Is the Bay area experiencing a housing boom?

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South Tampa, Florida-- A company called Metrostudy says it spent three months driving across five Bay area counties checking out 2,100 subdivisions to find out the condition of the construction market.

Home builder Peter Bennett wouldn't call the growth a boom -- not yet -- but says he is finally seeing growth.

"Everywhere you look there's a new house going up. A couple of years ago, there was nothing."

Bennett sayshe even has a waiting list of clients these days.

"I did a bunch of bathroom and kitchen remodels, now I'm back to building new homes again."

He admits the manpower he needs to complete thework is proving a little tough to hammer down.

"To build a home you need the mechanical, electrical, plumbers, framers, trim carpenters, painters, stucco, siding.Everybody cries that they need work and you finally try to give them work and it takes weeks to get pricing out of them."

Bennett adds,"I think what it is they're so busy right now and they're still reluctant to hire more people because so many people got burned in the mid 2000's that they're still unsure this is really going to stay."

He says right now many of those subcontractors are trying to do the work themselves to stay lean and tight.

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Is the Bay area experiencing a housing boom?