Housing starts at lowest level since 1963 — In an era where 'fewer people build, and the houses they build get more expensive', a Fukuoka-based venture with a 1,768% growth rate launches a new brand to challenge the stronghold of major house makers
WITHDOM Group, a Fukuoka venture with a 1768% growth rate, has launched 'SOLEST', a premium custom home brand targeting the 45-50 million yen range, directly challenging major house makers with architect-designed homes.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 10:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 06:28 (427h 58m after Collected)
The number of people building houses is decreasing, and the price of houses being built is rising. The number of new housing starts in 2025 recorded a 62-year low of 740,000 units. Custom-built homes (owner-occupied) were about 200,000 units, a 30% decrease compared to 2021 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: Building Starts Statistics).
On the other hand, the required funds for custom-built homes are trending upward. According to the Flat 35 user survey, the required funds for a custom-built home in FY2024 were 39.36 million yen, and 50.07 million yen for a custom-built home with land, with the unit order price per building continuing to rise by millions of yen across various companies (Japan Housing Finance Agency: Flat 35 User Survey).
Amidst this structural change where 'volume contraction' and 'price inflation' are progressing simultaneously, major house makers are shifting their management resources to overseas businesses and renovation/stock businesses. A housing venture has now emerged to deliberately enter the domestic premium new construction market head-on.
WITHDOM Group Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City; CEO: Katsuhide Nango) is a custom home builder that achieved the No. 1 national sales growth rate in the wooden building construction industry (researched by Tokyo Shoko Research, 1,768% growth over 6 years from 2019 to 2025) and is expected to reach 10 billion yen in sales this fiscal year.
The company is entering the premium price range (around 45 million to 50 million yen), which is the main battleground for major house makers, with its new brand 'SOLEST', where architects design each house one by one.
A model house will pre-open in Onojo City, Fukuoka Prefecture in April, and is scheduled to expand to Shizuoka in the autumn of 2026.
## Why aim for the 'top' in a 'shrinking market' — The strategic rationale of SOLEST
There is data that directly illustrates the structural changes in the housing market.
Market 'Volume' | Market 'Price'
Housing starts: 1.09 million units in 2008 -> 740,000 units in 2025 (32% decrease) | Unit price per tsubo: approx. 830,000 yen in 2015 -> approx. 1.09 million yen in 2025 (31% increase)
Owner-occupied (custom homes): approx. 280,000 units in 2021 -> approx. 200,000 units in 2025 | Unit order prices of major house makers have risen by millions of yen compared to 2021
In short, 'fewer people are building, but those who build are spending more money on better houses'. This structural change is a headwind for major companies pursuing volume, but a tailwind for players competing on quality.
SOLEST is a brand designed to leverage this tailwind.
Customers of WITHDOM Group's core brand 'WITHDOM Architectural Design' (centered around the 30 million yen range) were increasingly saying, 'We want a higher quality residence.' Meanwhile, in the premium bracket of major house makers, there exist voices of dissatisfaction such as 'They have brand power but limited design flexibility' and 'Performance specs are not always state-of-the-art.' SOLEST resolves these issues...
On the other hand, the required funds for custom-built homes are trending upward. According to the Flat 35 user survey, the required funds for a custom-built home in FY2024 were 39.36 million yen, and 50.07 million yen for a custom-built home with land, with the unit order price per building continuing to rise by millions of yen across various companies (Japan Housing Finance Agency: Flat 35 User Survey).
Amidst this structural change where 'volume contraction' and 'price inflation' are progressing simultaneously, major house makers are shifting their management resources to overseas businesses and renovation/stock businesses. A housing venture has now emerged to deliberately enter the domestic premium new construction market head-on.
WITHDOM Group Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City; CEO: Katsuhide Nango) is a custom home builder that achieved the No. 1 national sales growth rate in the wooden building construction industry (researched by Tokyo Shoko Research, 1,768% growth over 6 years from 2019 to 2025) and is expected to reach 10 billion yen in sales this fiscal year.
The company is entering the premium price range (around 45 million to 50 million yen), which is the main battleground for major house makers, with its new brand 'SOLEST', where architects design each house one by one.
A model house will pre-open in Onojo City, Fukuoka Prefecture in April, and is scheduled to expand to Shizuoka in the autumn of 2026.
## Why aim for the 'top' in a 'shrinking market' — The strategic rationale of SOLEST
There is data that directly illustrates the structural changes in the housing market.
Market 'Volume' | Market 'Price'
Housing starts: 1.09 million units in 2008 -> 740,000 units in 2025 (32% decrease) | Unit price per tsubo: approx. 830,000 yen in 2015 -> approx. 1.09 million yen in 2025 (31% increase)
Owner-occupied (custom homes): approx. 280,000 units in 2021 -> approx. 200,000 units in 2025 | Unit order prices of major house makers have risen by millions of yen compared to 2021
In short, 'fewer people are building, but those who build are spending more money on better houses'. This structural change is a headwind for major companies pursuing volume, but a tailwind for players competing on quality.
SOLEST is a brand designed to leverage this tailwind.
Customers of WITHDOM Group's core brand 'WITHDOM Architectural Design' (centered around the 30 million yen range) were increasingly saying, 'We want a higher quality residence.' Meanwhile, in the premium bracket of major house makers, there exist voices of dissatisfaction such as 'They have brand power but limited design flexibility' and 'Performance specs are not always state-of-the-art.' SOLEST resolves these issues...