Traditionally, the price of labor, land prices, and the cost of building materials has been pretty much out of a builder’s hands. But things are different in this new economy. Labor is no longer hard to find, land prices are coming down (for the most part), and now manufacturers are doing their part with new programs and services that could help builders build better, faster, and, ideally, cheaper, so that all those losses can turn back into profits.
Hard cost savings are often difficult to quantify, especially at a program's outset, but here are five new offerings from manufacturers that are specifically geared toward helping builders save time, money, and headaches in this difficult housing market.
Rock-bottom prices will soon be available to builders through Lumber Liquidator’s Wholesale Division.
Lumber Liquidators. Known nationwide as the place for wood, bamboo, and laminate flooring at unbelievably low prices, the Toano, Va.-based company recently established a Wholesale Division that allows builders, contractors, and developers to purchase products at special contractor pricing. The new programs include project specification assistance, model home materials, and customer assistance 24 hours a day, among other benefits. All products on the company’s Web site are available through the Wholesale Division. 800-274-2360.
Crane’s Smart Styles program made it a breeze to get this accurate coastal-inspired exterior.
Exterior Portfolio by Crane. To take the guesswork out of cladding, the manufacturer has consulted with architect Duo Dickinson and launched a program that makes it quick and easy for builders to coordinate their exteriors with the company’s various cladding products. Under the Smart Styles program, builders simply choose a palette based on the style of their homes, geography (coastal, country, urban), or favorite color. It coordinates the manufacturer’s cladding products, which includes CraneBoard foam-backed vinyl siding, Portsmouth Shake, Board and Batten, BellaStone, and Architectural Essentials siding accessories. 800-366-8472.
LP Solutions Software will soon tell builders what material will work best for a particular condition without having to play “trial and error.”
LP Building Products. The LP Solutions Software is a new whole-house building design program that promises to streamline the design process for a home’s structural system. The software provides an integrated approach to computer-aided design, increasing the accuracy of design, price quotes, materials, lists, and layouts to simplify communication and boost productivity. Plus, the software provides customized structural framing layouts and analysis while allowing users to add non-structural components like windows, doors, stone, and brick. In time, the software will incorporate a built-in optimization tool that will tell builder what material will work best for a particular situation. 888-820-0325.
A variety of sustainable specification, design, and marketing tools are available through Whirlpool Corp.’s Green Touch program.
Whirlpool Corp. Simply put, Green Touch provides solutions that will help builder construct and market their sustainable homes. Apart from access to Whirlpool's 600 Energy Star-qualified appliances, builders can take advantage of sustainable Internet-based design tools that simplify the design, visualization and product selection process with such features as the 3D appliances in Google 3D Warehouse. The 3D Warehouse also showcases homes with the latest green practices. And to help builders communicate and promote their sustainable efforts, the company is giving builders access to marketing materials to help promote green homes. 800-253-3977.
Therma-Tru entry doors and Wayne-Dalton garage doors now share the same fiberglass skins.
Therma-Tru Doors and Wayne-Dalton. An agreement between the two company means builders can easily match Wayne-Dalton’s garage door with Therma-Tru fiberglass entry doors for a seamless look. Therma-Tru provides Wayne Dalton with fiberglass door skins allowing the company to create what it calls the industry’s first fiberglass-clad garage door, the Model 9800. The door is offered in nine factory finishes and styles such as horizontal raised panel, vertical raised panel, and horizontal v-groove designs. 800-537-8827.
Nigel Maynard is senior editor, products, at BUILDER magazine.