2009 Annual Meeting

October 10-13

The Roosevelt

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August 21, 2009

Single-Family Permits, Starts Continue Slight Rise

Though total permits and starts were down somewhat last month, single-unit statistics were up, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau earlier this week. Overall, privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 560,000, 1.8% below the revised June figure of 570,000. Privately owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 581,000, 1% less than the revised June estimate of 587,000.

Permits issued for single-family units, however, were at a rate of 458,000, representing a 5.8% increase over the revised June figure of 433,000. Single-family starts came in at a rate of 490,000 in July, 1.7% above the revised June figure of 482,000. This is the fourth consecutive month permits rose and the fifth straight monthly increase for starts.

Click here for the full news release with national and regional statistics. For an overview of current economic conditions and the housing market, see this national outlook from the National Association of Home Builders.

Brochure Explains Why Wood Earns an A+ for School Construction

When identifying structures that play vital roles in their communities, the list can be fairly short and usually includes churches, hospitals and schools. WoodWorks, an industry partnership that promotes the use of wood in nonresidential construction, just released a 10-page brochure designed to encourage people to build at least one iconic community structure from wood.

Designing Wood Schools covers the multiple benefits of using wood in school construction. The strong case for wood begins with a statement on the cover that explains, “As demand grows and budgets shrink for new educational facilities, many school districts are turning to wood-frame construction for its cost effectiveness. However, they’re also finding that, in addition to less expensive material costs, wood offers other advantages – such as speed of construction, design versatility and the ability to meet green building goals – while creating positive learning environments and meeting all code and safety requirements.”

Here’s a link to the brochure. Feel free to share it with your local school boards and other public officials any time they start discussing new school construction projects. Of course, part of the challenge lies in overcoming misperceptions officials may have about the safety and practicality of using wood for their projects. The brochure helps address those concerns. For more information, contact Pat Schleisman, Southeast regional director for WoodWorks, at 404/502-6183 or by e-mail at pat@woodworks.org.  

Progress in Nonresidential Markets

WoodWorks’ parent organization – the Wood Products Council – just released quarterly “report cards” on its progress in encouraging the use of wood in nonresidential construction projects. WPC reports the WoodWorks team reached out to more than 2,100 architects, engineers and others in a position to influence the use of wood during the first quarter and that advertising and other communication vehicles reached more than 880,000 people. Click here to see the regional and national report cards.

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