Custom Builder Weekly - Mar 18th, 2026

Architects say luxury is holding | An island retreat that sinks into its surroundings | Share your client challenges with us!

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Luxury Leads

The custom residential market is holding steady, but selectively so. John Burns’ recent survey shows overall project activity flat at the end of 2025, with mid-tier buyers pausing, while luxury projects continue moving forward.

NAHB data confirms that resilience: custom starts rose 3% in 2025, even as overall single-family starts fell more than 6%, bringing custom’s market share up to 20%.

Strong luxury demand is clearly buoying the market, even as mid-tier buyers slow. Remodeling is also bubbling up, with JBREC data showing clients expanding project scopes.

At a recent NAHB committee meeting I sat in on, nearly every custom builder reported some exposure to remodeling. Growth comes from wherever you can find it. (Take our own quick poll and share what you're seeing on the ground)

— Pauline Hammerbeck, Head of Content

Signals: What We're Tracking

🎉Custom home building showed up in 2025. While overall single-family starts fell by more than 6%, custom posted a 3% gain, bringing the market share to 20%.

More: It's a modest bump but confirms what many of you already know: the sector is less sensitive to interest rates and more tied to household wealth and stock market performance.

Keep in mind: These figures only count homes built under contract for a specific client; they exclude the spec side of a custom builder's business.

[Read the NAHB analysis→]

📩Ultra-wealthy clients are joining an invite-only waitlist by a Brooklyn developer. Vetted buyers join the private "Little Black Book" to see semi-custom and spec homes before they hit the market. The developer says clients "enjoy the fruits of a custom renovation without the labor."

Signal: How are you catering to potential clients in markets where inventory is similarly tight? [Read about the waitlist concept →]

Hundreds of stone-fabricators are falling ill with a grave lung disease, blaming the inhalation of tiny silica particles that form when quartz is cut. Manufacturers say engineered stone is safe, blaming improper cutting methods and lack of safety precautions.

Meanwhile: Lawsuits are mounting, and the industry is asking Congress for protection for its $30 billion business, which employees over 100,000 workers. [Read about the hearing in the NYT]