‘Construction’ Archive

Trailertopia: Clayton’s modern i-house attracts new buyers to manufactured home market

by Laura Huchzermeyer, February 11, 2010, 10:40 am

Since when did trailers become chic? Here in Austin we eat coffee porter braised lamb and gourmet doughnuts out of vintage Airstreams that have been transformed into roadside restaurants. Last weekend in the …

For Sale — Housing stocks starting to move

by Patrice Sarath, May 5, 2009, 9:35 am

Good news from the National Association of Realtors led to a rise in housing stocks this week. To which one must ask, “What? Isn’t that crazy?”

But investors are just cock-eyed optimists, except when they are panicking and dumping everything in sight.

The good news …

Can infrastructure save the economy? And make it pretty too?

by Patrice Sarath, April 23, 2009, 9:12 am

The New York Times article on the history of the Merritt Parkway was pretty timely in light of the economic stimulus. About $40 billion is going toward highway and infrastructure construction. Will the money include the kind of development that went into the …

Scenes from the economic downturn

by Jeff Dorsch, March 16, 2009, 1:05 pm

Like the “Hooverville” shanty towns of the Great Depression, the homeless encampment along the American River in Sacramento, California, is becoming a national symbol of the financial meltdown and the recession, and the consequences for ordinary people. There are no multibillion-dollar …

The economic stimulus package and high tech

by Jeff Dorsch, February 13, 2009, 2:27 pm

President Obama is famous for reading his e-mail on a BlackBerry and using social media to campaign. To help pass the economic stimulus package that came together in Congress this week, he again turned to the high-technology industry.

The president and his advisers called …

Will the new Yankee Stadium have a network? Yes, and we don’t mean YES.*

by Jeff Dorsch, November 19, 2008, 7:00 am

My parents insist that I became a fan of the New York Yankees after watching the TV broadcast of Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, when I was not quite three months old. I tell people …

Scandal 2 scandal: 2007, the year that was

by Patrice Sarath, January 8, 2008, 6:16 am

January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doorways and gateways, looking forward and backward at the same time.  Since this is a time of reflection on the past and predictions for the future, let’s crank up …

Beazer says it broke law in helping buyers qualify for home loans

by Patrice Sarath, October 16, 2007, 6:05 am

In the latest news from the homebuilding front, Beazer Homes, one of the largest residential businesses in the country, said that it broke the law when it helped some buyers qualify for mortgages. It’s also restating earnings back to 1999.

The company …

The subprime mortgage mess; once more, with Star Trek

by Patrice Sarath, September 14, 2007, 6:23 am

I have a nametag on my desk that is from the Ferengi School of Business. Tag line: “First Rule of Acquisition: Once you have their money, you never give it back.”

(Star Trek aliens have always been a reflection of …

ABB bids final adieu to oil & gas business

by Anne Law, August 30, 2007, 7:08 am

After numerous trials and tribulations, Swiss industrial giant ABB Ltd is taking the final step in its restructuring plan by shedding its last downstream oil and gas assets. In a deal worth nearly $1 billion, energy engineering and …