Custom Builder Weekly - May 27th, 2026

Custom starts at 20%, Gen X outspending Boomers, and why mentorship is harder than it looks.

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A Bright Spot

The broader housing market is under pressure right now, with single-family starts down 5% for the first four months of 2026. But custom home construction seems to be a different story. New NAHB data puts it at 20% of single-family starts in Q1. We'll take it!

Also in this issue: why mentorship relationships are harder to formalize than most firms expect, and a Women at WIRC conversation with Gena Hoyt of Big Dog Construction on apprenticeships, culture, and what actually drives retention.

— Pauline Hammerbeck

Signals: What We're Tracking

Custom home construction reached 20% of single-family starts in Q1 2026, with 36,000 homes breaking ground (up 3% from the same quarter in 2025). Over the last four quarters, total custom starts hit 188,000, a 3% year-over-year gain. Get the details→

The median U.S. home is now 44 years old. Nearly half the country's housing stock predates 1982, before current energy codes and client expectations. The renovation and rebuilding backlog isn't going anywhere. Full story→.

Baby Boomers represented the largest share of total remodeling expenditures, but NAHB's breakdown actually names a different generation as the highest per-household spenders. See who's writing the big checks→.

Mirrored-glass saunas are pushing luxury wellness to the backyard, and this floor-to-ceiling glass installation shows how far the category has moved.

Miami leads all U.S. markets for international homebuyer interest at 10.3%, followed by New York (4.7%), Los Angeles (4.6%), Orlando (3%) and Tampa (2.8%), according to Realtor.com. LA's share has dropped from 7.9% in 2020. Full report her e.