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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m A p r i l 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 33 region, with communities in that region reporting 70 new residential construction projects through March of 2015, compared to 53 during the first three months of 2014, according to MTD Marketing Services, which tracks building permits in the region. Not only is single-family housing booming, but Silvercrest Construction Group President Scott Murphy says multi-family housing is also staging a comeback. In addition to plans calling for larger units with generous layouts aimed at families, there is a growing demand for community-based residential facilities to support assisted living programs. "About summer of 2014, it seems like someone just flipped the on switch," says Murphy. "ings have just been crazy since then." It's a welcome form of crazy, though. First quarter new housing starts in the Fox Valley had fallen from highs above 200 prior to the recession to as low as 42 in 2011 before beginning the current uptick. Consumer tastes have also changed. Prior to the recession, homes with a larger footprint were the popular choice. Now, the spending is on interior amenities such as unique tile, reclaimed wood or upgraded hardware. "Overall, people are still being cautious about size — they don't want any wasted space," says Mike Karrels, owner of Karr-Bach Builders in Fond du Lac. "ey are definitely going for the upper end on the interior." While the builders who weathered the rough years are glad to see a growing workload of new houses, there are concerns they will be able to keep pace should demand ramp up too quickly. One of the lingering aer-effects of the Great Recession is that the pool of skilled workers has been greatly reduced. In addition to those who le the industry — either taking retirement or switching careers in order to keep working — there have been diminished numbers entering the trades on the front end. (920) 498-9300 | baylandbuildings.com | ■ COMMERCIAL ■ INDUSTRIAL ■ AGRICULTURAL "I think we are always worried that if the boom gets bigger, that skilled help we rely on is going to be harder to find," says Karrels. Even companies such as Van's Lumber & Custom Builders, which employs its own crasmen rather than hiring subcontractors, feels the squeeze. Chris VandenHouten, another of the brothers and the company's job coordinator, says he would gladly hire more carpenters to keep up with the pace of new projects, if he could find them. "I could hire five or six if I could find enough of them," he says. "A lot of folks got out of the business and trades were not encouraged at the high school level. People just weren't thinking about construction at the time." Still, builders are optimistic there are better days ahead. "We are kind of in a holding pattern right now (because off the road limits), says Murphy. "But by April, we should be going strong."