What it takes to build a home that lasts

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Marketplace Morning Report
Episode: What it takes to build a home that lasts
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: David Brancaccio

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Marketplace Morning Report explores the urgent challenges facing America's housing market, especially in the context of climate disasters and a severe housing shortage. Special emphasis is placed on new, resilient approaches to homebuilding, as featured in the upcoming joint special with "This Old House Radio Hour," titled "Building Tomorrow." The episode introduces innovative homeowners rebuilding in the wake of devastating fires, showcasing unique building techniques and materials meant to withstand future disasters.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Current Economic News and Job Market Update

• January Job Gains:
  • 130,000 new jobs added, more than double the expectation.
  • Unemployment ticked down to 4.3%.
  • Surge in healthcare hiring noted, possibly affected by severe weather.
  • Major revision: nearly 900,000 fewer jobs than previously reported for last year.
• Expert Analysis:
  • Julia Coronado (MacroPolicy Perspectives):

    "It was almost entirely in the private sector. Got some downward revisions to manufacturing. We also got substantial downward revisions to trade, transportation and utilities."
    (01:10)

  • Manufacturing and trade sectors underperformed due to tariffs and trade wars.

2. Congress Re-examines Tariff Authority

• Context:
  • Legislative efforts to retract President Trump's authority on tariffs.
  • Bill proposed to repeal higher import taxes on Canada.
  • House rejects delay on tariff votes; rare bipartisan movement.
  • Insufficient votes to override presidential veto anticipated.
• Quote:
  • Nancy Marshall Genser reports:

    "The Constitution gives Congress authority over tariffs and quote, 'It's time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility.'"
    (03:01)

3. America's Housing Crisis and Disasters

• Housing Shortage:
  • 2 to 5 million more homes needed, varies by analysis.
  • Compounded by recent climate disasters:
    • 2024: Hurricane Helene destroyed 1,000 homes in NC.
    • 2025: California fires destroyed 12,000 homes.
  • Personal story: Host David Brancaccio lost a 99-year-old house in the Altadena fire.

    "We had the perfect house for the last hundred years. What we needed to build ... was a house for the next hundred."
    (03:39)

---

Special Report Preview: Building Tomorrow

4. Innovators in Resilient Homebuilding

A. Heidi Lewist’s Bunker-Style House (East of Los Angeles)

• Approach:
  • Using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for resilience and energy efficiency.
  • Structure: 2" foam, 6" concrete, 2" foam, reinforced with rebar -- Lego-like assembly.
  • Fire, wind, and insulation advantages.
• Quotes & Moments:
  • Humor in adversity:

    "I'm not building a house. I'm building a bunker. So I decided to name my house Edith. Edith Bunker. I'm sorry, I have to make a joke out of everything, but ... as long as I have a house and it's going to be strong and sturdy, why not give her a name?"
    (04:27)

  • Technical details:

    "Can take up to 250 mile an hour winds. It's going to give me a four to six hour firewall and I probably won't need any heating or cooling because it's that much insulated."
    (05:05)

  • Efficiency:

    "Literally there's only three guys building it."
    (06:00)

  • Anticipated move-in:

    "Cinco de Mayo."
    (06:12)

B. Aloe Blacc’s Prefabricated Duplex (Nearby Neighborhood)

• Approach:
  • Prefabricated, modular homes, assembled quickly on-site.
  • Constructed from fire-resistant fiber cement.
  • Avoided typical post-disaster contractor delays and supply chain issues.
• Quotes & Moments:
  • Quick assembly and reliability:

    "The whole thing came on a crane. These two halves were put together. What I did not want was the headache of ... a contractor who will sign and then go take a bunch of other work and never show up or have supply issues."
    (06:40)

  • Fire resilience demonstration:

    "We held a torch to the wall for three minutes and it did nothing but put like a black mark that you just wipe off with a rag."
    (07:21)

  • On community recovery:

    "Unfortunately, my father passed, so he won't be living here. But because this community is in such need of housing, people will want to live near where they're building."
    (07:43)

  • Personal note from known musician:

    "Yeah. Lucky enough to be part of this beautiful community and to help restore it in the way that I can. You can throw the world in my face, but the fear gives me life and I swear till I die I'm gonna do it my way."
    (08:07)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rebuilding for the Next Century:

  "We had the perfect house for the last hundred years. What we needed to build ... was a house for the next hundred."
  (03:39, David Brancaccio, quoting poet Mary Brancaccio)

