Women Leaving Their Mark on the Home Building Industry

Women continue to make significant strides in the residential construction field. This includes positively impacting the growth of the labor workforce. In fact, the number of women employed in the industry hit 1.287 million in 2023.

This week, NAHB honors these skilled workers by celebrating Professional Women in Building (PWB) Week. Long gone are the days when women worked exclusively in the office. Today, they're builders, carpenters and remodelers - proving women are as effective on the job site as their male counterparts.

NAHB spoke with three PWB members - all of whom work in the trades - to learn more about what inspired them to enter the field, the challenges they've faced along the way and how PWB has helped them grow professionally.

Elizabeth Bond: Lessons Learned Along the Way

Elizabeth Bond was introduced to construction by her father. He taught her everything from hanging drywall to installing tile to fixing minor electrical and plumbing issues. Bond says he would often remind her: "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something because you are female."

Even as a child, Bond enjoyed conceptualizing designs and creating them using Tinker Toys, Lego building blocks and Erector sets. By the time she was in high school, she'd learned about the design and construction fields, and decided to pursue them. Bond graduated from The Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, earning a bachelor's degree in interior design. Afterwards, she opened a design and construction company with her father where their first project was renovating a foster home. "The joy in the parents' and kids' eyes forever stuck with me," she said.

The path to owning her own luxury cabinetry business - Dovetail Cabinetry based in Pittsburgh - came with a few lessons she'd have to learn on her own over the course of a 30-year career. Paramount among them is remaining committed to her clients by listening to them, keeping the lines of communication open and prioritizing top-notch customer service. Also, working in a male-dominated industry was a constant reminder early on that she had to prove herself to be taken seriously. Even today, there are situations that require her to show she's fully capable of doing the work.

Despite this, seeing the excitement on her clients' faces when their dream living spaces become a reality continues to motivate her. Learning from other women working in construction through PWB also keeps her going. For younger women interested in the trades, Bond recommends taking classes in finance and business development, so they don't have to depend on someone else to secure that information.

Lita Durks: Building Relationships and Her Career

After several years of working in retail design, Lita Dirks decided to start her own business, Lita Dirks & Co., a Greenwood Village, Colo.-based interior design firm, in 1995. This would serve as the catalyst for her transition into the residential construction field.

Making the switch was no easy feat. At the time, she was a single mom with an infant, so starting a new business meant that she'd need to go above and beyond to get the job done.

"I didn't mind, because I was excited to be doing what I loved," Dirks said.

This professional shift led her to develop a love for people - specifically, helping them discover their dream home while also working with builders to create beautiful spaces for buyers within a defined budget. Dirks was able to see the value in cultivating positive relationships between builders and those in the trades. One of the many advantages of establishing these strong collaborative teams includes growing and sustaining new business.

As a woman working in the trades with decades of experience, Dirks admits to feeling the need to prove herself to earn the respect of builders: "They want to know that a designer isn't all fluff, that we understand construction and respect the total process and industry. It isn't just what style is in or what the color of the year is."

Alexa Dack: Taking a Collaborative Approach

Having a father who was a structural engineer influenced Alexa Dack's interest in the building industry. By the time she reached high school, she had developed a passion for math and design. Pursuing a career in architecture seemed like the perfect choice.

She graduated from the California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in architecture. Shortly after, Dack joined the staff at the Pleasanton, Calif.-based architecture firm DAHLIN, where she is now a senior associate and senior architect. Unlike some women working in the field who may have experienced sexism, that has not been the case for Dack. In fact, she says that being at DAHLIN has provided her with plenty of opportunities for growth and support throughout her nine years there.

Dack says architecture is more balanced between women and men compared to other trades, such as those that require more manual labor. This balance has influenced her approach to collaboration in the workplace.

"I tend to take a more gender-neutral view," she said. "I think each person brings unique advantages based on their individual skill sets."

Even still, she believes it's important to ensure other women in the field are given an equal advantage to succeed. Joining PWB has helped her further understand that viewpoint and broadened her personal network.

"[PWB] has allowed me to interact with other passionate women leaders in the building industry and to learn from them early on, when I otherwise may not have had the opportunity to cross paths with them," she said. Dack happily returned the favor when she became the president of the BIA Bay Area PWB Council in 2021.

Visit the PWB Week toolkit for resources and tips, such as sample social media posts, Shop Talk registration links, marketing materials and more. Subscribe to the NAHBNow blog to stay updated on news content about some of this year's featured women in building.

NAHB's Professional Women in Building Week is sponsored by Andersen Windows & Doors.