Save Time to Save Money

In February 2020 the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their report on the significant problems home builders faced in 2019 and expect to face in 2020. Topping both lists was the “Cost/availability of labor.” This concern beat out “Building material prices” and “Cost/availability of developed lots” by a wide margin. This was the case both nationally and in California. Home builders faced shortages of labor and higher costs to maintain their work force.

And then COVID hit.

While the home building industry has fared better than most, home builder employment is down 56,000 from a year ago, according to recent job numbers. What was a problem before the pandemic has been made worse. When you combine these labor issues with the skyrocketing price of lumber and real estate in a seller’s market, you have a recipe for added stress, particularly when you are building your own home.

We at Pacific Modern Homes, Inc. pride ourselves in using the highest quality lumber. Our factory-based system allows us to take advantage of increased purchasing power. Instead of paying for lumber for a single job, we purchase lumber by the truckload, reducing our costs and enabling us to provide value to you, the customer. In this way we are able to minimize the effects of the increased lumber prices we are seeing today.

That still leaves the labor issue. What do these labor problems mean for you as an owner/builder?

• Lower availability of labor means home builders have a longer delay before they can get to a project.

• Smaller workforces means projects may take longer, costing you more money during the construction process.

• Lack of labor means the home builder may have trouble hiring highly skilled labor, which can lead to potential quality issues with your project.

• Less competition in the builder market means upward pressure on bids for projects.

All this adds up to longer construction times, higher costs, and lower quality.

A PMHI panelized package addresses each of these concerns.

• Because PMHI panelized kits are made in a factory, there is less labor required to install it at the site. This allows your framing contractor more flexibility in scheduling your project and can reduce lead times.

• A PMHI panelized kit can be installed in days as opposed to the weeks required for onsite, stick-built construction. This means that you as the owner/builder are paying for less labor on site, saving you a significant amount of money, particularly as labor rates rise.

• Since a PMHI kit is built in a factory, you are assured consistent quality with no shortcuts. Our purchasing power also allows us to use higher-quality materials that you would find in traditional onsite stick-built construction.

• PMHI kits are installed by a contractor whose bid should include installation only, not the labor to frame the panels. Reduced onsite labor means reduced construction costs.

For more information on the advantages of a PMHI panelized kit home, please fill out the form below or call (800) 395-1011.