What we're reading, following & covering

Millennials: Malaise or mojo

Sept. 17, 2017 | Calculated Risk Blog

New Census American Community Survey data shows a tepid rate of new household formations among young adults. For young adults (18-34 years old), the percentage of young adults living with parents increased to 34.25 percent in 2016 from 34.11 percent in 2015, while the percentage of young adults living with other relatives rose to 13.30 percent in 2016 from 13.20 percent in 2015. read more >>>

Construction jobs slump slightly in August

Sept. 14, 2017 | Finance & Commerce

Hiring and job growth in construction took an unseasonably early dive in August, but officials say that's just a hiccup in an otherwise banner year. read more >>>

FEMA extends National Flood Insurance Program policy renewal grace period

Sept. 15, 2017 | FEMA

To support the ongoing disaster recovery, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program is enhancing the flood insurance claims process, and extending the grace period for paying policy renewal premiums for insured survivors affected by Hurricane Irma. read more >>>

New work visa requirements exacerbate current talent shortages

Sept. 14, 2017 | ConstructionDIVE

The H1B and H2B programs are about to get a lot more frustrating for recruiters as new foreign national worker requirements roll out. read more >>>

Construction unions focus on flagship facilities for training

Sept. 13, 2017 | Bloomberg BNA

If you build a state-of-the-art construction union training center, members will come from far and wide. Some building trades unions have taken the expensive but potentially advantageous step of consolidating their training operations at a regional or even national level. These centers offer education on cutting-edge construction technologies and other industry advancements that locals might not have the resources to showcase. read more >>>

Report: Schools drastically behind on preventive maintenance

Sept. 15, 2017 | Sightlines

K-12 institutions, both public and private, and two- and four-year colleges are significantly behind on preventive maintenance projects. Only 19 percent of work orders include preventive maintenance requests, a number that is way below the recommended 30 percent. read more >>>

Super storm after math: Materials prices are up

Sept. 14, 2017 | Builder

Even before Harvey and Irma's destructive one-two punch in Texas and Florida, prices on building materials and products were heading up as a source of concern, especially as volume builders operationalize a number of fairly new strategic initiatives into more entry-level community offerings, where margins are already tough to come by. read more >>>

Trends: Sealing knowledge of spray foam insulation

Aug. 21, 2017 | Qualified Remodeler

If you search online for the pros or cons of spray foam insulation, you will net about 3,443,000 results. People have a lot to say, both positive and negative, on the topic of spray foam insulation, and the analysts at Qualified Remodeler waded through the points on both sides. read more >>>

Builders responsible for construction wage theft in California bill

Sept. 14, 2017 | Sacramento Bee

A contentious proposal that would put California builders on the hook for wage theft violations by their subcontractors has advanced to Gov. Jerry Brown after a last-minute agreement between the author and opponents. read more >>>

Florida's insurance adjuster shortage could compound Irma damage

Sept. 14, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal

After Hurricane Irma, Florida residents are lacking in many necessities. One of the more frustrating is a scarcity of insurance adjusters, which is threatening to anger policyholders and potentially delay the state's rebuilding efforts. read more >>>

Massachusetts reviewing construction safety in wake of fires

Sept. 14, 2017 | NBCUniversal

Massachusetts fire and building officials have joined those in Boston in reviewing safety and fire prevention requirements on construction sites of large wood-frame buildings, the state fire marshal said. read more >>>