Use This NAHB Resource to Help Select New Home Building Materials
Home builders throughout the United States are grappling with building material price surges, and shortages or delays for certain orders, which are leading many to explore alternatives to complete or start projects.
Builders face many choices in selecting new products, materials, equipment and fixtures to use in constructing a home, and can determine which building materials best fit their needs by getting information about new or unfamiliar items from manufacturers and distributors. Carefully reviewing building material choices in advance may help eliminate non-conforming building materials, returns and possibly disputes.
NAHB has developed a guide, Assessing Building Materials, for builders who may not have their own review process for gathering information from manufacturers and distributors when considering the selection of new building materials.
The guide is intended to arm members with the most important factor when evaluating new materials or products: information. Use the guide to step through the information collection process to make an informed decision on deploying new products or materials. The guide is not intended to be exhaustive or all-inclusive, but it will help builders ask the right questions and seek the most relevant information.
Latest from NAHBNow
May 19, 2026
Single-Family Home Building Permits Tank in First Quarter as Multifamily RisesElevated financing costs, ongoing affordability challenges, and softer builder sentiment continued to weigh on single-family construction activity, while multifamily permitting remained supported by demand for rental housing.
May 19, 2026
Project Planning Tips to Boost ProfitabilityLearn all the best ways to develop and follow a clear project schedule to increase profitability and your client's satisfaction in NAHB's live online course The Project Schedule: A Planning and Communication Tool.
Latest Economic News
May 19, 2026
Who Drives Remodeling Spending?Residential remodeling is an important and growing sector of the housing market, particularly as elevated mortgage rates and limited housing inventory encourage many homeowners to improve their existing homes rather than move.
May 18, 2026
Builder Sentiment Posts Gain in May but Significant Affordability Challenges PersistBuilder confidence posted a modest gain in May even as buyers grapple with rising mortgage rates and economic uncertainty while builders continue to contend with elevated land, labor and construction costs.
May 15, 2026
Credit for Builders Tightens in the First Quarter, But Only SlightlyCredit conditions on loans for residential Land Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) were still tightening in the first quarter of 2026, but only slightly, according to NAHB’s quarterly survey on AD&C Financing.