#buildzoom

[brandondonnelly]

US cities with the highest construction costs

BuildZoom, which is a tool to help people find local contractors, recently looked at construction costs across the US.

Here is their 30-city average index running from 1950 to roughly today:

Here is a chart showing the most and least expensive cities (that is, the cities that deviate the most from their 30-city average):

And here is a chart that compares labor cost appreciation to material costs:

Labor costs account for the bulk of the geographic variation in construction costs and the most expensive cities to build in also tend to have the highest median home prices.

The way to read the above chart is that any city with a y-axis value greater than 1 means that labor costs have appreciated faster than material costs from 2008 to 2017.

In the case of San Francisco, labor costs have appreciated 32.8% (> 1.3) faster than material costs. 

Part of this likely has to do with the fact that San Francisco is an expensive city in which to live. People have to be paid more if they’re going to work there.

Full blog post from BuildZoom, here.

[takenews-blog1]

Building permit analysis sheds light on how much Amazon has spent on massive Seattle footprint

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/building-permit-analysis-sheds-light-on-how-much-amazon-has-spent-on-massive-seattle-footprint/

Building permit analysis sheds light on how much Amazon has spent on massive Seattle footprint

The Day One constructing and Spheres signify the most important Amazon constructing permits for a person venture.

Editor’s word: This story has been up to date to incorporate official knowledge on capital investments from Amazon’s HQ2 web site.

As Amazon parses functions from 238 municipalities for its second North American headquarters, a brand new evaluation delves into the billions of Amazon has spent on constructing permits to assemble its Seattle campus and which tasks it estimated it could put essentially the most cash into.

Development data firm BuildZoom checked out constructing permits for 45 buildings totaling 13.6 million sq. toes that Amazon has both purchased, constructed or leased within the final decade. The evaluation discovered that Amazon has accounted for $1.9 billion in constructing permits during the last 10 years.

On a web site devoted to HQ2, Amazon disclosed that it spent $three.7 billion from 2010 to final summer season on capital investments, together with buildings and infrastructure. The corporate dropped an extra $1.four billion on operational expenditures similar to utilities and upkeep.

Amazon’s official numbers account for 33 buildings totaling eight.1 million sq. toes.

Constructing permits should not a precise measure of a venture’s value and have a tendency to undervalue the overall price ticket, however they offer a window into how a lot the corporate expects to spend constructing by constructing. The values signify a price estimate for allowing functions and don’t mirror main adjustments all through the development course of.

The evaluation exhibits that Amazon’s largest constructing allow is valued at greater than $653 million, and that’s for Block 19, which incorporates the brand new Day One Tower and the enduring triumvirate of Spheres.

The evaluation doesn’t account for the total scope of the fourth and fifth blocks of workplace buildings for the brand new campus in Seattle’s Denny Triangle neighborhood. The evaluation additionally doesn’t embody permits for a few of its largest leases, together with the 722,000-square-foot Rainier Sq. deal, and the almost 500,000-square-foot house above the downtown Seattle Macy’s retailer.

GeekWire beforehand analyzed Amazon’s development through the years and constructed a database of the retail large’s presence within the Seattle space.

Here’s a map of Amazon’s permits within the Seattle space and particular person constructing allow values:

As Amazon prepares to arrange its second North American headquarters, the true property scene is holding a eager eye on the corporate’s development in Seattle. Will it decelerate or cease totally, or is Amazon simply as bullish on its unique residence?

Thus far, the proof factors to the latter. BuildZoom’s evaluation exhibits that this 12 months alone Amazon has leased or been linked to 5 workplace buildings totaling greater than 1.eight million sq. toes.

Amazon simply this week launched new photos of the fifth block of its Denny Triangle idea, designed with an “city treehouse.” The third and fourth blocks of the campus are underneath development now.

[takenews-blog1]

Building permit analysis sheds light on how much Amazon has spent on massive Seattle footprint

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/building-permit-analysis-sheds-light-on-how-much-amazon-has-spent-on-massive-seattle-footprint/

Building permit analysis sheds light on how much Amazon has spent on massive Seattle footprint

The Day One constructing and Spheres signify the most important Amazon constructing permits for a person venture.

Editor’s word: This story has been up to date to incorporate official knowledge on capital investments from Amazon’s HQ2 web site.

As Amazon parses functions from 238 municipalities for its second North American headquarters, a brand new evaluation delves into the billions of Amazon has spent on constructing permits to assemble its Seattle campus and which tasks it estimated it could put essentially the most cash into.

Development data firm BuildZoom checked out constructing permits for 45 buildings totaling 13.6 million sq. toes that Amazon has both purchased, constructed or leased within the final decade. The evaluation discovered that Amazon has accounted for $1.9 billion in constructing permits during the last 10 years.

On a web site devoted to HQ2, Amazon disclosed that it spent $three.7 billion from 2010 to final summer season on capital investments, together with buildings and infrastructure. The corporate dropped an extra $1.four billion on operational expenditures similar to utilities and upkeep.

Amazon’s official numbers account for 33 buildings totaling eight.1 million sq. toes.

Constructing permits should not a precise measure of a venture’s value and have a tendency to undervalue the overall price ticket, however they offer a window into how a lot the corporate expects to spend constructing by constructing. The values signify a price estimate for allowing functions and don’t mirror main adjustments all through the development course of.

