As a growth-minded homebuilder, how do you ramp up production in a tight labor market without shortchanging construction quality or efficiency?
It’s a particularly tough question because standard building practice doesn’t allow for fast or easy ways forward. There aren’t many shortcuts in stick-built construction.
It’s at times like this Dennis Michaud can help.
As managing director of CertainTeed Offsite Solutions and the company’s One Precision Assemblies business, Michaud is a homebuilding expert and his solution is a recent winner of the NAHB’s Offsite Construction Award. He and his experienced team work with a wide array of homebuilders throughout North America. Their experience and expertise in offsite, panelized construction helps builders streamline workflows, plug labor gaps, simplify coordination and deliver an energy-efficient home with high market appeal.
At a base level, the benefit of offsite construction techniques is straightforward: They offer builders the ability to construct high-quality homes in a fraction of the time of traditional construction. But there are a variety of reasons across the building process for why you should consider panelized construction.
Here, Michaud offers seven compelling arguments for panelized construction as a solution for builders looking to grow their business:
- Workforce Multiplier. “Depending on the situation, we see about a 50% reduction in the delivery schedule. That typically translates to five months saved on each project,” Michaud says. “Or, think of it as up to 2x more productivity from your current crew.”
- Above Code Compliance. “In many areas the codes for envelopes are complex, leaving builders to wonder ‘Are we in compliance or out of compliance? Will our wall system pass a blower door test?’ A CertainTeed panel system eliminates those concerns – guaranteed. If there’s an issue with code or blower door testing, it’s on us to correct it.”
- Energy Efficiency. Insulated, panel-built homes score exceptionally well in blower door tests. “Our homes routinely achieve blower door results comparable to a passive house home,” Michaud confirms. “Builders looking to compete with a high-performance home gain an immediate energy dividend with floor, ceiling and wall panel construction.”
- Total Design Freedom. “There’s a myth panelized construction limits design,” Michaud says. “We hear ‘My house plan is too complex’ or ‘Panel construction lacks the design flexibility we need.’ There are no design constraints with a panel system. It works with any house style — contemporary, colonial, farmhouse, craftsman, cottage, you-name-it.”
- Scope of Work Clarity. Michaud knows the question of ‘who does what’ is a gray area with factory-built components, so “we eliminate uncertainty. Our panels and installation process ensure a smooth hand-off to contractors,” Michaud affirms. “The builder knows exactly what happens next. Expectations are set. There are no surprises. For example, the panels include all rough carpentry, insulation, air sealing and exterior cladding. The same is true for MEP routing and all penetrations for electric, plumbing and HVAC, including drains and exhaust. Once installed, panels are subcontractor-ready, with no overlap in trades.”
- 1/16-Inch Precision. Michaud says roughly 30% of the building material used on a typical jobsite fails to meet CertainTeed manufacturing standards and is returned to the supplier. “People touring our plant are surprised by the attention to detail and accuracy,” reports Michaud. “Our mandatory tolerance is 1/16th of an inch. A panel may travel hundreds of miles, but it still needs to fit perfectly in place at the jobsite.”
- Versatility in Approach. Panelized construction is not mutually exclusive of traditional construction or other offsite solutions, such as modular homebuilding. Michaud notes that it can be combined with other approaches to maximize the benefits of each, achieve the best of all worlds in everything from value to logistics to customization.
No building system is flawless. Yet sticking only with a traditional construction system may not be the best way to achieve your business goals and objectives. As you weigh next steps for 2025 and beyond, give panelized construction a close look.
Learn more about how built-to-spec CertainTeed One Precision Assemblies can help you meet your growth objectives.
