I was pretty surprised this week when I came across this line in a story from The Wall Street Journal: “There were almost 500,000 more sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in April, according to Redfin.” Everything I see and hear is that places go up for sale, and they are snapped up immediately and usually for over asking.
I hate being the one to deliver bad news, but right now, it is what it is… and you can’t just bury your head in the sand and hope it goes away. This week, the latest Construction Stress Index was released, and it was ugly. Private work is getting abandoned at record levels, and the index is now 22.8% above the baseline set in 2021. Read in more detail. Then, get back to the basics to continue riding it all out. Note that I remain confident that once we get some stability things will start to break free… but the question of when that happens is a big one.
AIA Boston took place this past week, and I received a mixed bag of feedback. Some said that traffic was solid on the first day, while others said that, although there was traffic, it was the wrong kind, meaning students, other vendors, and so on—basically, people who could not specify what you were selling. That’s always been an issue with AIA. The architects who attend avoid the floor like the plague. In some cases, more people benefit from walking the floor versus exhibiting. I’ll note that for some day two, with less traffic, did garner a few more quality leads.
I’ve got a new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast for you, and once again I have extraordinary guests. This time out, we start with Brian Risinger, the brilliant owner at Country Glass & Mirror and also the current President of the Texas Glass Association.
Some forecasting numbers hit the street this past week. The Architectural Billings Index did go lower in April at 43.2 (from 44.1 in March), and honestly, I thought it would’ve been worse. The worrisome news was that once again, the project inquiries index was at 48 (50 is break even), which has been an index that has been holding up until recently. When inquiries were coming in, that at least showed there’s still a hunger, so seeing a negative here is not great.
The latest From the Fabricator podcast is live with two inspiring guests. I kick it off with James Hatch of Kovach. He and I may have chatted a bit over the years, but this was my first extended time with him, and I was extremely impressed. What he’s done and the excitement around what Kovach does is something to behold. Great stuff. Then to a person and company that I think will be big in our industry, and not for glass or glazing, but for improving the performance of our machinery.
I say it all the time. Texas never disappoints. And that was surely true this past week at Glass TEXpo in San Antonio. The wonderful folks at the Texas Glass Association took care of me once again, and I am truly grateful.
In case you missed it, the most recent From the Fabricator podcast dropped right before I left. I had enlightening conversations with two of the best folks around—Sneh Kumar of Kawneer and Kyle Sword of Pilkington. Check it out at the links below. The next pod (coming soon) will feature a leader in the glazing space and a new company coming to market with a must-have product.
With commercial fenestration and framing systems, performance counts and appearance matters. Most architects design with color in mind, and many strive to differentiate projects with specialty finishes. You can help your customers find a unique look without compromising performance or sustainability.
Even as codes and standards have become more stringent over the years, the glazing industry has kept pace—sometimes even staying ahead of the curve. Glazing manufacturers, fenestration companies, energy consultants and code experts have worked together to push the materials, technology and building science forward, not just to meet new codes but to improve performance, aesthetics and functionality.