A longer version of this article originally appeared on the BUILDER website.
This spring, in an Omnibus Survey of builders, Home Innovation asked which labor-saving technologies home builders are more (or less) likely to use in the coming year. Builders said the two technologies they plan to use more frequently are roof trusses (17%) and pre-cut framing packages (8%). Pre-assembled trusses eliminate the need to measure and cut rafters and ceiling joists, a skill that is quickly vanishing from today’s framing crews. Pre-cut framing packages provide a similar benefit by sending materials to the jobsite already cut, bundled, and numbered. With both options, contractors still need a framing crew but are able to get by with fewer skilled carpenters.
For the remaining technology options in the survey, overall results show builders are more likely to decrease rather than increase their use, but there are more nuances when you evaluate the results by builder subcategory (for more details, visit HomeInnovation.com/LaborShortageInnovation).
While we found most builders are not yet ready to give up site-built framing, they are looking for ways to stretch their small pools of skilled laborers by adopting materials and techniques that require fewer skilled carpenters at the jobsite and help their current crews get work done more quickly. While continuing their search for skilled workers, contractors will still need to hire lesser-skilled workers to keep up with the pace of construction, even if they have to pay higher wages for fewer skills. For this reason, products that are easy to install respond to the current need of most builders, and will be favored over simply moving tasks from the jobsite to the shop or factory.
To learn more about the resources available to help track, and even predict, future market direction, go to HomeInnovation.com/MarketResearchContact.
