Strong, durable, energy efficient,
and defect-free home construction rests squarely on correct usage
and application of building materials at the construction jobsite.
Construction quality control practices must be upgraded for the
full potential of American housing to be realized. Interdependent
builders, product suppliers, and trade contractors must cooperate
to achieve together what they can not achieve alone. Both the
scale and importance of this task is huge.
The Approach
The National Housing Quality
Program was created by the NAHB Research Center as a focal point
for the advancement of quality control practices in residential
construction. National Housing Quality Program provides a harmonized
approach to jobsite quality control. Builders, product suppliers,
and trade contractors cooperate to upgrade construction quality
controls based on ISO 9000, the internationally recognized quality
control standard.
National Housing Quality Program
partners subscribe to mutually-developed guidelines that integrate
builders, product manufacturers, and trade contractors into a
unified quality control system for the residential construction
process. The quality control system addresses the use of materials,
craftsman qualifications, installation instructions, contracts,
and jobsite inspections. Guidelines specify requirements for
adapting the quality control system to specific building systems,
products, materials, and services.
Participation
National Housing Quality Program
pioneers work with the Research Center and other alliance partners
to develop the quality control guidelines and apply them to their
organization. Guidelines developed in the process will be widely
available to all interested organizations. Proprietary details
remain property of the participants.
Suppliers provide quality control
documentation and training for their specific products. Trade
contractors implement quality control procedures on the jobsite.
Builders implement the quality control guidelines to the complete
construction process.
Builders, product suppliers,
and trade contractors who wish to participate should contact
the NAHB Research Center (see below).
Benefits
Builders and homeowners benefit
from homes with reliable strength, energy efficiency, and durability
with minimum levels of defects. Supplier participation advances
the correct use and application of their products. The assured
conformance of trade contractors to standards and practices is
an asset to every quality minded builder. Liability risk for
the constructed home is reduced for all alliance participants,
homeowners, and insurance companies.