Use This NAHB Resource to Help Select New Home Building Materials

Business Management
Published

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.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Remodeling Activity Holds Flat in Second Quarter Amid Housing Slowdown

Remodeling activity was flat in the second quarter amid a broader nationwide housing slowdown, according to NAHB's State Projections of Remodeling (SPR). The SPR provides a quarterly, state-by-state analysis of remodeling spending, market share and changes in spending.

Advocacy
Nov 06, 2026
NAHB Monthly Update: What the Midterms Mean for Housing

NAHB’s Monthly Update equips members and HBA staff with timely talking points on the Federation’s top housing priorities. This month’s update covers the post-election outlook for housing, progress on permitting reform and NAHB’s response to the latest WOTUS proposal.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Residential Building Worker Wage Growth Rebounds, but Real Wages Continue to Decline

Wage growth for residential building workers showed signs of a modest rebound in September 2026 following a sharp slowdown earlier in the year. According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nominal wage growth picked up from its June pace, although it remained relatively modest.

Economics
Nov 09, 2026
Remodeling Activity Holds Flat in Second Quarter Amid Housing Slowdown

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has released its State Projections of Remodeling (SPR) for the second quarter of 2026. As a reminder, the SPR provides on a quarterly basis a state-level estimation of the market share and total dollar value of remodeling spending.

Economics
Nov 06, 2026
Hiring Rebounds in October, but Residential Construction Employment Declines

The U.S. labor market rebounded in October, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 165,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declining to 4.1%. However, the improvement in overall employment contrasts with continued weakness in residential construction, where employment fell by 16,400 jobs, the largest monthly decline since March 2021.