After months of removing debris from worksites and rebuilding damaged projects, new construction has begun again in Western North Carolina. The numbers, though, show that it is slowly returning. 

Permitting data, submitted by the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains (BABRM), shows how construction has slowed. Through a four-county area, which includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison, the number of single-family building permits dropped from 1,868 between January and August 2024 to 1,298 during the same period in 2025—a decline of roughly 30 percent.

“Members are clear that the hurricane has reshaped the construction landscape, at least in the short term,” said Megan Carroll, Executive Officer of BABRM. “We’re seeing project delays, higher costs, strain on the supply of labor, and ongoing challenges with insurance and materials. Those effects will continue to influence the area’s construction industry for the foreseeable future. At the same time, our builders are resilient. There’s a strong sense that the industry will push through this and come out more coordinated and prepared for future challenges.”

Many builders felt the drastic drop of new construction projects after Helene, including Modern Mountain Builders’ cofounder Max DeHoll. He said that his company lost several residential projects and government projects and three commercial builds in Asheville’s Rivers Arts District.

At the beginning of 2025 his firm focused on helping others and volunteering through the BABRM until permitting issues eased and more work became available. He called it a time of “confusion.”

“In the beginning of the year we were trying to figure out where projects were going to land,” DeHoll said. “It made it challenging for us for a few different reasons. Projects that were delayed, we didn’t know when they were going to start again and the (project owners) didn’t even know. So there were a lot of question marks.”

Now the company has begun to plan for a successful new year with several River Arts District projects in the works, along with new work that has developed. The expectation for DeHoll’s firm is for a big 2026, but he’s unsure if that will be the case for all builders. He said they have job openings that smaller home builders are applying for due to the lack of their own work.

Hunter Ward, Vice President of Ward Enterprises, had a similar experience after the storm. Three of their new construction projects had trees go through roofs and several potential clients decided against building. Ward, who works with his father, Larry, in the family business, said his team shifted to rebuilding and smaller projects after the storm. Ward said he spoke of this at his company’s Christmas party, as his crew performed repairs and finished jobs that they’d never done before.

“As a business owner, what I've learned is there's a moment where you've got to be flexible in your business plan and take on things that you're not as comfortable doing, to keep your employees working, to keep paying your bills,” Ward said. “You may not be making a bunch of profit, but you're keeping things going.”

Work picked up after several months, Ward said, and his crews now have new home projects planned for clients and several more in the design phase. He said his company is “expecting a very good 2026.”

To find out exactly what happened to the construction industry in the area, the BABRM conducted a Hurricane Helene Impact Assessment to learn how members were affected by this disaster. 

The most common impact found was the loss of income and project cancellations. Several companies reported seven-figure losses, with individual physical damage totals in some cases exceeding $10 million, the BABRM reported. Some builders lost entire project pipelines, with multi-year custom builds canceled or postponed, with one respondent who reported losing more than $6 million in anticipated revenue for the next two-plus years. 

Other findings from the survey included members who reported loss of tools or materials, vehicle loss, loss of employees who were displaced, and deep frustration with insurance and government aid. There was also a worsening of the skilled labor shortage and businesses that took on substantial high-interest debt. Many described recovery as traumatic, exhausting, and overwhelming. Respondents reported juggling full-time work, while simultaneously rebuilding homes or businesses, while several explicitly asked for mental health, counseling, and wellness support, according to BABRM.

To serve its members following the storm, BABRM launched one of the most comprehensive industry-led disaster responses in the region, mobilizing its network to meet urgent needs while supporting long-term recovery. Its work earned BABRM five national Association Excellence Awards through the National Association of Home Builders, including honors for member support, public service, government affairs, and coalition-building, and its initiatives were highlighted by the National Association of Home Builders as national best practices for disaster response.

Including in its response to the community included the securing of $50,000 in disaster-relief grants, made possible through the National Association of Home Builders’ Disaster Relief Fund, that provided critical lifelines to some of the hardest-hit members, helping stabilize operations, replace equipment, and create a bridge toward long-term recovery.

BABRM established a multi-sector Disaster Recovery Task Force, bringing together leaders from construction, government, healthcare, and community organizations, and helped align federal, local, nonprofit, and industry efforts that accelerated rebuilding across Western North Carolina. The group also hosted free regional housing forums in Henderson, Buncombe, and Transylvania counties, connecting residents with FEMA, local inspectors, and licensed professionals, along with performing other efforts.

“Members told us that BABRM’s support genuinely made a difference. The quick communication, resource-sharing, and advocacy at both the local and state levels helped them steady themselves during an incredibly chaotic time,” Carroll said. “Staff and board members personally reached out to more than 1,200 members after the storm to understand the scope of the damage, and there was real gratitude for the disaster-relief grants awarded to two longstanding members who were hit especially hard. Together, these gestures reinforced how important it is to have a strong, connected community to lean on when things get tough.”

Hopefully the new year will lead to a better year for the construction industry.