Sep 14 2007 1:31PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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Last week I attended NAHB’s Fall Board of Directors’ meeting in Seattle where I sit on the Building Products Issues Committee. This committee focuses on problems arising in connection with new construction and remodeling and it has the charge to foster communication between manufacturers and builders to ensure that product liability issues are held to a minimum.

During the last week’s committee meeting, the subject of the proper installation of products was discussed. It seems that when a product or system fails, 9 times out of 10 it is because the product was installed incorrectly. So the question is, “What responsibility does the builder and the manufacturer have to ensure that products are installed properly?” Well, as you can imagine, the builders felt that it was the responsibility of the manufacturer. The question was asked, “What responsibility does the builder have to ensure proper installation?”

I was a little dumbfounded when I heard that some manufacturers actually rely on their distributors to conduct product installation training. How effective, can this be? One of my recurring themes is that the manufacturer and builder need to break down the barriers of communication and begin open and honest discussions on all issues and opportunities. The area of proper installation is one of these issues. Manufacturers need to take the bull by the horns and schedule and conduct product installation training, it is their responsibility to do so. And, the builder needs to make the commitment to see that their construction superintendents check to see that the trades install all products in accordance to the manufacturers’ instructions. If the builder and manufacturer make a commitment to embracing this strategy, quality and performance problems will be minimized creating a “win-win” for the builder and the manufacturer.