Nationally, home remodeling activity has recovered steadily in the last few years, and San Antonio's flourishing home improvement marketplace is a key reason why.
BuildFax, which evaluates building permit activity and other building data, said San Antonio was on pace through the end of September to have 13,725 home remodeling projects recorded last year, a 65 percent increase since 2008.
Nationally, home remodeling activity fell in 2009 and has expanded by about 14 percent in the last three years, BuildFax projections show.
Joe Emison, BuildFax's chief technology officer, said while part of San Antonio's count could stem from improved reporting of remodeling activity, its totals show home improvement has enjoyed robust growth.
?It's as good as anything I've seen across the country,? said Emison.
Area remodeling companies reinforce his claim.
Rudy Ni?o, who owns SA Building & Remodeling Co., said his business has grown by almost 100 percent since the recession, while Justin Bravo, vice president and owner of Bravi remodeling, said revenues have doubled each year for the last three years.
?It's dramatic improvement,? said Bravo. ?People seem to be more certain about the economy and are willing to spend more.?
San Antonio was not damaged as badly by the housing downturn as other cities, but many homeowners are choosing to improve what they currently live in and to stay there longer than originally planned.
Emison calls it ?comfort remodeling? and says that's what's driven the sector's recovery.
But Ni?o said another sector of homeowners is purchasing improvements on the assumption that an updated house will pay dividends once the real estate market returns to normal.
Remodeling activity may not match the booming growth Austin has experienced in recent years, but it should be on par with Houston and Dallas, said Ni?o.
?I can't even keep up with the calls right now,? said Bryan Smith, president and owner of Vision Design and Build.
He expects more growth in 2013 after a record year for remodeling last year.
The type of projects homeowners demand varies depending on the age of the homes and the needs and budgets of the homeowners.
Emison said garage improvements and kitchen and bathroom upgrades are the most common projects reported nationally.
San Antonio-area builders said kitchen and bath improvements are popular locally, but so are projects that convert rooms into mother-in-law suites, expand living rooms or combine spaces to create great rooms and turn living areas into Wi-Fi accessible media rooms or game rooms.
Smith said in recent years the trend has favored reconfiguring existing space into something more livable rather than adding space to the home.
Improvements that make it easier for homeowners to stay in their homes as they age also have become popular as have upgrades making dwellings more energy and water efficient.
Most of Vision Design and Build's remodeling projects fall in the $20,000 to $80,000 range, with kitchen renovations averaging about $40,000. But that company and other builders also have total home renovation projects that cost $500,000 or more.
Smith said while the cost of some materials have remained reasonable or even fallen, other costs, including concrete and roofing materials, have increased. Large price hikes are expected this year on lumber, sheet rock and other materials, he said.
But cost increases haven't slowed the demand for remodeling projects.
Bravo said his company has had about 20 job inquiries arrive daily since the year began, or almost twice the daily leads it handled to begin 2012. Several remodeling contracts are signed and the price tags on those contracts have increased from the past year, he said.
Smith said customers may have to go on a waiting list if demand for work continues at its current pace. And Ken Bobo, owner of Bobo Custom Builders, said he is carrying more than about $1 million worth of remodeling projects into the new year.
Bobo said he expected a slowdown in remodeling activity after the November elections, but that has not materialized.
?People have been sitting on their money for so long, those who have it are looking for the best place to put it,? said Bobo. ?Putting it back into your home is not a bad decision.?
wpack@express-news.net
Source: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/home_and_garden/article/Remodeling-up-in-S-A-4187624.php
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