1. Remodelers' index at 62: steady, with leads and backlog up
The National Association of Home Builders published its Remodeling Market Index for the third quarter on October 8: 62, up one point from the second quarter. Anything above 50 means more remodelers call conditions good than poor, and NAHB notes the index has stayed between 59 and 70 for four years. Current conditions held at 70: large projects of $50,000 and more rose two points to 66, while moderate and small projects slipped a point or two. The forward-looking part rose two points to 54: backlog 56, leads and inquiries 53, both up two.
The chair of NAHB Remodelers, Elliott Pike, said remodelers "in certain parts of the country continue to report issues with high material costs and finding enough labor to finish projects on time." NAHB's economist Robert Dietz reads the number as "remodeling activity to remain stable in 2026 and grow slightly in 2027."
Why it matters: the work is there, especially the big jobs, and finishing on time is what keeps it.
- Count your own two numbers the way NAHB does: new inquiries in the last 30 days, and weeks of signed work waiting to start. Write both down on the first of every month.
- On every job that starts this month, write the finish date into the contract and tell the crew the same date.
2. The 30-year mortgage rose to 7.40%
Freddie Mac's weekly survey, published October 8: the 30-year fixed averaged 7.40%, up from 7.28% a week earlier and 6.30% a year ago. The 15-year averaged 6.73%, up from 6.60%. Rates have risen seven weeks in a row: the 30-year was 6.65% on August 20 and has gone up every week since.
Why it matters: at 7.40% a homeowner with a 3% or 4% loan is not moving. The house they have is the one they will fix, but the money will not come from a refinance.
- Write to the customers you finished in 2023 and 2024 about the next job in that house. They are staying put.
- Keep two prices on a large estimate: the whole project, and the part that can be done this winter for cash on hand.
3. OSHA: $254,884 proposed after a worker died in a 12-foot trench
On October 7 OSHA announced citations against J.D. Wagoner Excavating of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. On April 2 a wall of a 12-foot trench failed during a storm sewer installation and a worker died. OSHA found no protection against cave-in, no daily inspection by a competent person, no safe way out, and materials stored at the edge: one willful, two repeat and three serious violations, proposed penalties $254,884. The company can contest them.
Why it matters: a sewer lateral, a footing, a French drain. Most remodelers open a trench a few times a year, and the rules are the same for a two-person company as for an excavator. They are short:
- At 5 feet of depth a protective system is required: a trench box, shoring or sloped walls. The only exceptions are stable rock, or a trench under 5 feet that a competent person has examined (1926.652).
- At 4 feet of depth there must be a ladder, stairway or ramp within 25 feet of every worker in the trench (1926.651).
- Spoils and equipment stay at least 2 feet back from the edge, and a competent person inspects the trench before each shift and after every rain (1926.651).
- If you do not own a trench box, rent one with the excavator. It is cheaper than the smallest of these fines.
Where WorkTime CRM helps with this
Only with the first item, and only where it does the thing itself:
- Your leads number: Pipeline → the "🚀 Sources" tab counts new leads for the last 7, 30 or 90 days, by source.
- Your backlog: every column on the pipeline board shows the sum of its estimates, so "Approved" and "Waiting Start" are your backlog in dollars.
- A postponed customer: marking a lost estimate "Postponed" or "Financing fell through" puts a win-back reminder on your calendar 90 days later.