The average single-family house can be built in about nine months if everything goes according to plan.
Imagine you could always do it in just five months?
What would the impact of cutting 16 weeks from your delivery schedule be on construction financing? How about project capacity and margins if you did so? You can also deliver a home that is built according to your specifications, meets or exceeds local codes, and gives buyers the option to upgrade to a DOE Zero Energy Ready House.
Panelized construction that is weatherproof and factory-insulated makes it easier to achieve this level of performance. Panelized wall, floor, ceiling, and roof assemblies made to order simplify home construction. The plug-and-play body reduces risks associated with weather, labor, and materials.
You define the performance and design expectations. The offsite team will use your specifications to create panel assemblies that include the features you select in just 5-10 days. Shipping and on-site assembly? This includes everything, even the blower-door test, to validate her ratings.
Reduce risk and save time.
Dennis Michaud is CertainTeed’s Managing Director for Offsite Solutions. He believes that the challenges facing today’s builders require a system of construction that eliminates unnecessary risk, costs, waste, and time from the building process.
Michaud is an expert on this topic. He has spent more than 20 years in the construction industry, working in both offsite and traditional construction. Now, he leads CertainTeed in its efforts to support the growth of the offsite construction sector, including the launch of ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLY earlier this year. The National Association of Home Builders recently awarded this homebuilding system with the Award for Innovation. This was the first award for the NAHB.
Michaud says that a panelized platform can be used alone or in combination with traditional construction or modular construction to achieve the same benefits. “Built-to-spec panels are available in virtually any size and shape for the ONE PRICE ASSEMBLIES Platform. CertainTeed can also assemble the panels on-site.
During a project in Keene, NH, a build-for-rent developer partnered up with CertainTeed ONE PRICE ASSEMBLIES in order to build a single-family home and detached garage to the builder’s specifications in a fraction of the time that it would take using traditional construction methods.
Hans Porschitz is the head of operations for Unity Homes. He says, “The system was very high quality and all components fitted perfectly.” The garage and home were quickly assembled, and in only two days, they were ready to receive MEP roughing-in and the installation of the remaining finishing.
Panelized assemblies are also a great way to improve performance. For example, the ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLY panels are designed to minimize air leakage while ensuring any moisture within the home can escape through the walls and roof. This improves energy efficiency while avoiding the risk of mold or mildew in new construction. If you’re a home builder looking to minimize risk, this is just the start:
- No Worry Transit All panels undergo independent shaker-table testing for a defect-free delivery to the job site.
- Multiple performance levels. Panels engineered to meet local code requirements. The DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Certification can also specify energy performance.
- Top Industry Warranties “We understand the materials and how they interact, as well as how to install them,” says Michaud. “That allows to us offer the best guarantee in the industry.”
As of now, the availability of ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLY is only available in the Northeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. Panelized assemblies are a great option for home builders who want to reduce the construction risk while reducing delivery time by almost 50%.
Housing Market Report
The housing market continues to be affected by affordability shocks, especially existing home sales. Mortgage rates were near 8% in October, and the monthly payment for many major markets in January 2022 was 60% more than it was in October.
We have seen that this low resell stock has pushed people to the new home market. Wolf explained that the resale stock is not just limited but also aging and costly. “New homes are usually more expensive than existing ones.” The price gap has been narrowing.”
However, despite these dynamics, the impact of “seasonality plus” on the ground is felt by builders. Tim Sullivan, a chief advisory officer at Zonda, said that builders surveyed were often referring to “scarce Land,” “expensive” and “undersupplied,” a “challenging environment,” “price-sensitive,” “cautious,” or “slowing and competitive.”
According to Sullivan’s research, builders are still enthusiastic about land purchase, but it is becoming increasingly expensive. Zonda surveyed 43 percent of builders who said they were pursuing land acquisition “at full speed,” while 53 percent are moving cautiously. As land demand increases, so do prices. According to 40% of builders surveyed, land prices have increased.
Sullivan stated that affordability is becoming a greater concern for home builders. Consumer confidence, affordability of new homes, and economic uncertainty are all ranked as the top three concerns for builders. In October, 71% said that they had not raised prices, and an additional 13% had lowered the base price.
He noted that “flex dollars, money for closing costs and mortgage rate buydowns [have been effective incentives].” The builders target the sweet spot for buydowns, which is between mid-5 and mid-6.