Construction spending grew 1.8% in July, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, and is 8.2% above the July 2013 level.
In June, construction spending fell a revised 0.9%, first reported as a 1.8% decrease.
Spending on private construction rose 1.4% in the month, while public construction gained 3.0%.
Residential construction grew 0.7% and single-family housing climbed 0.5% in the month.
Multi-family housing increased 0.2%.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 1.0% rise in construction spending.