Increasing Jobsite Efficiency with High-Performance Solutions

The three main buckets of costs to build a home: cost of land, cost of materials and cost of labor. Regarding labor costs to build a house, it's getting tougher to ensure high efficiency on the jobsite as highly skilled Boomer-age construction pros retire. One way to accomplish that is to use high-performance building products that deliver lasting results yet are easy to work with and install.

What's a high-performance building product? Think of products that will eliminate steps in the installation process or use familiar installation practices yet provide an additional feature or benefit.

Here are a few examples:

LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding

Joe Nitti, co-owner of Nitti Development in the Chicago area, says that his crews have saved time and labor thanks to the workability of LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding products. “They're light, so it's easy for the guys to lift and install them,” he says.

LP WeatherLogic® Air & Water Barrier

“You can keep jobsite efficiency high with an air and water barrier system that installs in one step without having to bring in a separate crew the next day to apply house wrap,” says LP field tech Juan Urquiza. “In many cases, the house wrap crew comes from a different city. When you use LP's new air and water barrier solution, you eliminate the wait time and expense of paying a specialty crew.”

LP Legacy® Premium Sub-flooring

On sub-flooring jobs, efficiency decreases when the crew must sand sub-flooring that's been exposed to rain for a number of months during a build. But sub-flooring manufacturers keep making giant strides in moisture resistance. Some sub-flooring products offer 100- and even 200-day no-sand warranties, but LP Legacy® sub-flooring now comes with a Covered Until It's Covered® no-sand warranty.

LP® TechShield® Radiant Barrier

It requires no additional skills or training for crews to install a radiant barrier in the roof, yet the long-term results of a radiant barrier surpass that of conventional roof sheathing. LP TechShield radiant barrier blocks up to 97 % of the radiant heat in the roof panel from emitting into a home's attic, reducing an attic's temperature by up to 30° F and helping curb cooling costs. Using this product in place of conventional sheathing may help builders qualify for Green Building credits, energy rebates and lower HERS scores.

LP® FlameBlock® Fire-Rated OSB Sheathing

Installing shaft wall can be an efficiency-killer for less experienced crews. As an alternative to shaft wall, some construction companies are now switching to assemblies that use fire-rated OSB sheathing. They're lighter and less cumbersome than shaft wall so they can be installed faster.

High-performance building solutions are helping construction teams maintain peak efficiency in this period when their most highly skilled employees are getting replaced by junior ones.