Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: Is the Future Flat?

Joe Kannapell

Seeing so many flat roofs early this year made me wonder if the future of truss building will be flat. During the January SBCA Phoenix Open Quarterly Meetings, some of us saw Truss Fab Components’ yard loaded with flat trusses, and others saw the flat roof lines of Frank Lloyd...

#15284 Cover image
March 2023
Issue #15284
Page 128
Thom McAnally

Is 2022 Like 2006?

It wasn’t very long ago, so many of us remember the Great Recession and fear we are going to see a repeat. Hopefully not. It seems regional right now, like it did early in 2007, after the job market had raged in 2006 and the good times rolled! Like in 2006, the 2022 hiring season...

#15283 Cover image
February 2023
Issue #15283
Page 78
Tom Hardiman

Move Over Status Quo, Modular Wants a Seat at the Table

Tom Hardiman

The modular construction industry is not new. It’s not untried, untested, or untrue. It is a relatively small niche of the construction industry accounting for about 5.5% of all new building construction starts in 2021. And it is a somewhat fragmented industry in terms of the geographic...

#14278 Cover image
September 2022
Issue #14278
Page 92
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Last Word on Multi-Family

Joe Kannapell

Has COVID-19, its aftermath, and raging inflation brought the multi-family truss business back to its roots? Bo Powers, co-owner of Panel Truss, sees fewer wraps and more garden style jobs further from cities. Kenny Shifflett, owner of Ace Carpentry, believes the plethora of these...

#14274 Cover image
May 2022
Issue #14274
Page 126
Matt Layman

Lumber Briefs: Housing Affordability Inflection Point

Matt Layman

Cooling ahead for CMs Zillow reports that the number of multigenerational family households has quadrupled since 1971. 18% of Americans now live in multigenerational housing and housing supply is at an all-time low. Families are moving back in with relatives due to increased housing...

#14273 Cover image
April 2022
Issue #14273
Page 90
Matt Layman

Lumber Briefs: Housing Momentum Rushing To Over Built

Matt Layman

There are multiple Overlooked Obvious housing conditions that scream “runaway supply of shelter” is already in process. First and foremost, let us differentiate between housing and shelter. Housing demand implies one dwelling for a household. A household is not a family...

#14272 Cover image
March 2022
Issue #14272
Page 104
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Last Word on What’s Ahead

Joe Kannapell

The best news for 2022 will be on the job front, and I plan on keeping mine, working these pages. Please stayed tuned as we uncover much more about our unique niche in the off-site construction industry, including developments on the following, evolving topics: Robotics: How will the two...

#14270 Cover image
January 2022
Issue #14270
Page 126
Gary Fleisher

Defining a Modular Factory’s Capacity is Complicated

Gary Fleisher

One of the words most often heard when talking about the modular construction industry is “capacity.” Webster defines it as “the amount that something can produce.” Somehow that just doesn’t seem like the right definition for modular construction. One of the...

#13261 Cover image
April 2021
Issue #13261
Page 106
Gary Fleisher

The Dilemma Facing Modular Construction Today

Gary Fleisher

As more builders, developers, and customers begin using modular construction instead of just thinking about it, the existing modular housing industry is being pushed, pulled, and thrown into a new reality. Too Much Demand! How can that be a bad thing? It can if there are very few new...

#13260 Cover image
March 2021
Issue #13260
Page 102
Matt Layman

Lumber Briefs: Lumber Market Forecast

Matt Layman

America’s Achilles Heel I want to drift off topic for a bit. Last week we were advised that the U.S. was under a massive cyber attack. As of today, Sunday December 20, the attack is on-going, there is no determination of who is responsible, how deep the attack has penetrated, how to...

#13258 Cover image
January 2021
Issue #13258
Page 106
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