the bulk of all new pool construction took place in Bexar County where there were nearly 120 pool starts from January through March of this year.

HBW Report: Florida Residential Construction – March 2020

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Erika Carruth

A review of permit data for new home construction in Florida during the month of March 2020

During the month of March, there were more than 7,400 housing starts with a total construction value of approximately $2 billion in Florida. Based on the latest permit data available from the HBW database, out of the five major regions reviewed (Southwest, Tampa, Orlando, Southeast, Jacksonville), Southwest Florida ranked #1 for highest concentration of new residential construction (1,899 permits), while Orlando led for highest average value of new home construction (average value: $315,585).

As for builders, the major players in the Florida market remain Lennar Homes (1,024 permits) and D.R. Horton (1,018 permits), as both held the greatest total amount of housing starts in Florida in comparison to other home builders with new permits on record with HBW for the one-month period.

Here is a breakdown of total permits, leading counties and top home builders for each Florida region reviewed during the month of March 2020:

Southwest

Total permits: 1,899

Average Value of Construction: $255,567

Top County for Total Permits: Lee County – 614 permits