Engineered for success Selling beyond commodity wood

A BUrr-DrNG srRu('ruRE is defined -fiLbv its comoonents. both the beautiful and the tunctional aspects. Fron.t an aesthetic standpoint, a home is judged by its eye appeal, the craftsmanship, the overall pizaz.z that initially en-eages the homebuyer to walk deeocr into the home.

It's casy to kcep the homcbuyer ercited with these cyc-cancly items; howcvcr. it's hlrrdcr to genet'alc tntelest from the homcbuyer (and actually somc builders) when it cornes to the structure of the home. Sometirnes it's easy for a homebuyer to Just assunte all is well undcr the roof. behind the walls. and under the floors. Homeowners t1'pically define a grcat home as onc that looks beautiful and has quality that lasts a lil-ctime.

That "quality fbr a lif-ctime" aspect is what can hclp or hurt thc builder's credibilitl' and wallet long term.

Quality Starts with the Structure

In reality. a great horne starts with the slructtrre. the l'r'rming crrplp.tnents. The framing of a home is like a skelcton, where all other cornponcnts of thc body are dependent and irnpacted by the ciuality of the structure below it. How that skeleton is lbrmed. and how well yor.r invcst in and treat it. will dcfine how' thc rest of your body performs. It's the exact sanle concept with a home. Thc skelettln of a home- its foundation-lives within its l'rlnrint eonrp()ncnl\.

Frarnin-c materials are prcdonrinantly wood-based. But as we alscr know. there are all ditterent levels of ',vood products that builders and their supplicr partners can and do choose |rom. Having been in thc building industry nearly 30 ycars, I havc always fbund you get what you pay fbr. Therelbrc, I strongly believe that thc type of framing matcrials a buildcr chooses to use truly defines their commitment to providing thcir homebuyers with a krng-lasting httmc.

Comrnodity wood products aren't necessarily bad. Thcy are just that a comrnodity. A commodity material is defined as a raw material that can be bought and sold to satisfy a basic need. Therefore, commodity wood is an entry-level answer to fill a basic need. I would say commodity wood products are more viewed as a "necessary evil delivery device": "l need these studs, this roof deck, this subfloor, as merely something to attach my expensive siding, shingles and flooring to, never to be seen or heard from again." Or so you may think.

Reputation & the Wallet

What defines a builder's reputation is not merely how their homes look, it's more how they perform at the start and especially throughout the life of the building. A key indication of poor home performance are callbacks. These are issues that frustrate the homebuyer and diminishes enjoyment of their home. Homeowner dissatisfaction threatens a builder's reputation, and settling these ongoing claims requires delicate negotiation.

The most common homeowner complaints in wood-frame new construction are things like misaligned wood mouldings, roof leaks, floor squeaks, and drywall nail pops and cracks. According to Harvard University's Energy Technology Innovation Project, builders on average report call-back rates of rp to 2OVo or more. This means approximately a quarter of the time builders are disappointing their homebuyers.

Besides the issue of hurting the sales process, these callbacks cost the builder thousands of dollars to remedy-taking a bite out of their already tight profit. Research has shown that up-front prevention is always the least expensive and strongest remedy for the reputation and the wallet. This leaves some builders rolling the dice on negotiating payouts versus building with higher quality framing materials at the beginning.

Steve Easley, a construction consultant writing for RCI, reported that the U.S. construction industry spends about $9 billion annually on construction defects due to water and moisture intrusion. The report stated this damage is caused primarily by poor exterior system selection and faulty installation.

Engineered to Last

The way materials and products perform can change over time, impacting the performance of the home and the way the homeowner experiences their home. So if your builder customers are using commodity products, you can be pretty well assured that they will get basic commodity performance over time. They shouldn't just put commodity framing under all that expensive flooring, shingles and siding. They should use products that ensure quality is at the core of their homes, products that are engineered for long-term performance.

An engineered product is defined as a solution designed and built using scientific principles. Isn't that what you would want at the core of your own home, something that is advanced and produced in a very controlled manufacturing process? That's why I like engineered wood, it creates a stronger and more quality base for the home building process.

So what's so great about engineered wood? Engineered wood actually has more wood packed into each panel. The manufacturing process uses advanced resins that coat every wood strand. The orientation of these strand are scientifically engineered and positioned to optimize strength and stiffness consistently throughout every square inch of the panel. What results out of this very scientific manufacturing process is a super-dense, super-strong, and very precise panel, which ultimately produce framing materials that are stronger, more consistent. watertight. and more precise. This helps make these products easier to install, a more precise platform for all trades to work with, more moisture resistant, and a superior quality base of the home that can perform at a high level over the life of that home.

The ultimate payoff is that the homeowner gets to enjoy a quieter. moisture resistant, and stronger built home-a more confident experience with the building process. And this confidence and fewer callbacks result in more satisfied homebuyers, creating fewer callbacks and a stronger reputation for the builder and its supplier.

- Bill Rossiter has over 3O years rtf experience as a branding and marketing executive in the buildinp materials industry and is c.e.o. of Interrupt, a branding and strategic marketing agency specializing in the building materials and home improvement industries. Reach him via wtuw .inte r r uDtde liv e r s.c om.

By Carla Waldemar