Building for the Future NewsletterRepresenting Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary, & Terrebonne Parishes |
| |
Happy 4th of July from SLHBA!
Wishing all our members a safe and joyful Independence Day as we celebrate the freedoms we cherish and the communities we proudly help build.
Please note: The SLHBA office will be closed on Friday, July 4th in observance of the holiday.
Enjoy the day with family, friends, and fireworks! |
| |
Welcome to our June New Members!We’re thrilled to welcome the newest members of the SLHBA Family! As we continue to grow, we are proud to bring together dedicated professionals who share our commitment to excellence in the home building industry.
- Gulf Electrical Contactors LLC - Kelsey Strevig
- Troy Brown Construction LLC- Troy Brown
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest members. We encourage you to introduce yourselves, connect, and share insights—after all, SLHBA thrives on collaboration and community.
We look forward to seeing these new faces at our upcoming events and working together to strengthen our industry. Welcome to the SLHBA Family! |
|
|
Join us at the B.A.S.H.!
We’re excited to announce that Morrison Terrebonne Lumber is hosting and sponsoring their annual Hot Dog Wednesday on July 23 from 11 AM – 1 PM at their Barataria Avenue location!
Come grab a hot dog (or two!), enjoy lunch on them, and catch up with fellow SLHBA members. Bring a friend, bring your crew — the more, the merrier! 👉 Let us know you're coming! We can't wait to see you there!
|
| |
|
| Member Benefit to Builder & Remodeler Members of LHBAHBA Rebates has partnered with dozens of the industry’s leading Manufacturers to strengthen loyalty with HBA Members.
This free State & Local HBA benefit, the LHBA Member Rebate Program, is available to all active Builder & Remodeler members.
Are you signed up to receive your rebates? |
|
Sharp Drop in Multifamily Lowers Overall Housing Starts |
|
A sharp decline in multifamily production pushed overall housing starts down in May while single-family output was essentially flat due to economic and tariff uncertainty along with elevated interest rates.
Overall housing starts decreased 9.8% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.26 million units, according to a report from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The May reading of 1.26 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 increased 0.4% to a 924,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 7.3% compared to May 2024. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 29.7% to an annualized 332,000 pace. |
| On a year-to-date basis, single-family starts are down 7.1%. In contrast, multifamily 5-plus unit starts are up 14.5% as more prospective home buyers remain on the sidelines.
On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 21.1% higher in the Northeast, 10.8% higher in the Midwest, 6.8% lower in the South and 1.6% lower in the West.
Overall permits decreased 2% to a 1.39-million-unit annualized rate in May. Single-family permits decreased 2.7% to an 898,000-unit rate and are down 6.4% compared to May 2024. Multifamily permits decreased 0.8% to a 495,000 pace.
Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 17.2% lower in the Northeast, 6% higher in the Midwest, 5.4% lower in the South and 3.7% lower in the West. |
|
|
Lessons from NAHB’s Remodeler of the Year |
Mike Pressgrove founded his company, PDQ Construction in Topeka, Kansas, in 2003. Now, more than two decades later, he is on the cover of Professional Remodeler magazine as NAHB’s 2024 Remodeler of the Year.
“I incorporated on April Fool’s Day in 2003 and just started getting after it,” he said. “We were getting really popular with larger jobs and hiring people, and I quickly came to the realization that being a good carpenter didn't always make for being a good business owner, because I lacked those skills.” |
| Pressgrove was wise enough to know there were things he didn’t know. But he was eager to learn more about running a business and fill in those knowledge gaps. That’s how he became involved with the National Association of Home Builders.
What advice does he have for young folks new to the remodeling business? Do a good job, do what you say you’re going to do, and surrounding yourself with good people.
See the full article in the May-June 2025 issue of Pro Remodeler. |
|
|
Legcon Brings 1,000 Members to DC
More than 1,000 builders, remodelers and associates trekked to Capitol Hill on June 11 to urge their lawmakers to support policies that will help builders unleash the housing market by allowing them to increase the production of quality, affordable housing.
