A palpable confidence has returned to the domestic U.S. construction market. Robust financial markets, rising home values and less-constrained spending by tightfisted American consumers all injected energy into what had been a languorous pace of recovery. Infrastructure megaprojects rolled forward in Denver and New York City. Budget pacts steadied a wobbly federal government. More construction workers walked through project gates than any of the past five years.
Yes, there was trouble. The federal government sputtered as if it were an old gasoline lawn mower, and contractors "bought" projects without much profit. Subcontractor defaults reached eyebrow-raising levels. Despite it all, 2013 represented improvement. That said, we would like to make a few requests for 2014: