Offsite Construction Gaining Interest Among Builders

Offsite construction offers numerous benefits, including speed, flexible designs and energy efficiency — and a growing number of builders anticipate incorporating more offsite techniques into their businesses, based on recent survey results from Home Innovation Research Labs.

Two surveys were conducted last year in 2018 to determine builder interest in offsite construction technologies. Builders were not only asked about their immediate plans to use building systems for their projects in the coming year, but their interest in transitioning within the next five years.

The systems featured in the study included:

  • Roof trusses
  • Pre-cut framing packages
  • Factory-built open wall panels
  • Factory-built closed wall panels
  • Panelized pre-assembled floors
  • Modular building systems
  • Precast concrete wall, floor and roof panels

Results showed there was immediate interest in many of these building systems components — with roof trusses as the predominant leader in the near term — as well as a significant portion saying there will certainly be increasing opportunities to implement offsite construction over the next five years.

“Based on a deeper analysis, I believe that open wall and floor panels are going to be on the front edge of this market increase, using the existing widespread network of shops and factories around the country,” said Ed Hudson, director of market research at Home Innovation Research Labs, in a blog post highlighting key results. “I believe as capacity ramps up in closed-wall panel systems, this form of offsite construction will see a dramatic upswing as well.”

All three components showed a 7% increase in one-year versus five-year interests. Hudson presented a snapshot of the survey results, including a geographical breakdown and interest based on builder type and size, at the 2019 International Builders’ Show. A similar synopsis of the results for each building component can be found here.

To learn more about NAHB’s Building Systems Councils, please contact Devin Perry.