Houston homebuilding post-Harvey

​​​​HOUSTON – After Hurricane Harvey, resources were needed to rebuild homes damaged in the storm, which limited the number of homebuilders that were able to build at the end of last year, said Lawrence Dean, regional director of Metrostudy Houston, a real estate and housing market research group.

“Post-Harvey, a significant number of homes had to be rebuilt,” Dean said. “So, homebuilders found that certain types of specialty trade were in short supply.”

There was a shortage of skilled laborers, such as drywall finishers and cabinetry experts in the Greater Houston area’s housing market, which meant new homes took longer to build.

On average, it takes builders about four to six months to build a home, although it depends on the size and design of the property. 

However, the shortage of laborers caused an average home’s production timeline to increase by one to two months after Harvey.