Florida Residential Construction Up 14% in 2017

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HBW report on Florida housing starts in 2017

FL Housing Starts 2011-2017

Since 2014, Florida has been experiencing a steady and healthy climb in new residential construction.  Last year, the Sunshine State had a 14% year-over-year increase in housing starts, resulting in nearly 73,000 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database throughout the year.

Areas that saw the greatest spikes in new home construction last year include Southeast (7,879 permits) and West (15,952 permits) Florida with year-over-year increases of 27% and 23% respectively. Both areas have been climbing year after year since 2014, with 2017 seeing the greatest increase in residential construction activity in three years.

Out of the six major regions reviewed (Central, West, Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, Northwest), the highest concentration of new construction took place in West Florida (15,952 permits) and Central Florida (15,028 permits).  In Central Florida, more than half of all housing starts originated from Orange (5,978 permits) and Osceola (3,176) counties; that being stated, in Brevard County residential construction has been on the rise and increasing since 2012, with 2017 reflecting a substantial 37% year-over-year increase.

In West Florida, Sumter County was nearly off the charts with its increase in housing starts.  Sumter appears to be coming out of a lull in home building.  From 2014 to 2016, the area experienced significant dips in housing starts year after year.  In 2017, the area saw a turn for the better; with a 91% year-over-year increase in new residential construction permits, Sumter County had more than 1,655 housing starts and should be an area to watch this year.  The highest concentration of new residential construction in West Florida could be found in the counties of Hillsborough (4,847 permits, +9%) and Polk (4,076 permits, +20%)

Here is a closer look at new residential construction permit totals and increases in activity from 2016 to 2017:

FL New Residential Permits by Area – 2016 vs. 2017

FL Top 10 Counties for Total Permits – 2016 vs. 2017

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.

Texas Residential Construction Report – 2017

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HBW reports on residential construction permit activity in Texas for 2017.

Texas Housing Starts 2012-2017

Last year, Texas had its best year for housing starts on record in more than five years.  In 2017, there was a total of more than 70,800 housing starts in the combined metro areas of Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, reflecting a 6% year-over-year increase in new residential construction activity.

While the Houston area landed top spot for total housing starts last year (29,418 permits), Dallas ranked highest for higher value construction having more than 2,000 housing starts with values greater than $500k.  Dallas also experienced the greatest year-over-year increase in new residential construction permits (+10%) and ranked second highest for total starts (23,716 permits) on file with HBW for the year.

Texas Total Residential Permits by Area – 2016 vs. 2017

When looking for areas with the greatest growth patterns and annual increases in new residential construction, Dallas counties are front and center as Rockwall County (~1,300 permits) and Ellis County (1,534 permits) experienced year-over-year increases of 38% and 31% respectively. In the Houston area, counties including Montgomery (+24%) and Harris (+10%) were driving the overall 7% year-over-year increase in Houston home building, as other areas like Galveston took a hit (-15%) in housing starts.

Throughout the Lone Star State, there were counties that reflected both growth and held the greatest concentration of new home construction… As previously mentioned, Harris County (Houston) experienced a 10% year-over-year increase resulting in it ranking #1 statewide for total housing starts (15,832 permits).  Other counties where new home construction was on a high include the Dallas counties of Collin (7,051 permits) and Tarrant (6,777 permits), as well as Travis County (6,585 permits) in Austin.

Texas Top 5 Counties 2017

Information utilized for Texas residential construction reports was directly derived from HBW 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.

Swimming Pools on the Rise in Atlanta

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A review of new swimming pool construction permits in the Atlanta area for 2017

ATL Pool Permits 2012-2017

Since 2013, swimming pool construction has been steadily on the rise in the Metro Atlanta area.  In 2017, the area experienced a 14% year-over-year increase in pool starts, resulting in more than 2,200 new pool permits added to the HBW database.

Counties that have seen the greatest amount of new swimming pool construction include Fulton and Cobb.  Both Fulton and Cobb experienced a year-over-year increase of +13% in new pool construction, resulting in nearly 400 pool starts in Fulton and more than 300 pool starts in Cobb County last year.  Other counties with higher levels of new pool construction include Cherokee (207 permits) and Gwinnett (197 permits).