• Resilient Home Naming:

  "I'm not building a house. I'm building a bunker. So I decided to name my house Edith. Edith Bunker."
  (04:27, Heidi Lewist)

• Material Demonstration:

  "We held a torch to the wall for three minutes and it did nothing but put like a black mark that you just wipe off with a rag."
  (07:21, Aloe Blacc)

• Artist-Builder Perspective:

  "I've done a lot of backdrops for the movie and music industry. I did a Katy Perry super bowl halftime show in the backyard. I've done props for Lady Gaga."
  (05:36, Heidi Lewist)

• Community Impact:

  "Lucky enough to be part of this beautiful community and to help restore it in the way that I can."
  (08:07, Aloe Blacc)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:31 | January jobs report, context, and expert analysis | | 01:10 | Julia Coronado on sector-specific job data revisions | | 02:47 | Congressional movement on tariffs; bipartisan response | | 03:39 | Housing shortage, climate disaster impact, and preview of housing resilience segment | | 04:27 | Heidi Lewist on bunker-style ICF house, rebuilding after fire | | 05:05 | Technical breakdown of ICF home and its advantages | | 06:12 | Anticipated move-in date for new resilient home | | 06:40 | Aloe Blacc explains modular home approach and fire resilience | | 07:21 | Demonstration of fiber cement's fire resistance | | 08:07 | Aloe Blacc on rebuilding and community recovery |

---

Final Notes

This tight, engaging episode delivers a rapid-fire summary of the day's economic news before dwelling on the intersection of climate change, housing shortages, and the innovation required to build for the "next hundred years." Through personal stories and technical details, listeners get a nuanced look at what resilient homebuilding means in modern America, setting the stage for the fuller special, Building Tomorrow.

Transcript

[David Brancaccio]

Lifelock.

[Marketplace Host/Announcer]

How can I help?

[Heidi Lewist]

The IRS said I filed my return, but I haven't.

[LifeLock Representative]

One in four taxpaying Americans has paid the price of identity fraud.

[Heidi Lewist]

What do I do?

[Nancy Marshall Genser]

My refund, though. I'm freaking out.

[LifeLock Representative]

Don't worry.

[Marketplace Host/Announcer]

I can fix this.

[LifeLock Representative]

LifeLock fixes identity theft, guaranteed, and gets your money back with up to $3 million in coverage.

[Nancy Marshall Genser]

I'm so relieved.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

No problem.

[Marketplace Host/Announcer]

I'll be with you every step of the way.

[LifeLock Representative]

One in four was a fraud. Paying American. Not anymore. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com Specialoffer terms apply.

[David Brancaccio]

The job market improved in January, but was the awful weather a factor? I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. There's news this hour that 130,000 more people were on America's payrolls last month. That's more than twice what was expected. Also, the separate survey of households finds the unemployment rate ticking down a sliver 4.3%. Now there was a surge in hiring and health care fields, which needs to be fully explained. Experts also say terrible weather last month may have distorted this some. And the previous year's data was revised downward by nearly 900,000 jobs that never were. Julia Coronado is founder and president of Macropolicy Perspectives.

[Julia Coronado]

It was almost entirely in the private sector. Got some downward revisions to manufacturing. We also got substantial downward revisions to trade, transportation and utilities. So this is a sector that got hit, of course, by the tariffs and the trade wars and in fact led to less job creation than previously estimated.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

This Marketplace podcast is supported by Wealth Enhancement who understand that dreams don't happen by chance. It takes a plan. They're ready to build your wealth. Blueprint for retirement, investing, taxes and everything else your financial life brings. It reveals gaps and highlights opportunities you may have missed at no cost to you. Find out [e-mail] Blueprint Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo, the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. From CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, and more. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. This is why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's O-O-O.com in a rebuke to.

[David Brancaccio]

President Trump's unilateral authority to impose tariffs. There could soon be votes in the House of Representatives that could repeal some of those import taxes. Among them is a bill to get rid of the president's higher import taxes on Canada.

