Industry-Prioritized Research, 

Technology Transfer, and 

Education Needs and 

Opportunities in Residential 

Construction

Vladimir Kochkin

Ed Hudson

Robert J. Ross

Karen L. Martinson 

United States Department of Agriculture

Forest

Service

Forest Products

Laboratory

General Technical Report

FPL–GTR–259

May

2018
Abstract

This report identifies the priority areas in residential 

construction where technical research and technological 

advancements offer potential to benefit the industry as it 

strives to advance the quality of housing and meet today’s 

market expectations for a home’s cost, performance, 

durability, and environmental stewardship. The prioritization 

is performed by home builders based on their experience 

with constructing new homes.

Keywords: Needs assessment, residential construction, 

energy, indoor air quality, fire resistance, disaster resistance, 

durability

Contents

Preface..................................................................................1

Background..........................................................................1

Product Innovation or System Innovation ...........................2

Survey of Home Builders.....................................................2

Findings................................................................................3

Summary..............................................................................6

Appendix A—Builder Survey Questionnaire ......................8

Appendix B—Research Needs Assessment

Survey Presentation ...........................................................26

Appendix C—Focus Group Builder 

Participant Profiles.............................................................45

May 2018

Kochkin, Vladimir; Hudson, Ed; Ross, Robert J.; Martinson, Karen L. 

2018. Industry-prioritized research, technology transfer, and education 

needs and opportunities in residential construction. General Technical 

Report FPL-GTR-259. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 45 p.

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Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology 

Transfer, and Education Needs and 

Opportunities in Residential Construction

Vladimir Kochkin, Director of Applied Engineering

Ed Hudson, Director of Market Research

Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA

Robert J. Ross, Supervisory Research General Engineer

Karen L. Martinson, Program Specialist

USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin USA

Preface

This report was prepared by Home Innovations Research 

Labs, Inc., at the request of the Forest Products Laboratory 

(FPL), a research unit within the USDA Forest Service. The 

FPL, established in 1910 in Madison, Wisconsin, was the 

first institution in the world to conduct general research on 

wood and its utilization. FPL works closely with research 

cooperators from industry, academia, and other government 

agencies to accomplish our mission. We rely upon accurate, 

comprehensive analyses to target our research and 

technology transfer activities; this enables us to focus on 

practical needs for the wood-using industry and consumers.

This report presents an in-depth analysis of current needs 

in the residential construction industry in the United States. 

Conclusions and recommendations presented are founded 

on a survey conducted of builders across the United States. 

A total of 120 specific challenges and issues across key 

categories were surveyed, including occupant comfort, fireresistant construction, indoor air quality, energy efficiency 

issues, durability, disaster resistance, and costs and labor 

availability.

Background

Wood is the primary structural material in the United States. 

Residential construction in the United States continues 

to evolve at a rapid and often accelerating pace, creating 

new challenges and setting new frontiers of performance. 

Yet wood remains the primary construction material for 

above-grade structural members such as framing and 

sheathing. Wood is also used for many other functions in a 

modern house, including cladding, windows, exterior and 

interior finishes, and decks. It is important that continued 

utilization of wood in residential construction remains on 

sound technical footing as houses become more energy 

efficient, disaster resistant, and environmentally friendly. 

It is also important that wood-based solutions remain 

cost-competitive in the highly price-sensitive residential 

construction market. The traditional appeal of streamlined, 

durable, practical, and cost-effective solutions is what 

earned wood construction its dominant position in housing.

Residential Market Diversity and Inertia

Low-rise residential construction is unlike any other major 

technology industry in the United States—it is dominated 

by small construction firms with nearly 80% of all singlefamily home builders constructing five or fewer homes 

per year. (This number changes depending on market 

conditions. The number of homes per year built by a small 

builder tend to be higher in a booming housing market, such 

as prior to the housing market downturn of 2007–2008.) 

In addition, building codes are adopted and often modified 

at the local or state level, further contributing to the 

fragmentation of the market. Construction practices vary 

substantially between geographical areas based on climatic 

factors, natural hazards, local architectural preferences, 

and many other considerations. The result is a market 

that is highly diverse. Shifts and changes in construction 

practices and preferences may happen slowly, but they can 

be unpredictable and even unintentional. The outcomes 

of broad initiatives intended to address the same policy 

(for example, increase energy efficiency, enhance disaster 

resistance) can be manifested very differently in various 

parts of the country or even by builders in the same market.

Innovation in Residential Construction

Innovation can take a variety of pathways, and it can take 

anywhere from a few months to many years for a new 

technology to become an acceptable option in the market. 

It can take even longer for a new technology to reach its 

full market potential. Past efforts to “industrialize” housing 

based on Henry Ford’s assembly line model—where one 

company is responsible for design, system integration, 

assembly, and site installation and can offer a streamlined 

path for technology innovation—either have failed or are 

confined to niche markets.
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

2

Even a relatively small change can be viewed by the 

industry as disruptive, in the negative sense. Because direct 

channels between the innovator and the homebuyer are 

lacking, any innovation requires multiple stakeholders to 

find a jointly acceptable solution. It is not sufficient for 

the new solution to be technologically feasible for each 

stakeholder; it needs to make enough business sense to each 

of them individually to justify the transition. Otherwise, the 

innovation must be rethought or abandoned.

Building Codes

Building codes have been one of the primary drivers of 

change in residential construction, often by one or more of 

several paths:

• Increasing the stringency through prescriptive 

requirements or performance targets

• Adding new materials and systems and new compliance 

options

• Aligning conventional construction practices with 

engineered solutions

• Expanding the scope of the code by including topics 

outside the traditional life safety realm

Product Innovation or System 

Innovation

Product innovation is relatively straightforward. System 

innovation is not. The following two examples highlight 

the difference. The purpose of this discussion is to provide 

context for the information in the survey part of the paper. 

Each situation is unique and multifaceted and cannot be 

easily generalized; these examples are intended to illustrate 

the concept and not to specifically highlight a particular 

material, system, or their features.

Lightweight Drywall

Lightweight drywall was first introduced a few years 

ago by a gypsum manufacturer and quickly became the 

industry norm, with most gypsum wall panel suppliers 

offering a lighter option in their product line. Even though 

each manufacturer may have taken a different approach to 

meeting the performance requirements for the new product, 

the path to market and value proposition were similar, for 

all practical purposes. The key attribute of the new product 

is that it provides a one-for-one substitution that does not 

require changes to either the construction process or the 

rest of the wall system. The lightweight drywall case study 

also shows that product manufacturers are fully capable 

of quick deployment of resources and achieving rapid 

results where the path to innovation is largely within their 

individual control. Although performance issues have been 

reported with lightweight drywall, the individual product 

manufacturers are capable of addressing concerns related 

directly to their product.

Continuous Exterior Insulation

A wide range of various foam sheathing products has been 

available to builders for over 20 years for use in exterior 

insulation applications. The value proposition of increased 

energy savings and improved moisture performance has 

been supported as compelling by many experts in the 

industry. Yet the market penetration has been lagging 

(less than 10% nationally and less than 20% in many cold 

climate areas), despite the recently increased energy code 

requirements. The key difference is that the use of exterior 

foam insulation triggers a host of system questions that 

require consideration with regard to other products used 

in the wall, construction processes, trades sequencing, and 

integration with other materials. Examples include cladding 

attachment, vapor retarders, drainage plane, drying, bracing, 

insulation thickness, and window integration. Although all 

these questions can be answered, it requires cooperation 

and alignment of multiple product manufacturers and trade 

partners to execute the transition to the new practice. Some 

of these questions continue to remain open and in some 

cases contentious. Continuous exterior insulation serves 

as an example of a cross-cutting technology that cannot 

be fully advanced by an individual product manufacturer 

without broader industry cooperation.

System Integration

With the two technologies following dramatically different 

innovation stories, it is the second path (system path) that 

is the more frequently encountered by those who had the 

courage to embark on innovating in housing and the stamina 

to see it through. The private sector of the industry can be 

relied upon for product innovation. In many cases, the new 

products are proprietary and the industry is not looking 

for or interested in assistance with getting the products to 

market. In fact, all product manufacturers, small and big 

alike, continually work on new products and improvements 

to their existing product lines. It is system integration of 

products that can create significant challenges for builders 

or cause unintended consequences when the new products 

are introduced for inclusion with tried-and-true construction 

methods and systems. Individual product manufacturers 

often are not well equipped to advance system integration 

issues. Builders, having to fulfill the role of the integrator, 

look for reliable and consistent information for basing 

design and construction decisions.

Survey of Home Builders

A survey of home builders was conducted to help establish 

priorities for the challenges facing the industry. The results 

of the survey are intended to provide input for defining 

strategic research and development initiatives.

Although factors ranging from interest rates to the 

Endangered Species Act to the cost of cement in China 

shape the housing industry, this survey focuses on 
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

3

construction methods and technologies. The goal is 

to identify key challenges and opportunities facing 

builders and other stakeholders as a result of continuous 

technological changes in the market driven by many 

factors such as building codes, environmental regulations 

and programs, available labor pool, customer preferences, 

architectural styles, and occupancy types.