ATL Top 5 Counties for Total Pool Permits (2016 vs. 2017)

When looking at the year ahead, we reviewed Metro Atlanta counties that show promising growth… For example, while Carroll County in on the lower end of total new permits, it has shown consistent and high levels of growth over the past few years.  The area has gone up from a year-over-year increase of 9% in 2016 to more than 40% in 2017, and incremental increases in pool construction have been evident since 2012.  Forsyth County is also on the upswing.  Since 2014, there has been a slower increase in new pool construction, but in 2017, annual growth went from an average of 3% to a whopping 22% in just one year.  Similar and impressive growth could also be found in Paulding County.  Since 2012, the area has consistently experienced decreases in swimming pool construction until 2015, when there was a 16% year-over-year increase, and then in 2017 when there was a massive 63% year-over-year increase in pool starts.

Information utilized for the graphs and above listed figures for Metro Atlanta swimming pool construction was directly derived from HBW 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.

Atlanta Residential Construction Review 2017

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With more than 24,000 residential construction permits in 2017, Atlanta had its best year on record for housing starts since 2012.

ATL Housing Starts 2012-2017

Over the past year, Atlanta has experienced some of the most rapid economic growth among the country’s largest metro areas.  According to WalletHub’s recent ranking on America’s Fastest Growing Large Cities, Atlanta is making its mark… Of the country’s largest cities by population (>300,000 people), Atlanta ranked #11 on the list.  When looking at the latest HBW permit reports for Atlanta, this growth is evident in residential construction as well.  Back in August, HBW posted an article noting that Atlanta was on track for a record year, and the latest reports confirm exactly that.  Since 2012, housing starts have been on the rise across the metro Atlanta area, with every year experiencing more new home construction than the last.  In 2017, there was a 10% year-over-year increase in housing starts resulting in more than 24,400 new residential construction permits on file with HBW,  making it the best year on record in over five years.

The greatest year-over-year increases and growth in residential construction could be found in counties such as Newton (+64%), Fayette (+56%) and Hall (+48%); on the other hand, there were just a few areas that experienced significant year-over-year dips in residential construction including Walton (-36%) and Oconee (-25%).

When looking at the areas with the highest concentration of housing starts, Gwinnett County was a standout; with a 4% year-over-year increase and nearly 3,700 housing starts in 2017, Gwinnett County ranked #1 for total starts and reflected a consistent growth pattern over the last five years. Next in line was Forsyth County – While 2017 wasn’t a year for growth in residential construction for Forsyth County, in comparison to other counties there were still ample new housing starts on file for the year. With nearly 2,500 housing starts last year, Forsyth County ranked #2 for total new residential construction permits.  Coming very close to Forsyth for total housing starts, Fulton County (2,467 permits) ranked #3 for total new permits last year, reflecting a 3% year-over-year increase in new home construction.

ATL Top 5 Counties for Total Permits – 2017

When taking a look at higher value construction (homes over $500k), Fulton County continued to be the leading area.  Last year, there were nearly 300 new homes with values in excess of $500k in Fulton County, making it the leader for higher value residential construction in the Metro Atlanta area.

Information utilized for the graphs and above listed figures for metro Atlanta residential construction was directly derived from HBW 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.

HBW Report: Texas Swimming Pool Construction – December 2017

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Texas Swimming Pool Construction Permits by Area – Dec. 2017

The year ended with a slower month for Texas swimming pool construction in December.  Out of the hundreds of active pool builders throughout the Lone Star State, there were nearly 540 new pool construction permits with a total value of approximately $33M added to the HBW database.  Out of the four major metro areas reviewed, Dallas ranked #1 for total pool starts with 289 permits and more than $18M in construction value on file, and Austin was on top for the highest average value of construction at $73,963.

Here is a closer look at new pool construction by area during the month of December:

HOUSTON

Total # of Permits: 143

Total Value of Construction: $7.7M+

Total # of Active Builders: 90+

Top County: Harris (81 permits)

Top Builders:

#1 – Anthony & Sylvan Pools

#2 – Premier Pools

#3 – Rainey Pools

DALLAS

Total # of Permits: 289

Total Value of Construction: $18.1M+

Total # of Active Builders: ~120

Top County: Tarrant (81 permits)

Top Builders:

#1 – Gold Medal Pools

#2 – Claffey Pools

#3 – Riverbend Pools

AUSTIN

Total # of Permits: 61

Total Value of Construction: $4.5M+

Total # of Active Builders: 40

Top County: Travis (~50 permits)

Top Builders:

#1 – Cody Pools

#2 – Anthony & Sylvan Pools

#3 – Athena Pools

SAN ANTONIO

Total # of Permits: 44

Total Value of Construction: $2.4M

Total # of Active Builders: ~25

Top County: Bexar (39 permits)

Top Builders:

#1 – Keith Zars Pools

#2 – Gary’s Pools & Patio

#3 – Cody Pools

 

Texas Average Value of Pool Construction – Dec. 2017

Information utilized for Texas swimming pool construction reports was directly derived from HBW 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’s Top Builders and Areas for New Swimming Pool Construction – December 2017

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HBW Report – New Swimming Pool Construction in Florida during the month of December 2017.

