Circular design and trusses that radiate from the center and distribute forces evenly are among the features that have allowed houses by Deltec Homes to stand up to powerful storms, the home builder says.

Nationwide housing starts rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units in May due primarily to increased production on the multifamily side, according to data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The eight-point jump was the first time the index has been above 50 since April 2006 and represented the biggest one-month gain since August and September of 2002, when the HMI recorded a similar increase of eight points.

Cool-roof material choices have expanded from reflective paint to vinyl sheeting, light-colored gravel, and other roofing products designed to reflect 90 percent of sunlight.

A district judge has ruled invalid the fire ordinance of Helena, Mont., adopted in 2008 to restrict exposed wood building materials and require fire-resistance roofing materials on new or extensively repaired structures.

The increased cost to build underground safe rooms is the major reason that codes in tornado-prone areas of the Midwest do not require them.

The number of U.S. housing markets on the mend rose by five to a total of 263 in June, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI).

Success in constructing net-zero homes in the Northwest has sparked debate over how green codes should be incorporated.

The Home Building Lending Improvement Act of 2013 would discourage lenders from calling construction loans whose payments are current and establish regulatory guidelines to allow the banking industry to restore lending for viable home building projects.