In our work with many of the top U.S. production builders, we have found that the ones with the fewest callbacks and the happiest customers have the following three things in common:
1.) They create standard specifications with clearly-defined performance language.
2.) They educate installers on the details of these quality expectations.
3.) They have systems in place to make sure that those expectations are met.
We recommend that builders create easy-to-understand checklists and illustrations for critical processes. These take work to create. You will need to consult code requirements, industry standards and professional organizations. You will also need to include your project managers, purchasing agents and subcontractors in the discussions, and if you build in different communities and market areas, you will want to get input from key people in each of them.
Although a typical home might benefit from 20 or more such checklists, there's no need to create them at once. Instead, start with the two or three assemblies that have been causing the most callbacks.
While these details show installers the key requirements for each assembly, the specs also need to tell them what products to use. If you don't want to limit your crews to one product, you can create approved lists from which they have to choose.
Standard specifications with clearly-defined performance language are a great investment with measurable payoffs, but the specifications must be maintained over time by ensuring that workers follow them.