Housing Costs

As a bit of background, I use to work with my dad many years ago. He ran his own housing construction company and I was pretty much the “Go-for.” But in the 15 years working with him there was a lot of things I was taught, and I guess for the most part he did this as a fall back occupation should my current direction not pan or the economy was such that I could not find work.

Here I am about 20 years after his death and out of work, and recounting all that he taught me as I watch builders in the area wacking wood together. I watch as workmanship has given way to cost constraints and more so to safety of the builder.

During my time taking Engineering I recall an instructor telling us, the eager young students that you automated tasks that:

1. Where a danger to the operator and others
2. Repetitive tasks that would potentially reduce quality or injure the operator
3. Tasks that it was hard to find employees for.

So here I look at construction and for the most part other than the advent of air tools the various parts to building a house has been unchanged since the very first house was built. A carpenter still carries a hammer, still struggles with heights, cold, dust and the hazards associated with them. Mind you now a carpenter might only build on portion of a house rather than the whole house. But still with the injuries associated with the blunt trauma of hammering or the inhalation of dust that never break down. The occupation is still very hazardous and not much has been done in the industry to automate things in order to assist the carpenter.

Say for example you built a system that poured concrete much like how curbing is poured on a street. But instead of having a crew of guys come in and assemble forms to the basement specifications, then have concrete guys come in and pour those forms full. Why not have a combined system that used a bit more advanced concrete that would form and fill at the same time, much the way tunnels are made with shot-crete or how slip forms are used in making Dams and Bridges. The big benefit of this is only one crew arrives, pours and there is no forms if the concrete is stiff enough and bound with enough fillers to hold it’s shape. Also, you wouldn’t have voids like in the instance of the house next door. And you could be entirely more creative in what you built for your foundation. Even your footing could be slip poured with a curb laying device attached to the concrete pump. Lay out your drainage tile, and pour right over top of them with the curb former.

There are so many things that could be done to automate home building, assure exceptional quality and reduce injury. But I have yet to locate anyone willing to entertain my ideas and step forward to make them happen.