The survey was developed based on information gathered 

from focus groups of builders (App. C provides participant 

profiles) and from a web-based portal established for the 

specific purpose of soliciting input from other stakeholders. 

The survey included 120 specific challenges and issues 

across several key categories:

• Occupant comfort

• Fire-resistant construction

• Indoor air quality

• Energy efficiency issues

• Durability

• Disaster resistance

• Costs and labor availability

The complete questionnaire is provided in Appendix A.

Survey Metrics

A total of 308 homebuilders responded to the survey. Only 

those individuals who have decision-making responsibilities 

within their construction company were surveyed. The 

key survey metrics are summarized in Figure 1, including 

construction activities undertaken by the respondents and 

the types of buildings constructed. Over 90% of respondents 

were engaged in construction of buildings four stories 

or less, typically of light-frame wood construction. The 

majority of builders stated that they participated in an 

energy or green program. Reflecting the U.S. home builder 

population, local builders made up the majority of the 

sample. Respondents represented widespread geographic 

areas, including 47 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. 

Respondents were generally reflective of new single-family 

detached homes by custom, semi-custom, and production 

categories. Local building operations of respondents 

covered all U.S. climate zones, with the bulk in climate 

zones 2 through 6.

Survey Methodology

For each of the seven key categories, respondents were 

asked to rate and then rank specific issues to the degree they 

anticipate each being a challenge or issue in the foreseeable 

future:

• Rate each specific issue on a 1 to 5 scale (1 = Not a 

Challenge, 2 = Slight Challenge, 3 = Somewhat Big 

Challenge, 4 = Very Big Challenge, and 5 = Extremely 

Big Challenge,); and

• Rank the top five specific issues from each of the seven 

broad categories, #1 being the most challenging and #5 

being the least.

At the end, respondents were shown a single list 

summarizing their top five from each of the seven categories 

and were asked to rank them overall. Respondents were then 

asked to allocate 100 points to the top overall topics where 

they would like to see industry efforts directed to solving 

specific issues and challenges.

Findings

Key findings of the survey are summarized by topic in this 

section. The items listed below are ranked highest by the 

respondents. The issues can be presented based on two 

primary categories: (1) labor, cost, and construction process 

and (2) technical and informational. A complete summary of 

results is available in a companion presentation (App. B).

Skilled Labor Shortage

Shortage of skilled labor was identified by builders across 

the board as one of the most pressing issues for the industry, 

with multifamily builders affected most. Builders were 

most vocal on this issue, both during focus groups and 

in comments on the survey. Among all labor categories, 

framing was identified as the highest priority item by both 

single-family and multifamily builders. Labor shortages lead 

to delays and increased cost, affect quality of construction, 

and limit industry’s ability to adopt new code requirements 

and respond to market pressures. The issue of skilled 

labor is particularly important in light of the continuous 

transition of the residential industry to high-performance 

and optimized construction, which relies on more 

complex systems that often break away from conventional 

construction practices. The skilled labor must be able to 

keep pace with evolving technologies to ensure successful 

rollout of new requirements, products, and systems in the 

market. Research and development efforts in this area 

can include a wide range of initiatives, such as training, 

education, workforce development, apprenticeships, and 

community college programs. In terms of technology 

transfer, new and direct communication channels need to 

be developed to access trades people and share information 

in a manner that is timely, relevant to their projects, and 

delivered in a format that is actionable and applicable to 

real-life situations.

Rising Cost of Building Materials

Among all items related to cost, builders ranked rising 

cost of materials as the highest priority. This item is likely 

twofold—general rising cost of materials and higher cost 

of materials needed to achieve compliance with new code 

requirements and market demands for high performance 

homes. The primary research opportunity associated 

with this item is related to development of system and 
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

4

Figure 1—Survey metrics.

Construction activities by survey respondents Types of homes by respondents

Number of stories by multifamily builder respondents Respondent participation in above-code programs

Respondents by builder type Respondents by Census

Type of single-family homes by respondents Respondents by Climate Zone

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Net Zero Energy Ready

Indoor airPlus

Passive House

Other Program

NGBS Certified

WaterSense

LEED

No energy/green programs

ENERGYSTAR for homes

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

New England

Mid Atlantic

East North Central

West North Central

South Atlantic

East South Central

West South Central

Mountain

Pacific

0 50 100 150 200

SFD starter homes

SFD move-up homes

SFD luxury homes

Townhouses

Multifamily

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Built new light commercial buildings

Remodeled light commercial

buildings

Remodeled existing homes 184

63

36

Built new homes, apartments

 or condos

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 8

308

41

56

171

188

123

51%

38%

16%

11%

10%

8%

6%

6%

5%

31

34

37

52

37

18

102

28

15

2%

15%

24%

27%

30%

14%

4%

0%

3 stories

or less,

73%

6 stories or 

more, 3%

5 stories, 6%

4 stories, 18%

Local builder, 

84%

Regional or national 

builder, 16%

Custom, 27%

Semi-custom, 25%

Production, 48%
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

5

performance-based solutions optimized for the application 

to minimize the impact of transitioning to high-performance 

homes and achieving compliance with new code 

requirements.

Installation of Sprinklers and Increasing Costs 

of Compliance with Fire Requirements

Installation of sprinklers was ranked as the highest item in 

the cost and labor category. This reaction is in response to 

recent code changes that mandate fire sprinklers in singlefamily construction. This is a regulatory item that applies 

broadly to all builders in jurisdictions that adopted the 

model codes without amending this provision. Research and 

development efforts in this area can be focused on solutions 

that streamline and facilitate installation of such systems to 

reduce the overall installed cost.

Rising Cost Due to New Codes Requirements 

for Energy Efficiency and Structural 

Performance and Rising Cost of Design Fees

As building codes evolved over the past 15+ years since 

the introduction of 2000 International Residential Code 

(IRC), the stringency of structural requirements intended 

to improve resistance to natural disasters and energy 

requirements intended to reduce the energy cost of operating 

the dwelling has increased. These changes to the minimum 

code provisions continue to drive up construction costs 

and associated design fees. The increase in design fees is 

associated with need for more complex analyses to achieve 

code compliance and to find optimized solutions. Research 

and development efforts in this area can be directed to 

developing system solutions that are optimized for both 

increased efficiency and structural capacity at minimum 

added cost. (A traditional example of such systems is 2 by 

6 construction using 24-in. on center framing.) In addition, 

the focus should be on design methods that enable designers 

and engineers to take full advantage of system solutions. 

(The perforated shear wall design method serves as a good 

example of such design solutions.) Following development 

and field validation, solutions should be standardized, 

and where possible, prescriptive compliance tools should 

be made available to help minimize the need for custom 

designs.

Consistency in Interpreting Building Codes

The rapid pace of change in building codes, complicated 

by local amendment processes and enforcement methods, 

leads to inconsistent interpretation of building codes across 

jurisdictions and among code officials. Because new code 

changes are introduced every three years, and sometimes 

more frequently, builders may be forced into multiple 

redesign efforts, longer plan review times, red-tagged 

projects, and other complications, all of which lead to added 

cost, construction delays, and reduced overall effectiveness 

of the design and construction process. Builders particularly 

singled out the structural provisions of the code, where 

inconsistency in interpretation of the provisions has 

created challenges. Research and development efforts in 

this area should focus on developing informational tools 

and mechanisms that help code officials and builders with 

understanding and applying new code provisions, both 

performance-based and prescriptive, in a manner that is 

consistent with the intent of the code and is uniform across 

markets. Note that this topic was ranked first among all 

technical issues (that is, issues not related to cost or labor). 

(Also see “Solutions” section.)

Proven Durability of New Products and 

Moisture Performance of Energy-Efficient 

Systems 

Mindful of the well-documented, widespread past failures, 

builders expect a high degree of confidence in the long-term 

performance of new products and systems they are willing 

to specify. Issues related to durability of products can be 

categorized into two groups:

• Product specific—whether the new or substitute product 

will perform the function of the standard product

• System specific—whether the new system will perform 

the intended function after a product substitution or a 

product addition has been made

Both types of issues can present a significant challenge in 

terms of evaluating long-term performance, with system 

evaluation being particularly difficult because of the much 

larger number of variables affecting its performance. 

Builders are particularly cautious of unintended 

consequences of switching to new products that may not 

be revealed until well into the service life of the building. 

Research and development efforts in this area should focus 

on development and advancement of evaluation protocols 

that are capable of capturing the wide range of exposure 

scenarios and material interaction combinations. The 

evaluation tools should rely on a combination of analysis, 

testing, and monitoring to provide a full assessment picture 

at minimum cost and in the shortest amount of time. 

Examples of recent challenges raised by builders include 

questions about long-term performance of High-R walls in 

energy-efficient homes and the issues reported with stuccoclad walls in Florida in the past few months.