FL Pool Permits by Area – December 2017

Last month, there were nearly 1,850 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value in excess of $78M added to the HBW database for Florida.  Out of the five major regions reviewed, Southwest Florida experienced the greatest number of pool starts (529 permits), and Tampa had the highest average value of construction at $46,307.  Here is a closer look at stats for December by region:

SOUTHWEST

The southwest region ranked #1 for total pool starts having approximately 120 active builders and nearly 530 new permits on file last month.  The average value of new pool construction for the one-month period was $43,421

Top County for Total Permits: Lee (182 permits)

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. Aragon Pools and Spas
  2. Pinnacle USA
  3. Aquadoc

 

SOUTHEAST

The southeast region ranked second highest for total pool starts.  Last month, there were approximately 130 active builders in the area and more than 400 new construction permits added to the HBW database.  The average value of construction was $40,116.

Top County for Total Permits: Palm Beach (206 permits)

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. RHR Pools
  2. Swimming Pool Contractors
  3. A&G Concrete Pools

 

ORLANDO

In Orlando, there were more than 70 active pool builders responsible for 385 pool starts and an average value of construction just over $39k last month.

Top County for Total Permits: Osceola (136 permits)

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. All Seasons
  2. Bob’s Pool Service
  3. American Pools & Spas

 

TAMPA

There were approximately 100 active builders in Tampa last month, resulting in more than 300 pool starts at an average construction value of $46,307, the highest average value of all areas reviewed.

Top County for Total Permits: Hillsborough (108 permits)

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. Challenger Pools
  2. Olympus Pools
  3. Riviera Pools of Tampa

 

JACKSONVILLE

From the 70 active pool builders in the Jacksonville area last month, there were 212 pool starts with an average construction value of $45,442.

Top County for Total Permits: St. Johns (81 permits)

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. Island Pools
  2. Blue Haven Pools
  3. Superior Design Pools

FL Pool Construction – Average Value, Dec. 2017

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.

Top Florida Residential Builders – December 2017

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From Jacksonville to Miami, the Sunshine State had more than 5,400 housing starts during the month of December.  Orlando proved to be the hot spot for new residential construction, having nearly 1,375 new permits on file with HBW for the one-month period, and southeast Florida continued to hold the higher value for new home building with an average value of construction coming in above $317k.

Out of the hundreds of active home builders throughout the state, D.R. Horton was the leader for total new permits in four out of five areas (all with the exception of Tampa).  Lennar Homes also made its mark last month, landing a spot in the top five builders of all major regions reviewed.

Here is a closer look at December’s top five builders for each region in Florida:

Orlando

As previously mentioned, Orlando had the highest concentration of new residential construction activity out of any region reviewed in Florida last month.  In December, there were nearly 1,375 housing starts with an average value of nearly $288.5k.  Out of close to 150 active home builders in the area, Lennar Homes took top spot for total starts with D.R. Horton and Mattamy Homes ranking second and third.  Here is a closer look at leading builders in the area for total new permits in December:

Builder Total Permits
Lennar Homes 230
D.R. Horton 113
Mattamy Homes 92
Pulte Homes 92
Meritage Homes 57

 

Tampa

Coming in at second-highest for new residential construction last month, Tampa had 1,269 housing starts with an average construction value just over $268k.  Out of the 190+ active home builders in the area, The Villages of Lake Sumter ranked #1 for total housing starts with nearly 200 new permits on file for the one-month period.  Here is a closer look at top builders in the area:

Builder Total Permits
The Villages of Lake Sumter 198
D.R. Horton 105
Lennar Homes 97
M/I Homes 58
McDowell Construction 52

 

Southwest

Southwest Florida held close behind Tampa for housing starts last month having 1,243 new permits on file with HBW.  Out of the 250+ active home builders in the area, D.R. Horton held top rank with 157 starts and Pulte Homes came in a close second with 153 new permits.  The average construction value in the area was approximately $266.5k, and the leading builders for the month are as follows:

