New technology has historically been adopted slowly into the construction industry, with many subcontractors preferring to do the work “as they’ve always done”. However, the tide is starting to turn. The rate of technology implementation has recently increased and will only continue to accelerate, due to both the homeowner’s expectations and to the builders’ need to “keep up or be left behind”.
Change is hard and nobody wants to be the guinea pig and have their new idea to fail; I am no exception. But ultimately someone must be the first to develop and try new materials. I typically prefer to step back and monitor the “new material” for a little while, before jumping on the bandwagon. For example, I’ve recently seen fiberglass rebar as an alternative to steel rebar, but until an engineer specifies it for one of my foundations, I am not going to use it. Despite some obvious advantages, such as corrosion resistance and much lighter weight, I still can’t get past the potential of the material to fray and weaken under stress. But, once a technical engineer tells me to use it, I am on board. New ideas will almost always seem foreign to us, but we must be willing to embrace change in order to become better.
What is the cause of quicker tech adoption in construction? In my opinion, it’s the internet. It didn’t exist when I started working with my homebuilder Dad in the 1970’s, cleaning up and sweeping jobsites until I was old enough to swing a hammer. He is now retired and is constantly in awe of the updated tools and new technology that we incorporate into our modern construction homes. Everything is faster, performs better and building systems are a “thing”. With the internet and platforms like TikTok and Youtube, content creators are a driving force in accelerating the implementation of high-performance technology into residential construction projects.
Not everyone is on board with new high-performance technology or materials at first. I run into subcontractors who want to keep doing things the same “old” way and honestly, it can be frustrating. Some of them choose to stay and adopt the new technologies and some of them elect to go and continue “doing it the way they’ve always done it.” And that’s ok for them. But we must strive to be different as a construction company. We want to be sure that we are always moving forward and bettering our finished product through continuously improved products and technologies.
I always take the time to explain why I don’t want subcontractors to do the work on our homes “like they have always done”. One such example is in the tile industry. We used to build tub and shower enclosures with a vapor barrier like Tyvek or cascading felt paper behind a cement fiber board as the substrate for the tile. Then we would “Redguard” it profusely for waterproofing. A few years ago, I discovered and adopted more efficient waterproofing materials like Kerdiboard and Wedi, which greatly improve waterproofing and efficiency in installing residential showers. It took a little convincing to explain the new system to a tile installer who started his career with metal lathe and plaster over roofing felt. I explained that the materials not only provide excellent waterproofing performance, but that they also improve time efficiency for the installation. Once a subcontractor learns that they can earn their pay faster while still installing a high-quality material that they can feel good about warrantying, that’s typically when the epiphany happens. If my tile guy is reading this, thank you for listening and adopting these new materials. I know that you are also using these waterproofing materials on other jobs now, and that’s really rewarding for me.
Electricians can also be resistant to change and to learning new technologies. In our kitchens, we typically don’t install electrical outlets into the beautiful backsplash tile where they can be seen. For a cleaner look instead, we run outlet strips up under the wall cabinets and we also conceal the undercabinet lighting. This requires advanced planning during the design phase, and it also requires ordering the special outlet strips that are required before electrical finish out begins. To avoid resistance from subcontractors, we have developed a special brochure detailing exactly how this is done, with the specific materials listed for ease of installation. This has helped tremendously in electricians agreeing to adopt this new method.
One of the most common requests that we have from design-build clients is to control their lighting, sound system, and window shades from their smart phones. These home automation technologies have been widely available for several years now, and we enjoy incorporating them for our clients to make their lives just a little bit easier. However, this does require planning on the front end and cooperation between the electrician and the home automation company. Although we may deal with occasional pushback from subcontractors, they typically come away from the job with a new sense of personal satisfaction and many times, they incorporate the new technology into their other projects, as well.
These days, if there is a question, technology allows me to pull up illustrations on my phone and show our subcontractors what is different and better. Once they see the benefits of the new technology, most of them elect to adopt it. Sharing new information is not a one-way street by any means. Some of our subcontractors enjoy showing and teaching me about new tech, tools or methods that they’ve discovered, as well. Iron sharpens iron, and we’ve learned about some valuable new products and technology through our subs. At the end of the day, synergy makes for a great team and ultimately results in a more technologically advanced home for the client.
TikTok, Youtube and now Instagram (short videos) have, in my opinion, greatly accelerated the adoption of new technology, tools, materials and equipment into construction like never before. I greatly admire and learn from other builders who have taken the time to produce video content which showcases the latest and greatest materials for high performance homes. Sometimes, I reminisce, remembering watching “This Old House” with Bob Vila and the VHS “Hometime” series. Times sure have changed since then. Now, I enjoy learning from YouTube content creators-- my favorite one being Matt Reisinger and “The Build Show” team. They continue to introduce new systems that improve energy efficiency and performance in homes throughout the country. I don’t know how they have time to produce those informative videos and still build homes at the same time, but they are inspiring many homebuilders to continuously learn and grow, like myself.
We live in incredible times. The homes we build should only continue to perform better and better as new systems, new technology and materials are made available, and as our teams implement them. What hasn’t changed, though, is that we are all still human. A personal touch to homebuilding and design will always be of upmost importance. The custom home we build for you, as our client, still needs to be professionally designed around your basic needs: to function well, to be energy efficient, to be structurally sound, to be uniquely beautiful, and to be personally meaningful. The one thing that technology can’t ever improve upon is a personal connection; And that is one thing that we never intend to change.
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