Accompanying this report are tables and charts based on RSMeans’ measures of dollar-per-square-foot construction costs. The results for 25 major cities are shown for four recreational types of structure. The most expensive to build is an enclosed swimming pool. The second-most expensive is a hockey rink/indoor soccer arena. Relatively inexpensive are a racquetball court, followed by a bowling alley. It is almost 30% cheaper to build a bowling alley than an indoor swimming pool. Regional comparisons are also discussed.

Housing is getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. But the tunnel slopes downward. So jobsite construction spending continues to shrink rapidly while trends improve for home affordability, consumer confidence, home sale price and homes for sale inventory. Residential construction spending increased 0.6% in April. But this is misleading because of downward revisions of recent months and a bizarre April jump in remodeling spending, says Reed Construction Data chief economist Jim Haughey.

The four largest cities in Texas account for more than one-third of the total single family permits in the last 12 months in the twenty largest housing markets in the US. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Miami and Minneapolis dropped off the list months ago. Like many border states, Texas attracts lots of immigrants but it also is attracting domestic migrants from other states seeking jobs in new businesses or lower living and housing costs, says Reed Construction Data chief economist Jim Haughey.

This chart features U.S. Housing Permits per 1,000 population based on the latest 12 months and residential permits for cities ranked 301-361.

This chart features U.S. Housing Permits per 1,000 population based on the latest 12 months and residential permits for cities ranked 201-300.