Indoor Air Quality

Several topics related to indoor air quality (IAQ) were 

ranked high by builders, including lack of clear definition 

and simple metrics for acceptable air quality, air quality and 

ventilation in airtight homes, and lack of low-cost IAQ test 

methods. This is an emerging issue that has been brought 

to the front by various recent code changes and general 

market shift to high-performance homes, with a potentially 

significant cumulative effect on IAQ:
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

6

1. Increase of minimum thermal resistance of homes, 

leading to use of new insulation products with poorly 

understood impact on indoor environment

2. Increase in air tightness of homes, which reduces natural 

air exchange and can lead to air quality issues, increase 

relative humidity levels, and limit drying potential for 

some elements of the building

3. Increase in mechanical ventilation rates, which has an 

energy penalty and an unknown impact on IAQ as a result 

of introducing humid or polluted air.

Research and development efforts in this area should focus 

on several issues:

1. Benchmarking acceptable indoor air quality levels

2. Validating reasonable ventilation levels and developing 

climate-zone-specific and integrated ventilation (and 

where needed, dehumidification) solutions

3. Developing better understanding of the impact of various 

new and standard materials on air quality of homes, with 

particular emphasis on high-performance homes

4. Developing simple commercial tools accessible to 

construction industry for assessing air quality

Performance of Wood Buildings 

in Tornados

With frequent tornados reported recently, this issue is a 

concern for many builders. Research and development 

efforts in this area should focus on safety room solutions for 

extreme tornado conditions and on providing a continuous 

load path for high-wind events in general. Observations 

from wind events typically indicate that newer homes 

constructed in accordance with modern building codes fare 

much better than older homes. Tornado safety education and 

practical strategies for upgrading wind resistance of homes 

can be useful tools for engaging home owners.

Solutions

When builders were asked to prioritize potential solutions, 

their top-ranked items included (1) information on how to 

avoid unintended consequences when transitioning to new 

products and systems; (2) educational tools specifically 

for trades to help with transitioning to new products and 

codes and installation instructions that address a range 

of applications and account for field conditions; and 

(3) information about long-term performance of products 

and systems and ability to compare between products and 

systems.

Builders consistently indicated that they rely primarily on 

product manufacturers and suppliers for building science 

information and support, with less than a quarter of builders 

reporting hiring consultants or having expertise on staff. 

Therefore, these types of tools are particularly important 

to help builders with making informed decisions based 

on balanced presentation of expected performance and 

function.

Interestingly, builders who do not participate in green or 

energy efficiency programs were almost twice as likely to 

be interested in information on how to integrate new 

products with the rest of the system. This is a group of 

builders who know that change is coming but do not 

have much experience with newer technologies. On the 

other hand, builders who do participate in above-code 

programs were more interested in having educational tools 

for transitioning to new code requirements be tailored for 

trades. Based on their experience, this group of builders 

identified the ability of trades to quickly and effectively 

make the transition as one of the key barriers to adoption 

of new practices.

When asked about an interactive building-science expert 

system, about three-quarters of all builders indicated that 

such a tool would be “extremely helpful” or “very helpful.”

Top Issues by Category

Table 1 lists the top-ranked issues within each of the seven 

broad categories.

Summary

Builders continue to be challenged on multiple fronts in 

providing homes that meet the increasing demands of 

building codes and the market. The challenges are often 

interrelated and cross-cutting in terms of their impact on 

multiple aspects of the design and construction process. 

The technical issues are closely related with labor market 

and cost implications. The issues identified in this 

survey suggest a broad range of barriers and gaps facing 

the industry in achieving its goals of providing highperformance homes that are welcomed by the market and 

advancing broader public goals of sustainability.

Cooperative private–public research partnerships have 

proven in the past to provide effective and credible 

mechanism for advancing broad integration challenges. 

The information and knowledge developed through such 

research can provide an objective basis for developing 

solutions that can be embraced by the building industry.
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

7

Table 1—Top-ranked issues

Category Cost-related Non-cost related

Occupant comfort High cost of solutions that improve 

occupant comfort

Ability to maintain uniform temperatures during peak periods

Lack of tools and metrics for measuring and defining comfort

Ability to maintain humidity within comfort range

Fire-resistant 

construction

Installation of sprinklers Compliance with fire code requirements in assemblies with woodbased products, new air-sealing products, and foam sheathing 

insulation

Indoor air quality High cost of effective ventilation 

solutions (ERV, HRV)

Lack of clear definition and simple metrics for acceptable air quality

Lack of low-cost IAQ test methods

Indoor air quality and ventilation solutions for airtight homes

Energy efficiency 

issues

Rising cost of compliance with energyefficient codesMoisture performance of energy efficient walls and attics

Whole-house integration when transitioning to energy efficient homes

Durability N/A Understanding impact of new code requirements on long-term 

performance

Proven durability of new products and materials

Durability of exposed exterior wood products

Disaster resistance Rising cost of compliance with structural 

codes

Consistency with interpreting structural code requirements

Ability of trades to understand and execute specified structural 

solutions and call-backs after structural inspections

Need for engineering for wall bracing

Structural solutions for buildings above three stories

Performance of wood buildings in tornados

Costs, labor, and 

construction process

Rising cost of skilled labor

Rising cost of building materials

Labor availability for framing

Cost increases due to labor shortages

Consistency with interpretation of building codes
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

8

Appendix A—Builder Survey Questionnaire

FPL NEEDS ASSESSMENT

S1. Which of the following has your company’s local operations done in the past 12 months? (SELECT ALL THAT 

APPLY.)

Remodeled existing homes -1

Remodeled light commercial buildings -2

Built new homes, apartments or condos -3

Built new light commercial buildings -4

None of the above -5

PROGRAMMER: MUST SELECT PUNCH 3 IN S1 TO QUALIFY AND CONTINUE, OTHERWISE TERMINATE.

S2. Which of the following phrases best describes how much influence you have when it comes to selecting the 

building materials and systems solutions your company uses?

I am the sole decision maker who selects the building materials and systems solutions we use -1

I have authority to specify the building materials and systems solutions we use -2

I strongly influence the selection of building materials and systems solutions we use -3

I have some influence over the selection of building materials and systems solutions we use -4 [TERMINATE] I have no influence over the selection of building materials and systems solutions we use -5

D1. How many of each of the following did your company’s local operations construct in the past 12 months? (ENTER 

NUMBER OF UNITS. IF NONE, ENTER 0.)

1 Single-family detached (SFD) Starter homes 

2 Single-family detached (SFD ) Move-up homes 

3 Single-family detached (SFD) Luxury homes 

4 Townhouses or duplexes (living units)

5 Apartments or condos (living units)

PROGRAMMER: ASK S3 IF APARTMENTS/CONDOS > 0 IN D1. 

S3. What percent of the apartments/condos your local operations built in the past 12 months were ...? (TOTAL MUST = 

100%.)

1 3 stories or less 

2 4 stories high 

3 5 stories high 

4 6 stories high

5 7 or more stories high [IF 100% AND D1_1-4 = 0, TERMINATE]
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

9

PROGRAMMER: ASK D2 IF PUNCH 1 IN S1.

D2. How many residential remodeling jobs did your company’s local operations do in the past 12 months? (ENTER 

NUMBER OF JOBS.)

PROGRAMMER: ASK QE1 IF ANY TYPE OF SFD HOMES > 0 IN QC. 

D3. What percent of the homes your local operations built in the past 12 months were of each of the following types? 

(TOTAL MUST = 100%.)

1 Production homes 

2 Semi-custom homes 

3 Custom homes 
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

10

D4. In what state(s) does your particular office build homes, apartments and/or condos? (Select all that apply.)

1 Alabama

2 Alaska

3 Arizona

4 Arkansas

5 California

6 Colorado

7 Connecticut

8 Delaware

9 District of Columbia

10 Florida

11 Georgia

12 Hawaii

13 Idaho

14 Illinois

15 Indiana

16 Iowa

17 Kansas

18 Kentucky

19 Louisiana

20 Maine

21 Maryland

22 Massachusetts

23 Michigan

24 Minnesota

25 Mississippi

26 Missouri

27 Montana

28 Nebraska

29 Nevada

30 New Hampshire

31 New Jersey

32 New Mexico

33 New York

34 North Carolina

35 North Dakota

36 Ohio

37 Oklahoma

38 Oregon

39 Pennsylvania

40 Rhode Island

41 South Carolina

42 South Dakota

43 Tennessee

44 Texas

45 Utah

46 Vermont

47 Virginia

48 Washington

49 West Virginia

50 Wisconsin

51 Wyoming

D5. Which of the following best describes your company?

My company serves only our local market area -1

My company serves multiple markets in this region of the country -2

My company serves multiple markets across the nation -3
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

11

D6. Please select the climate zones in which your particular office built homes, apartments and/or condos in the past 

12 months. (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.) [PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY MAP SUPERIMPOSED WITH CLIMATE 

ZONES.]

