Dive Summary:

• Numbers collected by data-collection firm BuildFax show 6% more building permits for remodeling were pulled in July than in June and 15% more than a year ago.
• It appears that the work is coming from both people who are staying put in their homes and customers who want to make changes to existing homes they have bought.
• Business was up in all regions in July, and BuildFax estimates remodeling could be up 4.5% by year's end and then go up another 4% in 2013.

From the article:

Residential remodels authorized by building permits rose 15% in July to 3,144,000 from the year-ago figure of 2,725,000, according to real estate data provider BuildFax. ...