It may seem like the construction industry is slow.
But when you look at the Building Permit activity, you see a different picture.
2010 2009
Oct $137 mil
Nov $113 mil
Dec $179 mil
Jan $60 mil $82 mil
Feb $179 mil $89 mil
Of the $179 million (Feb 2010) in construction value, over $43 million dollars is in Residential construction alone.
Even if you deduct the approx $70 million value for public building projects, that leaves $109 million in construction done by the private sector, which is higher than 2009 and a strong start for 2010.
What these statistics don't mention is the amount and value of the revoked or expired permits. One City employee commented to me off the record that at one point, almost 50% of residential permits were being revoked in 2009 because the homeowners couldn't afford to finish the work.
At AKDS, we do our best to design with the Client's budget in mind. While we cannot control the construction budget, we can help estimate ballpark per sq ft costs to guide the design process.
Although some of our Clients have had to sacrifice enclosed garage space for added bedroom space, my philosophy is that i'd rather put a roof over my family's head than shelter a car =) If the economy improves, you can easily add a detached carport in the future.