Zone 1 -1

Zone 2 -2

Zone 3 -3

Zone 4 -4

Zone 5 -5

Zone 6 -6

Zone 7 -7

Zone 8 -8

D7. Which, if any, of the following energy or green programs does your company participate? (SELECT ALL THAT 

APPLY.) [RANDOMIZE]

NGBS Certified -1

LEED -2

Net Zero Energy Ready -3

ENERGYSTAR for Homes -4

Passive house -5

Indoor airPlus -6

WaterSense -7

Other (Please Specify) -8

None—do not participate in any energy/green programs -9
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

12

PROGRAMMER: FOR D8, DISPLAY EACH PROGRAM SELECTED IN D7. IF NONE (PUNCH 9), SKIP.

D8. What percent of the homes your local operations built in the past 12 months were in each of the following energy or 

green programs in which your company participates? [RANDOMIZE]

1 NGBS Certified

2 LEED

3 Net Zero Energy Ready

4 ENERGYSTAR for Homes

5 Passive house

6 Indoor airPlus

7 WaterSense

8 [D7_8_OTHER]

D9. What is your exact job title?
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

13

Q1. In this survey, we want to understand the different challenges and issues or concerns home builders like 

yourself expect to face for the foreseeable future when it comes to providing high-performance, superior 

quality, affordable homes. Your answers will help us to determine which areas to focus our research 

efforts in the coming years.

PROGRAMMER: RANDOMIZE Qs 2-8.

Q2. In the following exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to 

costs, labor or construction processes. For each one, select the statement that best describes how 

much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Availability of unskilled labor -1

Availability of skilled labor for framing -2

Availability of skilled labor for insulation -3

Availability of skilled labor for exterior siding -4

Availability of skilled labor for HVAC -5

Availability of skilled labor for plumbing or electrical -6

Availability of skilled labor for house wrap and flashing -7

Availability of skilled labor for drywall and finishes -8

Coordination between trades -9

Coordination between trades when transitioning to new products or systems or code requirements -10

Ability of trades to quickly adopt new code provisions and ensure code compliance (passing quality 

inspections and code inspections) -11

Delays due to labor shortages -12

Cost increase due to labor shortages -13

Rising cost of building materials -14

Rising cost of unskilled labor -15

Rising cost of skilled labor -16

Rising cost associated with energy efficiency requirements/specifications -17

Rising cost associated with structural requirements/specifications -18

Rising cost associated with fire requirements/specifications -19

Rising cost associated with ventilation requirements/specifications -20

Rising cost associated with dehumidification specifications -21

Rising cost associated with plumbing and hot water specifications -22

Rising cost associated with increased home buyer demand for customization -23

Rising cost associated with design fees/costs -24

Consistency in interpretation of new codes -25
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

14

Q3. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to disaster 

resistance and/or structural performance. For each one, select the statement that best describes how 

much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Requirements for additional hardware (hold downs, anchor bolts, plate washers, straps, etc.) to comply 

with wall bracing provisions -26

Need to adjust architectural floor plans (e.g., move walls/windows, etc.) to comply with wall bracing 

provisions -27

Need for engineered design to comply with wall bracing provisions -28

The need for specialty shear wall panels (e.g., Simpson Strong-wall) to comply with wall bracing 

provisions -29

Requirements for additional roof blocking to comply with wall bracing provisions -30

Need to reinforce or change foundations to comply with wall bracing provisions -31

Attachment of cladding or siding products -32

Consistency with interpreting structural code requirements -33

Limitation of prescriptive structural solutions and need for relying on engineering (other than bracing) -34

Engineers’ lack of familiarity with wood framing and wood products -35

Lack of integrated structural system solutions for the entire house -36

Framing two-story foyers or family rooms -37

Integration of energy efficient measures and their impact on framing and connections -38

Field constructability of engineered structural systems -39

Ability of trades to understand and execute the specified structural solutions -40

Framing of decks -41

Performance of wood buildings in tornados -42

Cracking of foundation walls or slabs -43

Structural solutions for wood buildings of more than 3 stories -44

Solutions for tornado safe room in a house -45

Call-backs for trades to go back to fix quality issues after structural code inspections -46
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

15

Q4. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to durability 

of materials and systems. For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a 

challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future.

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Understanding the impact of new code requirements (e.g., energy efficiency) on the longterm performance (durability) of the building -47

Proven durability of new products and materials -48

Durability of siding/cladding products -49

Durability of sheathing products -50

Durability of taped systems -51

Durability of insulation materials -52

Durability of water resistive barriers -53

Durability of foundations -54

Corrosion of fasteners and hardware -55

Durability of wood materials used in contact with masonry or concrete -56

Durability of exposed exterior wood trim and other finish wood products -57

Durability of energy efficient windows (long-term insulative value) -58

Durability of exterior plastic products -59

Long-term performance of light-weight drywall -60

Product integration that ensures long-term performance of the entire system -61

Durability of exterior wall systems -62

Determining correct vapor retarders for walls -63

Selecting appropriate water resistive barriers (house wrap) for walls -64

Durability of conditioned (unvented) crawlspace -65

Durability of conditioned (unvented) attics -66
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

16

Q5. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to energy 

efficiency, specifically as it relates to the building envelope and particular equipment. For each one, 

select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home 

building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Availability of practical insulation solutions for walls in energy efficient homes -67

Availability of practical insulation solutions for attics in energy efficient homes -68

Moisture performance of energy efficient walls -69

Moisture performance of energy efficient attics -70

Long-term effectiveness of insulation materials and systems -71

Details for integration of exterior insulation with other materials (e.g., cladding, windows, 

skylights, etc.) -72

Practical solutions for air sealing single-family detached homes -73

Practical solutions for air sealing in townhomes or multifamily buildings -74

Window installation solutions in walls with more insulation -75

Use of radiant barriers in walls or attics -76

System and whole-house integration issues when transitioning to more energy efficient homes -77

Heating solutions in homes with loads reduced due to a better insulated building envelope -78

Cooling solutions in homes with loads reduced due to a better insulated building envelope -79

Duct solutions in energy efficient homes -80
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

17

Q6. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to indoor air 

quality. For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it 

will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Availability of low-emitting products and materials -81

Cost of low-emitting products and materials -82

Reliable information on the emittance of new products -83

Reliable information on the emittance of standard existing products -84

Lack of clear and broadly accepted definition for low emitting products and materials -85

Indoor air quality in airtight homes -86

Availability of simple and effective ventilation solutions -87

High cost of effective ventilation solutions (ERV, HRV) -88

Installation issues with the more sophisticated ventilation equipment (ERV, HRV, balancing) -89

Long-term performance of the more sophisticated ventilation solutions (ERV, HRV, 

balancing) -90

Customer complaints about air quality in homes -91

Impact of ventilation on comfort (humidity, temperature) -92

Lack of clear definition and simple metrics for acceptable air quality in homes -93

Lack of low-cost IAQ test methods to determine air quality in homes -94

Ventilation solutions in airtight homes -95

Q7. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to fire 

resistance. For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe 

it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Compliance with fire requirements for walls on lots with short separation/zero lot lines -96

Compliance with fire requirements in assemblies with foam insulation products -97

Compliance with fire requirements in assemblies with new air sealing materials -98

Compliance with fire requirements in basements or crawlspaces -99

Compliance with fire requirements in assemblies with wood-based materials -100

Installation of sprinklers -101

Fire resistance of composite wood products -102

Q8. In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to comfort.

For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for 

your home building company for the foreseeable future. 
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

18

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL CHALLENGES. DISPLAY CHALLENGES ONE AT 

A TIME USING A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE CHALLENGES.

EXTREMELY BIG 

challenge

for my company

VERY BIG 

challenge

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

challenge

for my company

SLIGHT 

challenge

for my company

NOT A

challenge

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Lack of clear metrics for defining comfort for occupants -103

Lack of low-cost diagnostic tools for measuring comfort in a house -104

Ability to maintain uniform temperatures throughout the residence -105

Ability to maintain uniform temperatures during peak periods -106

Ability to consistently maintain humidity within a comfort range -107

Ability to provide new minimum ventilation rates and maintain comfort -108

High cost of solutions that improve occupants’ comfort -109

Customer dissatisfaction with the noise of operating equipment (HVAC, fans, range hood, etc) -110

Customer dissatisfaction with noise from outside the dwelling (road noise, neighbors) -111
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

19

PROGRAMMER: FOR Qs 9a-15b, REFER TO Qs 2-8. RANDOMIZE Qs9a-15b. ALWAYS KEEP Qs a & b 

together.

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q9a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q2. IF NONE, SKIP TO Q9b.]

Q9a. In this exercise RANK the following costs, labor and construction processes in terms of how big of a

challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank 

from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q9b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to costs, labor and construction 

processes that you believe your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type none. Please 

be as specific and thorough as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest challenge.

1

2

3

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q10a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q3. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q10b.]

