Construction Methods, Equipment, and Management

PATH - A Public Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology

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The builder and construction staff's skill and knowledge, attention to the effects of construction on the environment, proper land development, and choices of construction and inspection methods at every stage of the building process can affect the quality of a finished home as much as premium materials.

PATH provides many tools and publications about the latest in construction techniques and processes. PATH helps improve the regulatory processes for builders with new technologies and examines other production and information tools. The Roadmapping effort declared information technology (IT) systems one of three primary areas ripe for development. PATH has already launched many of the initiatives under this development, including ToolBase, an information portal that streamlines regulatory processes, electronically links material vendors and home builders, and studies how IT can improve on-site production.

PATH Tools

Back to the Quality Assurance Basics with ISO 9000
Addresses a quality assurance process that applies universally to all industries.

Construction Waste Management Resources

Electronic Permitting Systems and How To Implement Them April 2002
This publication is designed to help America's communities understand the process of selecting and implementing an electronic permitting system. Benefiting from the experiences of others, communities can implement electronic permitting systems with better results and at lower cost.

Evaluation Site: Shea Homes
Quality, award-winning builder that works towards ISO9000 certification.

HotSpot Inspections
Checkpoints that are constantly adjusted to focus on current quality issues and related improvement efforts.

Hybrid Wood and Steel Details--Builder's Guide July 2003
This report provides the information that builders need to construct hybrid cold-formed steel and wood homes. By providing builders and framers with the necessary tools to construct these homes economically, HUD enhances housing affordability and quality through competition from new methods and materials.

Industrializing the Residential Construction Site July 2000
This document, released by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), examines the means and methods available for integrating and industrializing the housing construction site and the housing industry. It describes the history of and possibilities for industrialization in the industry, and includes strategies for all scales of builders, from small volume to production builders.

Industrializing the Residential Construction Site Phase II: Information Mapping June 2001
As the common denominator on all construction sites, information is a critical beginning for understanding integration, and one that HUD believes is central to its ongoing research to determine why the home building industry lags behind other industries in technological innovation and adoption. This document is the product of that research, and it includes a record and analysis of the information flows and breaks on construction sites, as well as recommendations for overcoming these breaks.

PATH Information Technology Roadmap
A PATH roadmapping group recommended ways that computers, software, and communications (especially wireless and the Internet) can improve speed, efficiency, and quality in the homebuilding process.

The Role of Information Technology in Housing Design and Construction November 1999
In November 1999, the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy sponsored a roundtable to discuss how Information Technology (IT) could be used during the design and construction of homes to improve their quality and affordability. This document includes both a summary of the roundtable, as well as an appendix that provides additional information and resources on the topics discussed.

Blower Door
Measures a home's airtight quality.

Duct Blaster
Diagnostic tool used by energy professionals to determine energy inefficiency in duct systems.

Electric Moisture Meters
Measures the moisture content of various building materials to ensure proper moisture levels of building components prior to installation and detect problems after construction.

Optimum Value Engineering (OVE)
Framing techniques that reduce the amount of lumber used to build a home while maintaining the structural integrity of the building.

Content updated on 12/22/2004

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