"The Dotted Line" series: How to tackle overlapping projects — June 13

In the latest installment of our monthly series, we'll take a look at the challenge of balancing multiple projects at once. Managing resources across projects without falling behind on the schedule can create significant obstacles for construction firms. In our feature article on Tuesday, June 13, we’ll talk with contractors and developers to find out how they successfully handle these situations.

Construction material price report — June 13

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the monthly Producer Price Index on Tuesday, June 13. That afternoon, the Associated Builders and Contractors will offer its take on the data, and we'll cover both reports in a combined story.

Last month, the BLS reported that construction material prices rose 0.7% between March and April, and were up 4.3% year-over-year. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said that, with increasing inflation and compensation costs, owners currently face less-favorable conditions for buying construction services than they have in recent years.

Will Tuesday's report reveal another month of material price increases — the sixth-straight — or will price growth start to slow?

Inside Autodesk's Project IQ — June 14

As building products and systems get smart in greater numbers, construction managers can gather more data from operations. In our feature article on Wednesday, June 14, we'll take a deep dive into one such system, Autodesk's new Project IQ. Autodesk is still working on the software product, and it tapped a number of construction companies to help out. We talked with Autodesk and some of those companies about the role of job-site data for risk management.

Housing Market Index — June 15

Builder optimism in future business conditions is charting upward, even as stressors like material-price growth, tightness in the labor market and persisting concerns over lot availability challenge builders' ability to meet strong demand. On Thursday, June 15, the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo will release their Housing Market Index for June. Last month, the index reached its second-highest point since the recession — a vote of confidence in the future for new residential construction. 

When P3s go bad — June 15

Public-private partnerships can be a helpful solution when public agencies are running low on funds or when they want to shift the risk of construction and maintenance to the private sector. President Donald Trump is pushing P3s as a key component of his $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. However, P3s don’t always guarantee project success. In our feature article on Thursday, June 15, we’ll find out how and why some of these projects have run into trouble.

The future of bathroom remodeling — June 15

Bathrooms are among the most common residential remodeling projects. Increasingly, however, clients want more than just a bigger vanity and low-flow fixtures. Personalization is a key driver of today's remodels, with requests for integrated technology, accessible design and a modern aesthetic among the most defining. In our feature article on Thursday, June 15, we'll explore how bathroom designers and project contractors are putting a new spin on this common home upgrade.

Housing starts — June 16

The single-family category was a bright spot in April's otherwise-down housing starts report. The category rose 0.4% from March while multifamily fell 9.6% and the overall market decreased 2.6% for the month. Permits fell back by 2.5% for the period, causing some concern that it could mean a more significant decline in new construction activity is ahead. On Friday, June 16, the Commerce Department will release its starts figures for May, offering more details on the likely pace of new construction going forward.​