Q10a. In this exercise RANK the following disaster resistance and/or structural performance challenges in 

terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for your company for the 

foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q10b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to disaster resistance and/or 

structural performance that you believe your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type 

none. Please be as specific and thorough as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest 

challenge.

1

2

3

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q11a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q4. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q11b.]

Q11a. In this exercise RANK the following durability challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or 

concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest 

challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q11b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to durability that you believe your 

company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type none. Please be as specific and thorough as 

possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest challenge.

1

2

3
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

20

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q12a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q5. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q12b.]

Q12a. In this exercise RANK the following energy efficiency challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, 

issue or concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest 

to smallest challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q12b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to energy efficiency that you believe 

your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type none. Please be as specific and thorough 

as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest challenge.

1

2

3

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q13a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q6. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q13b.]

Q13a. In this exercise RANK the following indoor air quality challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, 

issue or concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest 

to smallest challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q13b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to indoor air quality that you believe

your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type none. Please be as specific and thorough 

as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest challenge.

1

2

3

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q14a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q7. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q14b.]

Q14a. In this exercise RANK the following fire resistance challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue 

or concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to 

smallest challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q14b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to fire resistance that you believe 

your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type none. Please be as specific and thorough 

as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest challenge.

1

2

3
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

21

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q15a DISPLAY CHALLENGES RATED PUNCH 1 or 2 IN Q8. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q15b.]

Q15a. In this exercise RANK the following comfort challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or 

concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest 

challenge, issue or concern. [RANDOMIZE]

Q15b. List and rank any other challenges and issues or concerns related to disaster resistance and/or 

structural performance that you believe your company will face for the foreseeable future. If none, type 

none. Please be as specific and thorough as possible, and list them in rank order from biggest to smallest 

challenge.

1

2

3
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

22

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q16 DISPLAY CHALLENGES ranked 1-6 IN Q9a, ranked 1-5 IN Qs10a-11a, ranked 1-

4 IN Qs12a-13a, or ranked 1-3 IN Qs14a-15a, THAT WERE ALSO PUNCH 1 IN Qs2-8. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q22.]

Q16. In this exercise RANK the following things from across all the earlier categories, overall, in terms of how 

big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. 

Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q17 INSERT RESPONSES RANKED 1-4 IN Q16.]

Q17. Listed below are the challenges, issues or concerns you said would be the biggest for your company for 

the foreseeable future. Indicate to what degree each one will be for your company in percentage terms. 

For example, if challenge 1 is twice as big as challenge 2, you might give challenge 1, 50%, and challenge 

2, 25%. When finished, challenges 1-4 must equal 100%.

[INSERT CHALLENGE RANKED 1 HERE] _____________

[INSERT CHALLENGE RANKED 2 HERE] _____________

[INSERT CHALLENGE RANKED 3 HERE] _____________

[INSERT CHALLENGE RANKED 4 HERE] _____________

Total =100%
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

23

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Qs18-21 INSERT RESPONSES RANKED 1-4 IN Q16.]

Q18. You ranked [INSERT ITEM RANKED 1 IN Q16] as the BIGGEST challenge you expect your company to 

face for the foreseeable future. Please explain why you feel this way. Please be as specific and thorough 

as possible.

Q19. You ranked [INSERT ITEM RANKED 2 IN Q16] as one of the biggest challenges you expect your 

company to face for the foreseeable future. Please explain why you feel this way. Please be as specific 

and thorough as possible.

Q20. You ranked [INSERT ITEM RANKED 3 IN Q16] as one of the biggest challenges you expect your 

company to face for the foreseeable future. Please explain why you feel this way. Please be as specific 

and thorough as possible.

Q21. You ranked [INSERT ITEM RANKED 4 IN Q16] as one of the biggest challenges you expect your 

company to face for the foreseeable future. Please explain why you feel this way. Please be as specific 

and thorough as possible.
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

24

Q22. In this exercise you will see a series of potential NEEDS related to the availability of information on

the integration of new products into the building system and the performance of products at the 

system level that may or not be a NEED for your company for the foreseeable future. For each one, 

select the statement that best describes how much of a NEED you believe it will be for your home 

building company for the foreseeable future. 

PROGRAMMER: RESPONDENT WILL EVALUATE ALL NEEDS. DISPLAY NEEDS ONE AT A TIME USING 

A CAROUSEL TECHNIQUE. RANDOMIZE NEEDS.

EXTREMELY BIG 

NEED

for my company

VERY BIG NEED

for my company

SOMEWHAT BIG 

NEED

for my company

SLIGHT NEED

for my company

NOT A

NEED

for my company

-1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Information on individual new products, their performance characteristics, and code 

compliance -1

Information on how to integrate a new product with the rest of the system -2

Installation instructions for new products addressing the wide range of applications and 

account for real field conditions -3

Information about long-term performance of new products and the entire system -4

Availability of third-party information on the performance of individual products in a system -5

Ability to compare the individual products to each other in terms of the performance of the 

entire system to assist with product selection -6

Information on how to avoid unintended consequences (construction or performance 

related) when transitioning to a new product or a solution -7

Educational tools targeted specifically for trades to help with transitioning to new products 

or code requirements -8

Educational tools targeted for sales people and home buyers (occupants) on the high 

performance features of the building -9

Q23. List any other NEEDS related to the availability of information on the integration of new products 

into the building system and the performance of products at the system level that you believe your 

company will have for the foreseeable future. Please list them in rank order of their importance to your 

company.

1

2

3
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

25

[PROGRAMMER: FOR Q24 DISPLAY ALL NEEDS RATED PUNCH 1, 2, OR 3 IN Q22. IF NONE, SKIP TO 

Q25.]

Q24. RANK the following needs in terms of how big of a need you expect them to be for your company for the 

foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest need. [RANDOMIZE]

Q25. Please rate how helpful you believe each of the following would be to builders and trade contractors when 

new codes are adopted or new products are spec’d.

Extremely 

Helpful

Very 

Helpful

Somewhat 

Helpful

Not at all 

Helpful

Simplified product or system selection tools based 

on user input of key specifications, climatic 

information, and design & construction 

preferences (i.e., builder science expert system,

code expert system) -1 -2 -3 -4

Q26. Which of the following best describe how your company responds to building performance issues or 

concerns? (Select all that apply.) [RANDOMIZE]

We ask our building science expert on staff 1

We hire a building science consultant (only when needed) 2

We rely on internal staff experience 3

We rely on manufacturer, supplier support 4

We rely on trade contractors 5

Other (Please specify) 6
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

26

Appendix B—Research Needs Assessment Survey Presentation

Prepared for:

U.S. Forest Products Lab

May 31, 2016

Research Needs Assessment 

Survey Report

Final Report

Survey of U.S. Home Builders

 The intent of this project was to prioritize needs of

builders with respect to future research and

development

 Earlier exploratory phases of this project uncovered a

wide array of industry challenges and issues

 The focus groups and building science industry input resulted in

an enumeration of about 120 specific challenges and issues

 This survey intended to scientifically measure the

degree to which each of these challenges and issues

need to be addressed by future research

2
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

27

Summary of Survey Specification and 

Respondent Characteristics

 Web-based survey fielded from

May 18th to 24th, 2016

 308 home builders responded—

having completing at least one 

new home in the past year

 Respondents also reporting

other construction activities 

(right)

 Qualifiers had decision-making

influence or authority (below)

3

36

63

184

308

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

 Built new light commercial buildings

 Remodeled light commercial buildings

 Remodeled existing homes

 Built new homes, apartments or

condos

Respondents Reporting Specific Business 

Activity in the Past 12 Months 

Sole Decision Maker of 

Materials and Systems 50%

Authority to Specify 

Materials and Systems 36%

Strongly Influence 

Selection 14%

 TOTAL 100%

 Home Innovation sent invitations via email to its 

survey panel of construction professionals, 

recruited from:

 International Builders Show 2008 – 2016

 Annual Builder Practices Survey respondents, 2004 - 2016 

 To augment number of multifamily builders, 

Home Innovation sent e-mail invitations to 

subscribers of

 Professional Builder magazine

 Building Design and Construction magazine

Respondent Characteristics (cont’d)

4

123

188

171

56

41

50 100 150 200

SFD Starter

SFD Move-up

SFD-Luxury

Townhouses

Multifamily

Number of Reporting Types of Homes

3 stories or 

less, 73%

4 stories 

high, 17%

5 stories 

high, 6%

6 stories or 

more, 3%

Multifamily Builders Reporting Building Heights

Number of builders 

reporting home types 

were generally 

reflective of the 

population of U.S. 

builders

The vast majority (90%) 

of Multifamily builders 

(right) reported their 

buildings to be 4 stories 

and less, typically light 

frame wood structures
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

28

Respondent Characteristics (cont’d)

5

The majority of builders 

state they participate in 

some energy efficiency 

or green program (left)

Reflecting the U.S. home 

builder population, local 

builders made up the 

majority of the sample 

(right)

