The steep slump in housing intensified at the end of last year, pushing home construction down by the biggest amount in nearly three decades.
Analysts forecast more bad news in the months ahead with the big question remaining whether the housing slump will be severe enough to push the country into a recession.
The Commerce Department reported [...]

A good school district, desirable homes and appealing surroundings have helped increase the value of Murrysville homes in recent years.
While the 2006-07 median sale price of Westmoreland County houses has risen by 1.6 percent over last year, Murrysville home prices are up 9 percent for the same period.
And since 2003-04, the median sale prices [...]

For eight communities in the Whitney Ranch residential development in Rocklin, Calif., outside Sacramento, an average of 1.9 homes have sold each month since 2006. A ninth community, Grupe Homes’ Carsten Crossings, stands out with more than twice as many sales, or an average of 4.6 homes sold per month over the same time period.
Four [...]

First, there’s the selection of a lot and a home plan. Then, the tough decisions must be made.
Will it be a more traditional home with dark wood flooring and cherry kitchen cabinets or one with the modern elegance of espresso cabinets and stainless steel appliances?
KB Home buyers from San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Madera counties [...]

SIMPSON MANUFACTURING CO. is battling to stay afloat in a housing market swamped by a slump in home building and sales.
The 2,600-employee company makes fasteners, ties and other gear that construction workers use to join the wooden parts of homes and small commercial buildings.
Executives at Simpson are determined nevertheless to navigate the rough waters. The [...]

U.S. construction of new homes and apartments rose 0.8 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.518 million units, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
The construction in March, which is 1.4 percent above the February figure of 1.099 million units, but is 23 percent below the March 2006 rate of 1.972 million units.
Data [...]

Fourteen builders and developers have entered 27 show homes or presentation centres in eight Lower Mainland towns and cities in this year’s “Spring Parade of New Homes.”
Organized by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association, the “parade” starts next Saturday and ends April 29.
As a local showcase of the new home product, the parade is a [...]

Strong commercial and industrial growth helped contractors continue to build on another record construction year in Waterloo during the first three months of 2007.
In Cedar Falls, construction value for the first three quarters is running 22 percent behind last year’s totals.
“There were some large commercial projects that went down already this year with contractors wanting [...]

Boasting yesterday of The Bahamas’ healthy construction industry, Minister of Works and Immigration Bradley Roberts said Grand Bahama, Abaco, Exuma, Eleuthera and New Providence are experiencing a construction boom.
Roberts, in a communication to the House of Assembly, also stressed the significance of the construction trade for developing a country.
“The importance of the construction industry [...]

KAMAKURA, Japan — Anybody who thinks Japanese all live in cramped quarters should take a look at architect Yoshihiro Takishita’s home.
The peaked roof shelters four floors. Massive, roughhewn, dark wood beams — fitted together without nails — frame the expansive living and dining area. A series of sliding glass doors open to a verandah [...]

Setting trends for 2007, prestigious housebuilder Charles Church and its interior designers Chelsea Mclaine have chosen a design scheme to set the most intrepid home owners heart a flutter.
Margot Paton, interior designer at Chelsea Mclaine comments; “The design scheme was influenced by the new homes surrounding environment, autumnal trees and buildings built of natural stone. [...]

Homeowners often get caught up in color palettes, fabrics and accessories during room planning.
But plumbing fixtures? Faucets, sinks and toilets often wind up as an afterthought to cabinets, counters and flooring.
Such benign neglect has consequences. If scant thought is given to how kitchen or bath fixtures integrate into the overall design scheme, the room can [...]