Housing industry challenges and recommended solutions

Housing

Construction Quality - a Critical Housing Issue

The housing and construction industry is in flux right now because of the economy, dwindling housing prices, and the mortgage meltdown. However, underlying this slowdown is an underlying issue not often addressed in the industry, and that is the construction quality, or the lack thereof. Traditionally in the housing and construction industry, contractors and their sub-contractors are most concerned with timing and speed. There are almost always construction delays due to weather, material suppliers, building inspectors, and the like, and so, speed is of the essence. When speed is the number one motivator in construction, quality falls, and ultimately, the building owner will be dissatisfied with the results, costing the contractor time and money in repairs and maintenance.

In addition, traditionally many builders and developers, whether commercial or residential, sub-out their work to a variety of sub-contractors, whose goal again is to finish the job as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next job and make more profits. None of these subs are usually known for the quality of their work and their craftsmanship, but rather for getting the job done quickly and effectively. This can lead to quality issues throughout the construction process, from dirt work to finish carpentry and beyond. As one problem mounts on another, it can snowball into a building that lacks quality and good building practices, and it can become the norm for the industry.

How can builders assure high quality in their work, while still managing to make a profit on their construction? Most builders simply try to hire the best subs they can for the lowest price, and use inspectors to ensure buildings are up to standards. However, the intermediary, (the sub-in this scenario), is often more concerned with volume than with quality, and therein lies the bottom line in construction quality. For the best quality and quality assurance, there are two solutions, and they could revolutionize the construction industry - and give it a much better quality reputation, if they were implemented.

First, builders and developers could stop subbing out work to sub-contractors for the lowest bids. This may save some money, but in the long run it can affect quality and the overall consumer satisfaction with the builder. Accepting the lowest bid means the sub-is going to cut corners wherever they can to make their own profit, and that leads to poor quality and problems down the line. In addition, many subs hire pieceworkers to complete their jobs at the cheapest rate possible, and this leads to shoddy work completed on the fly, rather than quality work done right and with pride. Pieceworkers want to complete as many jobs as possible in the shortest amount of time, and this never leads to quality. For example, a finish carpenter is paid $100 to complete the trim in a condo unit. He or she does not work for three days, and then, in an attempt to make up for lost time, they rush through several units in four days so their paycheck is enough to last them through the week. While those units may pass inspection, they were not completed with real attention to detail or care, and that could lead to many structural and other problems down the line. To combat this, construction companies should not hire subs that pay by piecework. Instead, they should employ the workers themselves, train them effectively, and pay them a decent wage. This would lead to less personnel flux in the industry, and ultimately lead to higher quality, as well.