5%

6%

6%

8%

10%

11%

16%

38%

51%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

 Net Zero Energy Ready

 Indoor airPlus

 Passive house

 Other Program

 NGBS Certified

 WaterSense

 LEED

 No energy/green programs

 ENERGYSTAR for Homes

Local Builder, 

84%

Regional or 

National 

Builder, 16%

Respondent Characteristics (cont’d)

6

Respondents represented 

widespread geographic 

areas and included 47 

states + District of 

Columbia

Respondents were 

generally reflective of 

annual new single family 

detached homes by 

custom, semi-custom and 

production (right)

New England, 

5%

Mid Atlantic, 

12%

South Atlantic, 

33%

East North 

Central, 17%

West North 

Central, 11%

East South 

Central, 6%

West South 

Central, 11%

Mountain, 9%

Pacific, 10%

Respondents by Census Division

Custom, 27%

Semi-Custom, 

25%

Production, 

48%

Shares of SFD Homes Reported by 

Participants
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

29

Climate Zones of Respondents’ Local 

Building Operations

7

2%

15%

24%

27%

30%

14%

4%

0%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 8

Primary Questionnaire Categories and Approach

The Following Broad Categories of Home Construction 

Issues and Challenges Were Evaluated in this Survey:

1. Occupant Comfort

2. Fire Resistant Construction

3. Indoor Air Quality

4. Energy Efficiency Issues

5. Durability

6. Disaster Resistance

7. Costs and Labor Availability

8
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

30

Questionnaire Approach

For each of the 7 broad issues and challenges categories 

(previous slide), respondents were asked to Rate, then Rank

specific issues to the degree they anticipate each being a 

challenge or issue in the foreseeable future:

1. Rate each specific issue on a 1 to 5 scale (4 = Very Big Challenge

and 5 = Extremely Big Challenge)

2. Rank the top five specific issues from each of the 7 broad

categories, #1 being the most challenging and #5 being the least

3. At the end, respondents were shown a single list summarizing

their top five from each of the 7 categories and were asked to

Rank them overall

4. Respondents were then asked to allocate 100 points to the top

overall topics where they would like to see industry efforts

directed to solving specific issues and challenges

9

DETAILED FINDINGS

10
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

31

RATINGS of Challenges for Occupant Comfort

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

11

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to comfort. For each one, select the statement that 

best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. (Q8)

6%

9%

10%

10%

11%

12%

13%

13%

20%

 Customer dissatisfaction w/noise from

outside dwelling (road noise, neighbors)

 Customer dissatisfaction w/noise of operating

equipment (HVAC/fans/range hood)

 Ability to maintain uniform temperatures

throughout the residence

 Ability to provide new minimum ventilation

rates and maintain comfort

 Ability to consistently maintain humidity within

a comfort range

 Lack of clear metrics for defining comfort for

occupants

 Ability to maintain uniform temperatures

during peak periods

 Lack of low-cost diagnostic tools for

measuring comfort in a house

High cost of solutions that improve 

occupants’ comfort

RANKING of Challenges for Occupant Comfort

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

12

In this exercise RANK the following comfort challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for your 

company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern. (Q15a)

24%

25%

26%

29%

31%

32%

34%

55%

 Customer dissatisfaction w/noise of

operating equipment...

 Ability to provide new minimum

ventilation rates and maintain comfort

 Ability to maintain uniform temperatures

throughout the residence

 Ability to consistently maintain humidity

within a comfort range

 Lack of clear metrics for defining

comfort for occupants

 Lack of low-cost diagnostic tools for

measuring comfort in a house

 Ability to maintain uniform temperatures

during peak periods

High cost of solutions that improve 

occupants’ comfort

*Total of 9 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

32

Shares of Builders Rating Occupant Comfort Issues

% as Very Big or Extremely Big Challenges (4 or 5 out of 5)

13

Challenges with occupant comfort seem to be strongest in the Northeast and 

weakest in the West. “High cost of solutions” is the top issue in each region.

Northeast Midwest South West

Lack of clear metrics for defining comfort for 

occupants

19% 11% 14% 5%

Lack of low-cost diagnostic tools for measuring 

comfort in a house 24% 13% 12% 9%

Ability to maintain uniform temperatures 

throughout the residence

14% 11% 10% 5%

Ability to maintain uniform temperatures during 

peak periods

19% 13% 12% 9%

Ability to consistently maintain humidity within a 

comfort range

17% 11% 11% 7%

Ability to provide new minimum ventilation rates 

and maintain comfort 14% 16% 9% 4%

High cost of solutions that improve occupants’ 

comfort 26% 18% 21% 15%

Customer dissatisfaction w/noise of operating 

equipment (HVAC/fans/range hood)

21% 9% 7% 7%

Customer dissatisfaction w/noise from outside 

dwelling (road noise, neighbors)

17% 9% 4% 2%

RATINGS of Challenges for Fire Resistance

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

14

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to fire resistance. For each one, select the statement 

that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. (Q7)

8%

10%

10%

11%

11%

11%

29%

 Fire resistance of composite wood

products

 Compliance w/fire reqs for walls on lots

w/short separation/zero lot lines

 Compliance w/fire reqs in basements or

crawlspaces

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/foam insulation products

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/wood-based materials

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/new air sealing materials

 Installation of sprinklers

Not surprisingly, fire sprinklers rated at the top of challenges. Their mandate by building codes 

in recent years has become a contentious issue—many builders believe their cost and 

complexity make housing less affordable.

*Total of 7 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

33

RANKING of Challenges for Fire Resistance

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

15

In this exercise RANK the following fire resistance challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for 

your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern. (Q14a)

21%

22%

23%

27%

29%

30%

80%

 Fire resistance of composite wood

products

 Compliance w/fire reqs in basements or

crawlspaces

 Compliance w/fire reqs for walls on lots

w/short separation/zero lot lines

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/foam insulation products

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/new air sealing materials

 Compliance w/fire reqs in assemblies

w/wood-based materials

 Installation of sprinklers

Following sprinklers, builders responded that compliance with fire requirements was often an 

issue with wood-based materials, also including insulation and air sealing materials. Single 

family and multifamily builders were about equally concerned with fire sprinklers

*Total of 7 issues/challenges

presented to respondents

RATINGS of Challenges for Air Quality

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

16

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to indoor air quality. For each one, select the 

statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable future.(Q6) 

9%

10%

14%

16%

16%

17%

17%

17%

18%

18%

19%

19%

20%

22%

26%

 Customer complaints about air quality in homes

 Availability of low-emitting products & materials

 Impact of ventilation on comfort (humidity,...

 Reliable info on the emittance of standard existing...

 Long-term performance of sophisticated vent...

 Cost of low-emitting products & materials

 Availability of simple and effective ventilation solutions

 Reliable info on the emittance of new products

 Installation issues w/sophisticated vent equipment...

 Lack of clear & broadly accepted definition for low...

 Ventilation solutions in airtight homes

 Lack of low-cost IAQ test methods to determine air...

 Indoor air quality in airtight homes

 Lack of clear definition & simple metrics for...

 High cost of effective ventilation solutions (ERV, HRV)

*Total of 15 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

34

RANKING of Challenges for Air Quality

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

17

In this exercise RANK the following indoor air quality challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for 

your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q13a)

24%

24%

25%

26%

30%

31%

31%

33%

46%

 Lack of clear & broadly accepted

definition for low emitting products &...

 Installation issues w/sophisticated vent

equipment (ERV/HRV/balancing)

 Cost of low-emitting products &

materials

 Availability of simple and effective

ventilation solutions

 Ventilation solutions in airtight homes

 Indoor air quality in airtight homes

 Lack of low-cost IAQ test methods to

determine air quality in homes

 Lack of clear definition & simple

metrics for acceptable air quality in...

 High cost of effective ventilation

solutions (ERV, HRV)

Solutions to current industry challenges should include less complex (and lower cost) solutions 

for energy efficient ventilation—but also clarify and simplify measuring acceptable IAQ.

*Total of 15 issues/challenges

presented to respondents

Shares of Builders Reporting Air Quality Issues

% Rating as Very Big or Extremely Big Issue (4 or 5 out of 5)

18

Like the issues surrounding Comfort, Northeast builders were far more likely than West builders 

to identify air quality challenges and issues EXCEPT the lack of low-cost IAQ testing methods.

