Welcome to the Athens Area Home Builders Association
The Athens Area Home Builders Association is a non-profit professional trade association made up of member companies, representing residential and light commercial builders, subcontractors, suppliers, and many other service providers to the building industry throughout Athens-Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Stephens, and Walton Counties. Together we are the foundation for the local home-building industry - building pride in our community through interaction, commitment, professionalism, education, community service, and environmental responsibility.
NAHB Now
- The Importance of Safety Guardrails on a Home Building SiteJoin NAHB and its official safety sponsor, Builders Mutual, as we celebrate the seventh annual Guardrail Safety Week, Oct. 19-23, and be part of the difference proper guardrail use makes in protecting workers and saving lives.
- U.S. Cuts Duties on Canadian LumberFollowing its annual review, the U.S. Department of Commerce lowered antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports from about 35.16% to 24.75%.
- Supreme Court Leaves New York City’s SoHo/NoHo Arts Fee in PlaceThe U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a New York City law that requires certain property owners to pay a substantial fee to convert their properties to unrestricted residential use. NAHB filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to review the case.
- Midterm Elections: 3 Ways Members Can Make a Difference on Nov. 3Elected officials at all levels play a role in finding solutions to make housing more affordable. Here’s how NAHB members can make a difference this election cycle.
- NAHB Supports Supplemental WOTUS Proposal, Calls for Clear Final RuleNAHB submitted comments on Oct. 9 supporting the Trump administration’s September 2026 supplemental waters of the United States (WOTUS) proposal. The proposal creates a new framework for determining which waters and wetlands are federally regulated under the Clean Water Act.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
New Members
Eye On Housing
- Single-Family Permitting Declines Through AugustSingle-family permitting activity continued to soften through the first eight months of 2026, while multifamily permitting remained stronger compared with the same period last year. Regional and state-level trends show continued variation in permitting activity, reflecting differences in housing demand, affordability conditions, and local market dynamics. Over the first eight months of the year, the […]
- Research Highlights the Broad Benefits of HomeownershipA rich, peer-reviewed academic literature finds that homeownership produces benefits that extend well beyond house-price appreciation. As detailed in a 2003 Journal of Urban Economics literature review, research across economics, political science, sociology, medical research, and related fields identifies homeownership as both a wealth-building mechanism and a source of broader household and community stability. Homeownership […]
- Building Material Price Inflation Nears Four Year HighThe Producer Price Index for final demand was up 1.3% in September, after rising 0.5% in August. Compared to a year ago, final demand prices were up 6.3%. The price of goods used in new residential construction (including energy) was up 1.8% over the month and up 9.7% from last year, while the price of […]
- How Old Are Workers in the Construction Trades?A previous post examined the median age of the overall construction workforce and how it compares with workers in all industries. This analysis takes a closer look at workers in construction trades, where the median ages differ considerably across occupations. According to NAHB analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey (PUMS data), the median age […]
- Labor Shortages a Growing ProblemLabor shortages in the home building industry are becoming more widespread, according to recent results from the NAHB/Well Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey. The September 2026 HMI survey asked builders about shortages in 16 specific trades. The percentage of builders reporting a shortage (either serious or some) of labor they employ directly ranged from […]
