A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for March 23, 2012

The monthly sales tally from the U.S. Census Bureau showed gains in February – sales were up 1.1% from the previous month, and up 6.5% from the same month last year.

Leading the sales charge are businesses classified as building material & garden equipment and supplies dealers – NAICS code 444, inclusive of home centers and hardware stores. No other kind of business tracked by the bureau has grown faster in the first two months of 2012. 

Lowe's entered the do-it-yourself ramp market with what it calls an "affordable, configurable" ramp system. 

The Gatehouse Custom Access Ramp System will be available to consumers in Lowe’s stores and on Lowes.com in spring 2012.

The product, which is the latest extension of Lowe's accessible home products for safety and mobility in the home, was unveiled at the 2012 International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla.

Sales of new single-family houses in December fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000, down 2.2% from the revised November rate of 314,000. 

Compared with a year ago, December new housing sales were down 7.3%, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's new residential sales report released Thursday. 

A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for Jan. 6, 2012

In a case involving a car battery that exploded in a consumer’s hands, a federal court in New Jersey has reaffirmed the longstanding notion that retailers can be found strictly liable when they sell defective products. The Nov. 2 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Peter G. Sheridan potentially places a heavy burden on home improvement chains and other retailers considered “experts” in their industries.

A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for Dec. 23, 2011

*Western - regional species perimeter foundation; Southern - regional species slab construction.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose two points to 21 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for December. This marks the third consecutive month in which builder confidence has improved, and brings the index to its highest point since May 2010. 

Floor care products make perfectly acceptable holiday gifts, according to research just released by The NPD Group. In its consumer tracking study, conducted between November 2010 and October 2011, the market research firm discovered that 6% of all floor care appliances -- the majority of them vacuums -- were purchased as a gift for someone else. And in half of the purchases, the item was intended as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift.

A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for Dec. 2, 2011

The Conference Board reported Tuesday morning that its Consumer Confidence Index increased to 56.0 in November, up from 40.9 in October.

That's not the only metric improving. The Expectations Index rose to 67.8 from 50.0, and the Present Situation Index increased to 38.3 from 27.1. 

It's certainly not partying like 1985 -- when the Index was set at 100. But it's an improvement welcomed by Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. 

Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year and the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, drew more crowds and generated more sales than ever before, according to Chicago-based research firm ShopperTrak.