Northeast Midwest South West

Availability of low-emitting products & materials 14% 15% 9% 4%

Cost of low-emitting products & materials 24% 16% 18% 11%

Reliable info on the emittance of new products 24% 18% 17% 11%

Reliable info on the emittance of standard existing products 29% 17% 14% 11%

Lack of clear & broadly accepted definition for low emitting products & 

materials 29% 23% 16% 11%

Indoor air quality in airtight homes 33% 22% 17% 15%

Availability of simple and effective ventilation solutions 19% 20% 17% 9%

High cost of effective ventilation solutions (ERV, HRV) 36% 30% 24% 24%

Installation issues w/sophisticated vent equipment (ERV/HRV/balancing) 26% 18% 20% 11%

Long-term performance of sophisticated vent solutions 

(ERV/HRV/balancing) 24% 16% 17% 7%

Customer complaints about air quality in homes 17% 7% 10% 5%

Impact of ventilation on comfort (humidity, temperature) 29% 11% 15% 7%

Lack of clear definition & simple metrics for acceptable air quality in homes 26% 27% 23% 16%

Lack of low-cost IAQ test methods to determine air quality in homes 24% 22% 18% 20%

Ventilation solutions in airtight homes 33% 20% 19% 13%
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

35

RATINGS of Challenges for Energy Efficiency

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

19

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to energy efficiency, specifically as it relates to the 

building envelope and particular equipment. For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will 

be for your home building company for the foreseeable future. (Q5)

9%

9%

10%

10%

12%

13%

15%

 Availability of practical insulation

solutions for walls in energy effic...

 Details for integration of exterior

insulation w/other materials

 Window installation solutions in

walls w/more insulation

 Long-term effectiveness of

insulation materials &systems

 System/whole-house integration

when transition' to more energy...

 Moisture performance of energy

efficient attics

 Moisture performance of energy

efficient walls

Builders are still concerned that rising requirements for energy efficient walls and attics may 

compromise moisture performance—the issues is apparently not solved to the satisfaction of 

many builders yet.

*Total of 14 issues/challenges

presented to respondents

RANKING of Challenges for Energy Efficiency

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

20

In this exercise RANK the following energy efficiency challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for 

your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q12a)

21%

22%

23%

30%

33%

40%

 Details for integration of exterior

insulation w/other materials

 Window installation solutions in walls

w/more insulation

 Long-term effectiveness of insulation

materials &systems

 System/whole-house integration when

transition' to more energy effic homes

 Moisture performance of energy

efficient attics

 Moisture performance of energy

efficient walls

The second tier of issues and concerns relate to long-term effectiveness of insulation and how 

effectively to integrate windows and other materials into the exterior wall.

*Total of 14 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

36

RATINGS of Challenges for Durability

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

21

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to durability of materials and systems. For each one, 

select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable 

future.(Q4)

10%

10%

10%

10%

10%

10%

11%

11%

11%

12%

12%

12%

13%

16%

19%

20%

 Durability of siding/cladding products

 Durability of energy efficient windows (long-...

 Durability of exterior plastic products

 Selecting appropriate water resistive barriers...

 Durability of water resistive barriers

 Durability of exterior wall systems

 Durability of taped systems

 Corrosion of fasteners & hardware

 Durability of conditioned (unvented) crawlspace

 Durability of wood materials used in contact...

 Product integration that ensures long-term...

 Determining correct vapor retarders for walls

 Durability of conditioned (unvented) attics

 Durability of exposed exterior wood trim &...

 Proven durability of new products & materials

 Understanding impact of new code reqs on...

*Total of 19 issues/challenges

presented to respondents

RANKING of Challenges for Durability

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

22

In this exercise RANK the following durability challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect them to be for your 

company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q11a)

17%

18%

18%

26%

34%

35%

 Product integration that ensures longterm performance of entire system

 Determining correct vapor retarders

for walls

 Durability of conditioned (unvented)

crawlspace

 Durability of exposed exterior wood

trim & other finish wood products

 Proven durability of new products &

materials

 Understanding impact of new code

reqs on the long-term performance

By experience, builders are cautious about changing the “tried and true” ways they 

build...especially with new building codes that cause them to change. Also, new (and more 

beneficial) building materials are often slow to be adopted due to this rightful caution. One 

established practice still needs addressing—the durability of exterior wood products.

*Total of 19 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

37

RATINGS of Challenges for Disaster Resistance

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

23

In this exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to disaster resistance and/or structural performance. 

For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the 

foreseeable future.(Q3)

10%

10%

10%

11%

12%

12%

12%

13%

13%

13%

13%

14%

16%

17%

 Need to adjust architectural floor plans to comply

w/wall bracing provisions

 Field constructability of engineered structural systems

 Lack of integrated structural system solutions for entire

house

 Integration of energy effic measures & their impact on

framing & connections

Engineers’ lack of familiarity w/wood framing & wood 

products

 Performance of wood buildings in tornados

 Call-backs for trades to fix quality issues after structural

code inspections

 Need for specialty shear wall panels to comply w/wall

bracing provisions

 Reqs for add'l hardware to comply w/wall bracing

provisions

 Limit'n of prescriptive structural solutions & need for

relying on engineering

 Structural solutions for wood buildings of more than 3

stories

 Need for engineered design to comply with wall bracing

provisions

 Ability of trades to understand & execute the specified

structural solutions

 Consistency w/interpreting structural code reqs

*Total of 19 

issues/challenges

presented to

respondents

RANKING of Challenges for Disaster Resistance

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

24

In this exercise RANK the following disaster resistance and/or structural performance challenges in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or 

concern you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q10a)

20%

20%

20%

21%

28%

30%

 Call-backs for trades to fix quality

issues after structural code

inspections

 Performance of wood buildings in

tornados

 Structural solutions for wood

buildings of more than 3 stories

 Need for engineered design to

comply with wall bracing provisions

 Ability of trades to understand &

execute the specified structural

solutions

 Consistency w/interpreting

structural code reqs

The top challenges relate to understanding, interpreting, and executing structural solutions 

required by building codes—this could be addressed by educating trades, engineers, and 

code officials.

*Total of 19 

issues/challenges

presented to

respondents
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

38

RATINGS for Cost, Labor, and Construction Process

% Rating “Extremely or Very Big Challenge”

25

In the following exercise you will see a series of potential challenges and issues or concerns related to costs, labor or construction processes. 

For each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a challenge you believe it will be for your home building company for the 

foreseeable future.(Q2)

24%

24%

25%

25%

26%

26%

28%

29%

31%

31%

32%

39%

41%

 Rising cost assoc'd w/design...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/plumbing &...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/increased...

 Available unskilled labor

 Rising cost assoc'd w/fire reqs/specs

 Consistency in interpretation of...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/structural...

 Delays due to labor shortages

 Rising cost assoc'd w/energy...

 Cost increase due to labor shortages

 Available labor for framing

 Rising cost of building materials

 Rising cost of skilled labor

Rising cost of labor and materials continue to put pressure on home builders and negatively 

impact the affordability of housing and the industry’s ability to meet growing demand. 

*Total of 25 issues/challenges

presented to respondents

RANKING of Cost, Labor, and Construction Process

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

26

In this exercise RANK the following costs, labor and construction processes in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern you expect 

them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q9a)

15%

15%

18%

18%

19%

22%

23%

23%

28%

30%

38%

46%

 Rising cost of unskilled labor

 Rising cost assoc'd w/increased home...

 Consistency in interpretation of new...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/fire reqs/specs

 Available unskilled labor

 Rising cost assoc'd w/structural...

 Delays due to labor shortages

 Rising cost assoc'd w/energy efficiency...

 Cost increase due to labor shortages

 Available labor for framing

 Rising cost of building materials

 Rising cost of skilled labor

If the skilled labor shortage—especially of framing labor—is not addressed, construction 

cycle time will continue to increase, lower quality homes will be built, and an insufficient 

new supply of housing will result.

*Total of 25 issues/challenges

presented to respondents
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

39

Builders Reporting Labor Availability as Serious Problem

% rating as an Extremely Big Problem (5 out of 5)

27

Single Family 

Detached Apartments

Available unskilled labor 6% 15%

Available labor for framing 15% 17%

Available labor for insulation 7% 12%

Available labor for exterior siding 7% 7%

Available labor for HVAC 7% 12%

Available labor for plumbing/electrical 9% 20%

Available labor for house wrap/flashing 5% 12%

Available labor for drywall/finishes 7% 12%

With the exception of framing and siding labor, the Multifamily industry 

seems more affected than single family detached by labor shortages. 

Overall, the West reported hardest hit by a shortage of framing labor.

Builders Reporting Rising Costs as a Challenge or Issue

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

28

The multifamily industry also seems most affected by rising costs, many 

driven by increasing requirements and specs

11%

10%

13%

7%

6%

7%

8%

9%

20%

10%

22%

15%

12%

12%

5%

10%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Energy efficiency reqs/specs

Structural reqs/specss

Fire reqs/specs

Ventilation reqs/specs

Dehumidification specs

Plumbing & hot water specs

Increased home buyer demand for...

