Fresno sees boom in building projects as homeowners gain confidence

The uptick in the Fresno housing market is helping to revive another sector of the wounded industry home remodeling.

Building permits for home additions, alterations and repairs were up 28% in July compared with the same time a year ago, according to the city of Fresno building department. From February through July of this year, permits in Fresno are up 15% over the same period last year. Visalia reports a similar increase over the same period.

A combination of homeowner confidence in the economy and the desire to modernize, retrofit or customize is driving the number of remodeling jobs up to a level not seen in at least five years, contractors say.

The demand even has homebuilders like De Young Properties creating new companies to specialize in renovation work.

"I think we've seen the light and it's shining right now," said Ken Dye, chief executive officer and president of Nelson Dye Remodeling Specialists in Fresno. "We're hoping it doesn't fade."

Kitchen and bathroom remodels remain popular, followed by energy-saving upgrades such as replacing old heating and cooling equipment and solar panels. Then come the wants: custom closets, garage storage or home offices.

Dye, whose family has owned and operated the company for 57 years, is relieved to see business picking up. Like homebuilders, renovation companies saw business sliced in half during the recession. The road to recovery since then has been a tough one.

Between 2009 and 2011, the company only had about half the work it normally sees, Dye said. That changed in 2012 when the economy slowly started improving. This year, the work has more than doubled.

"We're doing much better this year," said Dye, whose company specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodels. "It seems like people are starting to spend money."

Custom Drywall Service in Fresno slipped into the dumps in 2008 when new homebuilding came to a standstill. Back then, 80% of the company's work was in new construction. The other 20% was in renovations.

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Fresno sees boom in building projects as homeowners gain confidence