Builder Total Permits
D.R. Horton 157
Pulte Homes 153
Neal Communities 110
Lennar Homes 86
Taylor Morrison 68

 

 Jacksonville

In December, there were more than 900 housing starts in Jacksonville, with an average construction value just above $234k.  Out of the 125 active builders on file in Jacksonville last month, the top five for total new permits are as follows:

Builder Total Permits
D.R. Horton 172
Lennar Homes 107
KB Homes 41
Dream Finders Construction 38
Mattamy Homes 36

 

Southeast

While Southeast Florida continues to hold the higher value in construction (average value: $317k+), it had the least amount of housing starts out of the major areas reviewed.  There were more than 600 new residential construction permits on file from approximately 170 active home builders in the area last month.  D.R. Horton took top spot for total new permits with 108 housing starts, and GL Homes and Kolter Signature Homes tied for second; here is a closer look at the leading builders and their permits on file with HBW for the month of December:

Builder Total Permits
D.R. Horton Inc 108
G L Homes 40
Kolter Signature Homes 40
Lennar Homes 35
Gho Homes Corp 26

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.

HBW Report: Texas New Residential Construction – December 2017

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Texas home builders ended 2017 on a high note having more than 5,760 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database in December.

Texas New Residential Construction Permits by Area – December 2017

The end of the year gave Texas much to celebrate.  Having experienced a 55% month-over-month increase in new residential construction, there were 5,764 housing starts throughout the major metro areas of Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.  Every area across the board experienced significant month-over-month increases with Houston seeing the greatest gains at 75%.  Out of the more than $1.3B in total construction value for the month, the highest average value of construction could be found in Dallas at nearly $285k.  As for home builders, D.R. Horton continued to hold top position in three out of four metro areas (all with the exception of San Antonio).  Here is a closer look at the stats and top builders in each area for the month of December:

Houston

In Houston, there were nearly 2,600 housing starts (+75% since November) with a total construction value of approximately $522M.  Just about half of all new construction could be found in Harris County (1,289 permits), and more than 300 home builders were active throughout the area during the month.

Average Value of Construction: $200,842

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. D.R. Horton
  2. Lennar Homes
  3. Meritage Homes

 

Dallas

Dallas ranked second-highest for total housing starts having a 33% month-over-month increase resulting in more than 1,800 new permits and a construction value in excess of $514M for the one-month period. There were more than 230 active home builders in the Dallas area last month, and the highest concentration of new construction could be found in Tarrant County (672 permits).

Average Value of Construction: $284,941

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. D.R. Horton
  2. First Texas Homes
  3. Lennar Homes

 

Austin

Austin experienced a 65% month-over-month increase in housing starts having 867 new permits and a construction value of $207.5M for the month.  There were approximately 120 active builders in the Austin area last month, and more than half of all new construction took place in Travis County (550 permits).

Average Value of Construction: $ 239,364

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. D.R. Horton
  2. Lennar Homes
  3. RSI Communities

 

San Antonio

While San Antonio had the lowest total number of starts, December was a solid month as there was a month-over-month increase in new home construction of 37% in the area.  Last month there were approximately 130 active builders responsible for nearly 500 housing starts with a total construction value in excess of $102M.  While all counties had new permits added to the HBW database, the highest concentration (more than half) of all housing starts took place in Bexar County (259 permits).

Average Value of Construction: $ 207,262

Top Builders for Total Permits:

  1. Continental Homes of Texas
  2. KB Homes
  3. Camillo Properties

 

Information utilized for Texas residential construction reports was directly derived from HBW 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.

OSHA Penalty Inflation Adjustment 2018

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The latest update on OSHA penalties – inflation increase announced for 2018.

As of January 2nd, 2018, OSHA has adjusted and increased penalties to meet inflation.  In a notification issued by the Federal Register earlier this week (January 2, 2018), the U.S. Department of Labor increased civil penalties for a multitude of regulated areas (Immigration, Child Labor, Wage and Hour, MSHA and OSHA).  In the notification the adjustment is explained as follows: “Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as previously amended by the 1996 Debt Collection Improvement Act (collectively, the ‘Prior Inflation Adjustment Act’), to improve the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. The Inflation Adjustment Act required agencies to: (1) Adjust the level of civil monetary penalties with an initial ‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment through an interim final rule (IFR); and (2) make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation, no later than January 15 of each year.” (source: Federal Register)

So, how does this affect penalty rates?  According to OSHA’s website, the new penalty amounts that have been adjusted for inflation as of January 2, 2018 are as follows:

Type of Violation: Penalty:
  1. Serious

Other-Than-Serious

Posting Requirements

 1. $12,934 per violation
2. Failure to Abate 2. $12,934 per day beyond the abatement date
3. Willful or Repeated 3. $129,336 per violation

 

When it comes to individual states, OSHA notes that states operating their own Occupational Safety and Health Plans are expected and required to adopt and align the maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as Federal OSHA’s penalties.