[Nancy Marshall Genser]

Last night, the House rejected legislation that would have delayed any votes on tariffs, with several Republicans voting with Democrats, including Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska. In a post on X, he wrote, the Constitution gives Congress authority over tariffs and quote, it's time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility. Democrats have teed up a number of tariff votes, including on a resolution that would repeal the emergency President Trump declared for the import taxes on Canada. But Trump would veto any measures overturning his tariffs. And at this point, there, there aren't enough votes in Congress to overturn a veto. I'm Nancy Marshall Genser for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

Too many people can't afford a place to live in America. We need to build 2 to 5 million more houses, depending on the expert. Lay over that. Disasters as climate and weather changes. In 2024, Hurricane Helene destroyed a thousand homes. Just In North Carolina. 2025, California fires destroyed 12,000 homes. When we lost our 99 year old house in the Altadena fire a year ago, poet Mary Brancaccio, we are very much related, remarked that we had the perfect house for the last hundred years. What we needed to build, she said, was a house for the next hundred. This old house Radio hour and Marketplace worked together on a special report exploring that idea. It's called Building Tomorrow. It comes out this weekend on many public radio stations. In it, we meet some great people. Building differently.

[Heidi Lewist]

Here's two I'm not building a house. I'm building a bunker. So I decided to name my house Edith Edith Bunker. I'm sorry I have to make a joke out of everything, but I figured, you know, as long as I have a house and it's going to be strong and sturdy, why not give her a name?

[David Brancaccio]

Just over a year after the urban firestorm northeast of Los Angeles, Heidi Lewist is working to replace her beloved house of 25 years. She's starting with panels that look like they're pressed from styrofoam cups. She's building with insulated concrete forms.

[Heidi Lewist]

So it's ICF blocks. It's basically 2 inch foam, 6 inch concrete, another 2 inch foam, you put rebar in the center and you pour concrete in. Can take up to 250 mile an hour winds. It's going to give me a four to six hour firewall and I probably won't need any heating or cooling because it's that much insulated it's like a Lego. It's got the tongue and groove and they kind of snap together.

[David Brancaccio]

It's a creative approach from a creative person.

[Heidi Lewist]

I'm pretty much an artist, a scenic artist. I've done a lot of backdrops for the movie and music industry. I did a Katy Perry super bowl halftime show in the backyard. I've done props for Lady Gaga.

[David Brancaccio]

I know. Too bad we can't just paint a backdrop of our houses and call it a day. But that doesn't quite work. You can't live in those. No, but we can live in a concrete house built quickly with snapped together panels.

[Heidi Lewist]

So I'm saving him labor because literally there's only three, three guys building it.

[David Brancaccio]

I don't want to jinx anything, but when do you think you might be able to spend your first night in here?

[Heidi Lewist]

Cinco de Mayo.

[David Brancaccio]

So, springtime. Heidi Luz's construction site is three blocks east of my property. Three blocks south is another burnt out parcel. Now with three 800 square foot small houses coming together quickly here. Even kitchen cabinets are already in place. The whole thing pretty prefabricated by a company called Live Large Home. The owner of this property, Aloe Black, is happy to show off the front house one year after the fire.

[Alo Black]

Near completion. They are just working on final touches. The whole thing came on a crane. These two halves were put together. What I did not want was the headache of the trauma of a fire and then the headache of a contractor who will sign and then go take a bunch of other work and never show up or have supply issues. I got what I paid for and it was delivered earlier than expected.

[David Brancaccio]

The place has a sleek euro feel inside. Its structure is not wood, but something called fiber cement that meets tough California building codes.

[Alo Black]

So California, we have floods, earthquakes and fires. Fiber cement is fire resistant. We held a torch to the wall for three minutes and it did nothing but put like a black mark that you just wipe off with a rag.

[David Brancaccio]

Alo had mentioned he'd bought the property before the fire for his elderly dad.

[Alo Black]

Unfortunately, my father passed, so he won't, he won't be living here. But because this community is in such need of housing, people will want to live near where they're building.

[David Brancaccio]

So one man's effort to increase rental housing supply. And you're probably wondering, yes, this is the Alo Black. Singer, songwriter, entertainer.

[Alo Black]

Yeah. Lucky enough to be part of this beautiful community and to help restore it in the way that I can. You can throw the world in my face, but the fear gives me life and I swear till I die I'm gonna do it my way.

[David Brancaccio]

Just some of the people we meet in building tomorrow. This weekend's special episode on the future of housing from Marketplace and this Old House Radio hour on many public radio stations nationwide in Los Angeles. Hi, I'm David Brancaccio. From apm, American Public Media.

[Marketplace Host/Announcer]

Ready to make the most of your money? Sign up to receive weekly tips from Marketplace designed to help you make smarter financial decisions. Plus, you'll also be the first to know about exclusive Marketplace merchandise and local events. Text Marketplace to 80568 to sign up.