2018Q4 Houzz Renovation Barometer - Construction Sector
The Backlog Indicator decreased to 4.5 weeks nationally in Q4 (down two weeks relative to Q3): Overall backlog for the construction sector is 0.7 weeks lower year over year. Backlog declined among build only remodelers to 6.8 weeks (down three weeks) and design and build remodelers to 5.8 weeks (down 5.2 weeks). Specialty trade contractors’ backlog held steady at three weeks. See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
The Recent Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new projects, increased to 71 in Q3 (up six points relative to Q2): The uptick follows an increase in both project inquiry activity, which increased to 73 in Q3 (up ten points), and recent new projects activity, which increased to 69 (up one point). Among the three reporting business groups, the overall recent activity increased significantly for design and build remodelers to 82 (up 13 points), while build only remodelers’ activity held steady at 72. Specialty trade contractors’ recent activity increased to 66 (up five points). See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
The Expected Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new projects increased to 79 in Q4 (up six points relative to Q3): The uptick follows from increases in both components, with expectations for project inquiries rising to 79 in Q4 (up eight points), and expectations for new projects increasing to 79 in Q4 (up five points). Among the three reporting business groups, design and build remodelers and specialty trade contractors reported increasing overall expectations to 82 (up nine points) and 78 (up eight points), respectively. Build only remodelers’ expectations held steady at 78. See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
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