Residential Construction Spending Rises 0.8% in April 2026

NAHB’s Eye on Housing reports that private residential construction spending increased 0.8% in April 2026, following a 0.6% gain in March. Single-family construction and home improvement spending drove the increase. Total private residential spending is now 1.7% above year-ago levels. The post covers monthly and annual comparisons and is relevant to GCs and estimators active in the residential and light commercial markets.

Two consecutive monthly gains after a rough stretch sounds like a recovery, but 1.7% year-over-year is not a number worth building a backlog around. Single-family is moving, but builder sentiment published in May flagged real affordability pressure still in the system. Home improvement growth is a different animal entirely, it signals homeowners aren’t moving, which feeds remodel and addition work but does nothing for the new-construction pipeline that most residential GCs actually price against. The estimators who treat this as a green light to load up on residential pursuits are reading one month’s data and calling it a trend.

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Read the full story at NAHB Eye on Housing.