Toolbox Newsletter June 2026
April Starts Decline Amid Economic Uncertainty
Single-family housing starts declined in April as builders faced continued economic uncertainty and affordability challenges, including higher construction costs, ongoing labor shortages and elevated financing expenses. Overall housing starts decreased 2.8% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.47 million units, according to a report from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. The April reading of 1.47 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts decreased 9% to a 930,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 2.4% compared to April 2025. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 10.3% to an annualized 535,000 pace and are up 19.7% compared to April 2025. On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 16.6% higher in the Northeast, 2.9% lower in the Midwest, 1.8% higher in the South and 0.4% lower in the West. Overall permits increased 5.8% to a 1.44 million unit annualized rate in April. Single-family permits decreased 2.6% to an 872,000-unit rate and are down 5.5% compared to April 2025. Multifamily permits increased 21.8% to an annualized 570,000 pace and are up 9.2% compared to April 2025. The number of single-family homes under construction is at 588,000 units while the number of apartments under construction is at 687,000 units.
Board of Directors 2026 -President, Kevin Maurer -Vice President, Jeff Wedding -Secretary, Zach Phillips -Treasurer, Mindy Ball -Immediate Past President, Jeremy Morgan Director Mark Eneix Director Morgan Hallmark-Grab Director Matthew Paruch Director Jamie Richmond Director Lisa Sears Director Mike Zemla Executive Officer Christy VanSchoten
Leadership List
Calendar of Events (Dates Subject to Change) General Membership Meetings September 16th 2nd Annual Pull & Plate September 24th HBAM Summer Convention 8/5-8/7 in TC Trunk or Treat with Carter Kitchen & Bath October 22nd Annual Meeting & Holiday Party December 2nd
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HUD Rescinds Energy Code Mandate HUD and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on May 1 that they are rescinding a requirement that imposed the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2019 as the minimum energy-efficiency standards for certain single-family and multifamily housing programs. Since the rule was initially finalized under the Biden administration in 2024, NAHB has worked tirelessly on the legal, regulatory and legislative fronts to ensure HUD and USDA’s 2021 IECC mandate is never implemented.
Latest Look at Remodeler Cost of Doing Business BuilderBooks, NAHB's publishing arm, has released a new edition of its Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 Edition, a national study of remodelers’ business practices and financial performance. Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 Edition is available for purchase at BuilderBooks.com Soft-cover/75 pages, $149.95 retail, $79.95 for NAHB members. NAHB Applauds HUD for Local Best Practices Report NAHB Chairman Bill Owens issued the following statement after HUD released its State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction report: “NAHB commends HUD for implementing President Trump’s March executive order to reduce barriers to new home construction. The State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction report provides state and local govern- ments a practical framework for removing unnecessary regulations that drive up housing costs. Steps such as streamlining permits, lowering taxes on new construction, making more land available for housing, and adopting sensible, cost-effective building codes can help boost the nation’s housing supply."
EPA Finalizes Refrigerant Rule The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 26 published a final rule that will allow the continued installation in homes of HVAC units manufactured or imported prior to Jan. 1, 2025, that use R-410A refrigerant until existing supplies of these HVAC units are depleted. The rule becomes effective on July 27, 2026. For more information on the new refrigerants, read this explainer post from NAHB staff.
NAHB Seeks Key Permitting Reforms NAHB and industry partners responded this week to a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for recommendations to improve the efficiency of the Nationwide Permit (NWP) program in advance of a potential rulemaking. The NWP, which was reauthorized in March, authorizes activities that impact wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. NAHB provided key feedback on how efficient permitting directly impacts housing supply, affordability, and lot availability.
Multifamily Developer Confidence Holds Steady in Q1
NAHB Offers 2 New Credentials Trust is vital in this competitive market, and to consumers, these credentials signify years of experience, commitment to industry best practices and knowledge validated by a national standard-setting organization. NAHB’s Certified Master Building Professional (CMBP) and Certified Master Remodeling Professional (CMRP) credentials are designed to set the most accomplished builders and remodelers apart from the rest. Learn more about the CMBP and CMRP credentials, requirements and exams.
The Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released by NAHB in May produced mixed results for the first quarter of 2026. The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) had a reading of 44, unchanged year-over-year, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) had a reading of 69, down 13 points year-over-year. The MOI is a weighted average of three built-for-rent market segments (garden/ low-rise, mid/high-rise and subsidized). Although all three components declined year-over- year, they all remained above the break-even point of 50. The component measuring garden/low-rise units fell 11 points to 71, the component measuring mid/high-rise units dropped 17 points to 59 and the component measuring subsidized units decreased nine points to 80.
Why Young Leave Parent's Home As of 2024, one in five adults aged 25-34 lives with parents or in-laws. NAHB’s analysis of the latest American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) evaluates a wide range of socio- economic and demographic factors that shape young adults’ path to independence. While the long-run demographic trends toward delaying marriage and childbearing are highly consequential, housing market constraints remain a significant barrier to leaving parental homes. NAHB looks at the circumstances that lead young adults to leave (or stay in) their parent’s home.
HBA OF MID-MICHIGAN MEMBERSHIP 2025
AJ Johnson Construction Co. Inc Acrisure Alexandra Edwards of Phillips Insurance Alliance Grounds Services LLC Antcliff Windows & Doors Architectural Glazing Systems, Inc. Beth Roman of Carter Kitchen & Bath Ben Staley of Staley Construction Company LLC Bois Insurance Agency Boots Construction Bossman Construction Co LLC Brokaw Group/Brokaw Commercial Builders First Source Saginaw Brian Christiansen of Staley Construction Company LLC Carbs Contracting LLC Cardinal Roofing Corp. Carter Lumber Company Carter Kitchen & Bath Choice One Bank Chuck Thompson Holdings Inc. Church's Insulation Construction Management Services LLC Consumers Energy Creekside Hearth Patio & BBQ Davison Overhead Door Co Dallaire Heating Cooling & Electrical Deborah Sipes of Phillips Insurance Dynamic Home Solutions DF Floor Covering D&M Service Pros
Forsythe Bros Lawn Services LLC Genesee Ceramic Tile Glendale Construction LLC Grand Legacy Homes Inc. Great Lakes Grills LLC GreenStone Farm Credit Services Gross Construction Hill Steel & Builders Supply Hodges Supply IL Construction Iversons Lumber Company JCL Doors & Windows JW Morgan Construction LLC Kile Sayer of the Stone Specialists Lake & Land Custom Homes LLC Lake Michigan Credit Union LeaSon Builders LLC Lifetime Metal Sales Linda Leach of Genesee Ceramic Tile Linden Kitchen & Bath Lucas Brothers Construction Lunghamer Ford of Owosso Mark Elasivich of Staley Construction Company LLC Markita Henige of Phillips Insurance Mason Burgess Title Agency Maurer Heating Co Metamora Building & Development Metcalf Electric Meyer Electric Inc M I Homes NEW Michigan Lumber Company Michigan Propane Commission Midwest Commercial Construction LLC
Mike Building Co. Modern Concrete P & H Plumbing PHI Home Services Phillips Insurance Pine Hollow Custom Homes Group Inc. Pinkleman Custom Homes Purves Construction Raptor Pest Control Rod Kulhanek Builders LLC Roe Enterprises Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership Signet Residential Inc Sherman Heating and Cooling Shiawassee Chamber of Commerce Staley Construction Company LLC Staley's Plumbing & Heating Inc Stone Specialists Inc Superior Lawn & Landscape Inc Swank Builders Inc Sweers Roofing The Cabinet Gal Timothy Elasivich of Staley Construction Company LLC Timbergate Construction LLC Triple H Ideal Contractors LLC Vantage Homes, Inc Vetcon Inc Vets Access LLC Vylla Home Weekes Forest Products Weir Building Company Werth Roofing & Siding Co Wimsatt Building Materials/SRS DIstribution Yeo & Yeo CPA's & Advisors
Which Households Are Driving Remodeling Spending?
With elevated mortgage rates and limited for-sale inventory making it harder to move, many home owners are choosing to invest in the homes they already own. In 2024, an estimated $670 billion was spent on remodeling projects, as roughly 20 million households (nearly one-quarter of owner- occupied homes) undertook home improve- ments ranging from large additions to smaller alterations and upgrades. NAHB analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) reveals how these remodeling expenditures varied across household characteristics. For example, married- couple households remain the dominant force in remodeling, accounting for the majority of both the number of projects and the amount of spending. Families with children, particularly those with kids ages 6-17, are investing heavily in larger-scale improvements like finished basements, kitchen upgrades, and home additions.