In more than 250 meetings with their represent- atives and senators, housing advocates urged lawmakers to act on key issues that affect housing affordability, including energy codes, workforce development and tax policy. |
Study Shows Impact of Labor Shortage
A landmark study released today from the Home Builders Institute (HBI), in collaboration with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), examines the economic impact of the skilled labor shortage on the single-family home building sector. The findings indicate that the skilled labor shortage’s impact on the residential construction industry is a multibillion-dollar annual challenge that is responsible for the lost production of thousands of newly built homes. |
Legal Action Supports Three Cases
NAHB’s Legal Action Committee reviewed several requests for funding through its Legal Action Fund during its recent spring leadership meetings. The fund awarded grants in three cases: a Georgia HBA challenge to an excessive development ordinance in Paulding County; Desert Valley Builders Association (California) vs. City of Coachella, on the issue of transparency in impact fees; and a gas ban in New York City. |
Apply to Be the Next National Associate Chair National Associate Chairs (NACs) play an essential role in the Federation as they work closely with Senior Officers to help facilitate effective communication and collaboration between NAHB leaders and Associate members. Applications to serve as the next NAC are now open through Sunday, July 13.
NAHB has two Associate NACs who each serve two-year terms, staggered so only one new NAC is introduced each year. For more information on the nominations process for this position, visit nahb.org/associates. |
Watch Video Highlights from
Spring Leadership Meetings
NAHB members who were unable to be in Washington, D.C., for the 2025 Spring Leadership Meetings can watch some of the highlights on nahb.org, including:
NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes spotlights the success of the 2025 Legislative Conference; NAHB Chief Economist Dr. Robert Dietz provides an economic outlook for the industry; and HBI CEO Ed Brady, NAHB Chief Advocacy Officer Ken Wingert and NAHB Federal Legislative Director Sam Gilboard examine where things stand with Job Corps and HBI programming. |
| Confronting the Challenge
of NIMBY Attitudes
NIMBY is a common term that stands for “Not In My Backyard." When NIMBYism is successful at dissuading elected officials from approving housing plans or delaying the approval timeline, the result is a lack of housing to meet growing demand.
NAHB provides resources and assistance to members and state and local associations to help combat NIMBYism in their area. One such resources is a new video that highlights the value new housing can add to local communities. Visit NAHB’s Land Use 101 toolkit to learn more.
Make Preparations Now
For Hurricane Season As we approach the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, this is a good time for businesses, home owners and community leaders to evaluate hurricane risks, update emergency plans, and ensure essential supplies are on hand. Disasters can happen at any time. Acting now can help protect business operations, support employees, and minimize impacts to your business. Don’t delay creating or updating a continuity plan and strengthening your supply chain resilience. Explore preparedness resources by visiting nahb.org/disaster. |
|
Harvard Report Shows Worsening Affordability Crisis
The U.S. housing market continues to face uncer- tainty and record-high unaffordability as home prices and interest rates push sales to their lowest level in 30 years, according to The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025, a report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. The report highlights the record-high number of cost-burdened renters (those spending more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities), the staggering increase in cost-burdened home owners, and the pricing out of first-time home buyers |
| While rents are increasing nationwide, rental demand still remains strong. With fewer households able to afford to buy a home, the renting population grew by 848,000 in 2024, absorbing the new 608,000 multi- family units completed last year — the most in nearly four decades.
The report notes that soaring home prices are still the main driver of the housing affordability crisis. The number of cost-burdened home owners rose by 646,000 to 20.3 million, representing 24% of home-owning households. |
|
|  | Benefits of SIF Membership: From safety resources to dividend advantages and marketing and networking opportunities, the benefits of becoming a member of the Louisiana Home Builders Association and HomeBuilders Self Insurers Fund are endless. Become a member and start benefiting today.
|
|
|
SLHBA is a professional organization which strives to unite and represent the building industry in St. Mary, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. SLHBA is dedicated to the idea of quality housing at affordable prices, thus protecting the “American Dream” of homeownership. |
|
|
|
|