Design fees/costs

Apartment Builders Builders Overall
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

40

Top Cost and Labor-Related Challenges

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

29

In this exercise RANK the following things from across all the earlier categories, overall, in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern 

you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q16)

Overall, the top themes in cost and labor are: 1) fire sprinkler requirements in single family 

have made construction more difficult , 2) lack of skilled labor slows construction and 

increases cost, and 3) materials cost is still a very top-of-mind issue 

8%

8%

9%

11%

12%

12%

17%

19%

21%

25%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

 Rising cost assoc'd w/energy efficiency...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/structural...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/design fees/costs

 Cost increase due to labor shortages

 Delays due to labor shortages

 Rising cost assoc'd w/fire reqs/specs

 Rising cost of building materials

 Available labor for framing

 Rising cost of skilled labor

 Installation of sprinklers

Top Technical Issues and Challenges

% Ranking Challenges in the top 5

30

In this exercise RANK the following things from across all the earlier categories, overall, in terms of how big of a challenge, issue or concern 

you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from biggest to smallest challenge, issue or concern.(Q16)

The fast pace of code evolution and the inconsistency of interpreting the codes present 

problems to builders

4%

4%

4%

4%

4%

5%

5%

7%

8%

13%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%

 Reqs for add'l hardware to comply...

 Performance of wood buildings in...

 Moisture performance of energy efficient...

 Practical solutions for air sealing in...

 Ventilation solutions in airtight homes

 Proven durability of new products &...

 Lack of clear definition & simple metrics...

 Consistency w/interpreting structural...

 Understanding impact of new code reqs...

 Consistency in interpretation of new codes
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

41

Results of Points Allocation to Solve Problems

31

Listed below are the challenges, issues or concerns you said would be the biggest for your company for the foreseeable future. Indicate to 

what degree each one will be for your company in percentage terms. For example, if challenge 1 is twice as big as challenge 2, you might give 

challenge 1, 50%, and challenge 2, 25%. When finished, challenges 1-4 must equal 100%.(Q17)

2%

2%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

7%

7%

7%

13%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%

 Rising cost assoc'd w/structural reqs/specss

 Rising cost assoc'd w/increased home buyer demand...

 Rising cost assoc'd w/energy efficiency reqs/specs

 Understanding impact of new code reqs on the long-...

 High cost of effective ventilation solutions (ERV, HRV)

 Rising cost assoc'd w/design fees/costs

 Cost increase due to labor shortages

 Rising cost assoc'd w/fire reqs/specs

 Consistency in interpretation of new codes

 Delays due to labor shortages

 Rising cost of building materials

 Rising cost of skilled labor

 Available labor for framing

 Installation of sprinklers

Builders were asked to allocate (100 points) where they thought the biggest 

issues and concerns lie—this reveals 2 top tiers: first, sprinkler requirements 

and second, rising cost and availability of skilled labor and building materials. 

RATINGS of Needs for Potential Solutions

% Rating “Extremely Big or Very Big Need”

32

(Q22) In this exercise you will see a series of potential NEEDS related to the availability of information on the integration of new products into the 

building system and the performance of products at the system level that may or not be a NEED for your company for the foreseeable future. For 

each one, select the statement that best describes how much of a NEED you believe it will be for your home building company for the foreseeable 

future.

20%

20%

22%

23%

23%

23%

25%

27%

29%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

 Info on how to integrate a new product with

the rest of the system

 Availability of 3rd-party info on performance of

individual products in system

 Install'n instructs fr new prdcts addressg range

of apps & account for field condns

 Educat'l tools specifically for trades to help

w/transitioning to new prdcts/codes

 Info on individual new products, performance

characteristics, & code compliance

 Educat'l tools for sales people & home buyers

on high performance features

 Ability to compare ind'l products in terms of

performance of entire system

 Info on how to avoid unintended consequences

transitioning to new prdct/solutn

 Info about long-term performance of new

products and the entire system

The most popular solutions relate to 1) more ready access to technical information and decision tools to 

assess code compliance, prevent performance failures and knowing systemic impact of materials; 

followed by 2) educational tools for home buyers (performance) and trades (new materials and codes) 
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

42

RANKING of Needs for Potential Solutions

% Ranking needs in the top 5

33

(Q24) RANK the following needs in terms of how big of a need you expect them to be for your company for the foreseeable future. Rank from 

biggest to smallest need.

11%

17%

19%

22%

22%

23%

23%

26%

30%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

 Availability of 3rd-party info on performance of

individual products in system

 Info on how to integrate a new product with

the rest of the system

 Educat'l tools for sales people & home buyers

on high performance features

 Install'n instructs fr new prdcts addressg range

of apps & account for field condns

 Ability to compare ind'l products in terms of

performance of entire system

 Info about long-term performance of new

products and the entire system

 Educat'l tools specifically for trades to help

w/transitioning to new prdcts/codes

 Info on individual new products, performance

characteristics, & code compliance

 Info on how to avoid unintended consequences

transitioning to new prdct/solutn

The top tier Needs in this analysis relate to information on selecting the right new products to meet 

code and avoid performance failures through uninformed choices

Methods Builders Use for Solving Building 

Performance Issues or Concerns

34

Which of the following best describe how your company responds to building performance issues or concerns? (Select all that apply.)(Q26)

6%

12%

24%

41%

63%

68%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

 Other

 We ask our building science expert

on staff

 We hire a building science

consultant

 We rely on internal staff experience

 We rely on trade contractors

 We rely on manufacturer, supplier

support

Methods for Solving Building Science Issues

Builders typically reported being reliant upon persons outside their firm for solving building 

science issues and concerns.
Industry-Prioritized Research, Technology Transfer, and Education Needs and Opportunities in Residential Construction

43

Builders Reporting an Interactive Tool for Product/System 

Specification Would Be “Extremely Helpful” (5-point scale)

35

(Q25) Which of the following best describe how your company responds to building performance issues or concerns? (select all that 

apply.) Answer: “Simplified product or system selection tools based on user input of key specifications, climatic 

information, and design & construction preferences (i.e., builder science expert system, code expert system)”

24%

28%

29%

30%

31%

32%

37%

40%

45%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Builders in West

Local Builders

Builders in South

Single Family Builders

Home Builders Overall

Multifamily Builders

Builders in Midwest

Builders in Northeast

Regional & National Builders

Share of Builders Describing Info Tool as 

"Extremely Helpful" 

Summary of Finding

 Overall, categories of single family builders (large, small, custom, production,

etc.) rated and ranked the challenges similarly—the exceptions were noted in 

this report

 Frustration over fire sprinkler requirements were highly apparent in the 

findings—hence, any new tools, information, or solutions should consider

reducing their impact on the industry.

 Lack of skilled labor, particularly framing, will continue to challenge industry

health, and solutions that alleviate this issue are needed

 Builders generally rely on manufacturers and trade contractors for solutions to

problems – a potential problem as these may be biased towards their own 

materials and methods – so a third-party resource is advised 

 A high degree of uncertainty exists over proper materials selection in the face 

of new codes and products—builders responded very favorably to a solution 

that provides them the necessary information to make these decisions

 This solution should focus on problems that address proper product and 

design challenges but keep in perspective that they should not increase cost

or make installation difficult or time consuming

36
General Technical Report FPL–GTR–259

44

THANK YOU

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Appendix C—Focus Group Builder Participant Profiles

1

Production Builders

The six participants in the Production Builder group represented a mix in terms of geography, 

volume, and responsibilities. The group brought the construction perspective, as well as 

design/product development, and sales and marketing perspectives to the discussion.

Respondent Profiles

Title States 

Build In

Total # of

Homes Built in 

Past 12 

Months

# Move-up

Homes Built 

in Past 12 

Months

# of Luxury 

Homes 

Built in Past 

12 Months

% of Homes 

that were 

Custom/SemiCustom/Prod

uction

Director of Operations CO 70 70 0 0%/0%/100%

VP of Product 

Development and 

Purchasing

VA 350 110 0 0%/0%/100%

Sales and Marketing AZ 110 55 55 0%/0%/100%

Construction Manager TX 36 19 5 10%/90%/0%

New Home Sales WI 58 37 1 5%/65%/30%

Operations Manager TX 26 26 3 0%/100%/0%

2

Custom/Semi-Custom Builders

The second group consisted of eight participants, representing a mix of custom and semi-custom 

builders from various regions, as well as one production builder*. Similar to the Production 

group, participants in this group also offered design, sales & marketing and purchasing 

perspectives in addition to the construction perspective.

Respondent Profiles (cont’d)

Title States 

Build In

Total # of

Homes Built in 

Past 12 

Months

# Move-up

Homes Built 

in Past 12 

Months

# of Luxury 

Homes 

Built in Past 

12 Months

% of Homes 

that were 

Custom/SemiCustom/Prod

uction

Sales Operations 

Manager OK 50 20 5 65%/20%/15%

President FL 10 0 10 100%/0%/0%

President NC 18 9 9 50%/50%/0%

Owner CA 9 1 7 90%/0%/10%

Owner TX 25 8 5 100%/0%/0%

Architect KS 50 0 50 100%/0%/0%

Purchasing Manager* TN 194 194 0 0%/0%/100%

Director of 

Construction WI 203 100 24 0%/80%/20%

*The Production builder was included in the Custom group due to a 

scheduling conflict with the time of the Production builder group.