The evaluation exhibits that Amazon’s largest constructing allow is valued at greater than $653 million, and that’s for Block 19, which incorporates the brand new Day One Tower and the enduring triumvirate of Spheres.

The evaluation doesn’t account for the total scope of the fourth and fifth blocks of workplace buildings for the brand new campus in Seattle’s Denny Triangle neighborhood. The evaluation additionally doesn’t embody permits for a few of its largest leases, together with the 722,000-square-foot Rainier Sq. deal, and the almost 500,000-square-foot house above the downtown Seattle Macy’s retailer.

GeekWire beforehand analyzed Amazon’s development through the years and constructed a database of the retail large’s presence within the Seattle space.

Here’s a map of Amazon’s permits within the Seattle space and particular person constructing allow values:

As Amazon prepares to arrange its second North American headquarters, the true property scene is holding a eager eye on the corporate’s development in Seattle. Will it decelerate or cease totally, or is Amazon simply as bullish on its unique residence?

Thus far, the proof factors to the latter. BuildZoom’s evaluation exhibits that this 12 months alone Amazon has leased or been linked to 5 workplace buildings totaling greater than 1.eight million sq. toes.

Amazon simply this week launched new photos of the fifth block of its Denny Triangle idea, designed with an “city treehouse.” The third and fourth blocks of the campus are underneath development now.

[urbangeographies]

Why density is declining in US metro areas Most new housing development in the United States has occurred in low-density areas since the 1940s, a new study states. Building in these areas may be easier for a number of reasons, but it has also led to increased sprawl since the 1950s.

As noted by Richard Florida in The Atlantic City Lab, a new study by the urban economist Issi Romem of BuildZoom sheds light on both America’s historical pattern of growth and development as well as how these patterns shape the trade-offs and choices we have about our future. Using detailed data from the American Community Survey, Romem tracks the connection between housing development, sprawl and density since the 1940s.

In his previous research, Romem made a basic distinction between so-called “expansive” and “expensive” cities or metro areas. “Expansive cities” as their name implies, have sprawled outwardly and in doing so remained largely affordable. “Expensive cities” are more hemmed in by geography and have not been able to expand nearly as much, and have seen their housing prices increase as a result. The developed footprints of “expansive” Las Vegas and Atlanta, for example, have expanded by more than 200 percent between 1980 and 2010, compared to just 30 percent for expensive New York and San Francisco.

The general trend toward sprawl turns on the simple fact that it is far cheaper and far easier to add new housing at the periphery of metros than it is to build in already built-up areas. Undeveloped areas have by definition little or nothing on them. They are essentially virgin territory, so there is much less regulation of or opposition to new development. It is harder to assemble property in already built-up areas and such development faces greater land-use restrictions and more resistance from existing residents. 

While most urbanists—including Romem—think sprawl is bad, it does offer communities a way to deliver both affordable housing and preserve their urban neighborhoods. The downside here, of course, is increased congestion and environmental degradation. Alternatively, metros that choose to limit sprawl and densify can make housing more affordable, but that can also come at the expense of character and “charm” of their existing urban neighborhoods. For metros that do nothing—that neither sprawl nor densify—housing prices will go through the roof. Existing homeowners and the rich gain, while the poor and working classes are priced out.

See the full story in The Atlantic City Lab

[urbangeographies]

Cities confronting growth pressure face a tradeoff between accommodating growth through outward expansion, or accepting the social implications of failing to build enough new housing. Sprawl is not something to be welcomed. But people must understand that with neither outward expansion nor meaningful densification, U.S. cities cannot provide enough housing to prevent equally unwelcome changes to their social character.

Urban economist Issi Romem of BuildZoom on America’s historical pattern of growth and the trade-offs and choices we have about our future. 

[thebkgruby]

BuildZoom Raises $10.6 Million From Formation 8, Y Combinator To Focus On High-End Home Improvements

BuildZoom Raises $10.6 Million From Formation 8, Y Combinator To Focus On High-End Home Improvements

BuildZoom Cofounders Jiyan Wei and David Petersen (Photo courtesy of BuildZoom)

In the last two years, companies have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to address the so-called “home services” market, a more than $400 billion a year industry that encompasses everything from window cleaning to television installation. To date, entrants in this crowded market have included Thumbtack, a San…

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[rachelmdlong]

National Storm Damage Center Adds Another Layer of Consumer Protection By Signing Agreement With BuildZoom

National Storm Damage Center Adds Another Layer of Consumer Protection By Signing Agreement With BuildZoom

Plano, Texas (PRWEB) July 20, 2015

National Storm Damage Center CEO Trevor Leeds announced today that the NSDC has signed an agreement with BuildZoom, which created the first objective, automated system for ranking and rating remodeling and construction…

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[nafoussi-blog]

There's A Female Burglar Stealing Apple Products From San Francisco Startups

There’s A Female Burglar Stealing Apple Products From San Francisco Startups

An unidentified woman began breaking into San Francisco startups over the summer, stealing thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment.

Companies BuildZoom and Fetch, which share a building, were robbed of numerous laptops and smaller devices, with the thief refusing to take anything not made by Apple.

The burglar is still at large, and the cofounder of BuildZoom has taken matters into his…

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