While there is a noted increase in penalties, there is no need to worry… As long as you and your crews remain OSHA compliant, you will not need to be concerned with the increase.  By continuing to stay informed, enforcing your safety policies and refreshing your team with the appropriate training, the increase and OSHA’s penalty fees should simply be industry news and not impact you or your business in the coming year.

For more information on construction business and marketing tips, stay connected with the HBW Blog.  To get ahead of construction activity and gain access to the latest permitting data in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma, contact HBW for more information on construction data reports and industry leads.

Tips for Gauging Your Success on YouTube

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With the new year comes new marketing strategies – here are a few quick tips for assessing the “health” of your YouTube channel and videos.

It’s no secret that dynamic content, such as video, is some of the most viewed content on the internet.  According to Insivia’s statistics for 2017, 55% of people watch videos online every day.  And based on an article from Syndacast, using the word “video” in an email subject line will boost open rates by 19%. With YouTube having over 1 billion users, almost one-third of all people on the internet are on YouTube.  Stats like that will make you take a second look at your marketing strategy to ensure that you are taking full advantage of your video content opportunities.

Once you have a YouTube Channel established, make sure to gather a few optimization tips that we explored in “10 Tips for Home Builders on YouTube”.  Now, that you have given your channel a good run having tested and developed a few videos, and maybe even some subscribers, it is time to take a good look at your metrics.  Here are a few tips for auditing your YouTube channel:

  1. Subscribers – How many subscribers are actually watching your channel? While creating a variety of videos and posting regularly is good for keeping your channel fresh, your content means nothing without the views.  For this reason, you will want to assess your subscriber to viewer ratio.  To do so, you should visit your “creator studio”, go to the “dashboard” and have it set for the last 28 days.  From there, you can compare the number of views against the number of subscribers to assess this ratio which will give you a clear picture of how active subscribers are on your channel.
  2. Time – Have you ever checked how long your videos are watched? If you have a five-minute video that waits until the last frame to provide your most important points or message, chances are they haven’t been seen.  By checking how long videos are typically watched on your channel, you can better understand your audience engagement, as well as design future videos to meet their attention/viewing span.  YouTube analytics makes it easy to assess watch time by providing watch time reports in analytics.  To get there go to Analytics/Watch Time Reports/Watch Time.
  3. YouTube Search – When you think of search engines, you most likely think of Google – The term “Google” has become a verb after all. But there is also another major search engine… YouTube.  YouTube has been ranked as the second-largest search engine in the world.  For this reason, it is important to optimize your channel for search.  If a video is ranked high in a search, your channel ranking may follow suit.  If that is the case, you may want to develop more video content around the subject that is most searched and pointing to your videos.  You can track your success in searches by going to your Analytics/Traffic Sources and checking out “YouTube Search” stats.
  4. Engagement – Are your viewers engaged? If you haven’t checked your views-to-engagement ratio chances are you are not too sure what is creating the most buzz on your channel.  Viewer engagement can be measured by analyzing the number of likes, dislikes, comments and shares your videos receive.  Videos that are well received, considered helpful or of interest are usually shared, and videos that gain an emotional response or engagement will likely receive a “like” (thumbs up) or “dislike” (thumbs down).  To get a solid but general figure for your views-to-engagement ratio, simply add all of the “likes”, “dislikes”, shares and comments under your analytics tab and then calculate the ratio based on total views for that given period.  You can run a similar calculation for each video as well.

YouTube and videos can be a great place to demonstrate your expertise and showcase your latest designs and construction projects, but they will only be as effective as they are viewed.  By taking a little time to perform a channel and video assessment, you can learn more about what content engages or is of interest to your audience, allowing you to tailor your next videos to make an impact and give a little boost to your subscribers and online presence.

For more information on construction business and marketing tips, stay connected with the HBW Blog.  To get ahead of construction activity and gain access to the latest permitting data in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma, contact HBW for more information on construction data reports and industry leads.