Construction demand and spending are strong with peak building season underway, and, particularly for homebuilders. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2021, total new housing starts rose more than 15% from 2020 to 1.60 million — the most since 2006. To this end, DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, is sharing its top three tips for homebuilders to maximize job-site productivity and complete projects on time and on budget.

“The last two years have seen unprecedented changes and growth in the U.S. housing market during which new trends for homebuilders have emerged with higher demand for faster, safer, and more efficient equipment than ever before,” said Allison Nicolaidis, president, Power Tools Group, Stanley Black & Decker. “The future is here — the construction industry is in a state of significant evolution, and we are committed to supporting the needs of contractors and homebuilders as we help them adapt to new products and technology to modernize their job sites.”

To help modernize the worksites of the future, here are three tips for residential contractors:

1. Embrace a cordless job site. DEWALT recommends choosing battery-operated tools, which provide the performance of a corded product, with the freedom and convenience of a cordless tool for more efficiency. The benefits of cordless tools come from greater portability, improved runtime and work time, as well as several safety enhancements. Without auxiliary hoses, cords, tanks, or generators required to operate cordless tools, workers can skip exhausting and time-consuming setup and breakdown processes and move freely about the job site without relocating cumbersome equipment.

Going cordless decreases the likelihood of tangling and tripping hazards and eliminates the hassle of keeping cords out of blade lines and busy walking paths. Cordless tools have also made significant strides as it relates to user safety, particularly those performing heavy-duty applications through dust containment, prevention of bind-up situations, and protection against damaging prolonged vibration.

In addition, the extended runtime and consistency of battery-operated tools provides prolonged uninterrupted work time while assistive features like mechanisms to clear jams and reload indicators, which keep builders on task, for longer.

2. Upgrade with higher-powered tech. To help drive productivity, builders can not only expand their portfolio of cordless tools, but upgrade the battery technology that powers them. DEWALT is the world’s first major power-tool brand to use pouch-cell batteries designed for the construction industry, known as DEWALT POWERSTACK 20V MAX* Compact Batteries.

Where side-by-side cylindrical cells leave space between the units, flat, stacked cells neatly align maximizing the limited space within compact battery housing. These pouch cell batteries are dramatically smaller and lighter, without sacrificing performance providing users with:

3. Simplify with end-to-end, connected solutions. Builders should also evaluate their full ecosystem of equipment to consider the benefits of more recently available items like connected products and software solutions, and advances in accessories, storage, and lifestyle products that can significantly improve worksite operations. For example, the common challenge of inventory management can be seamlessly managed with software that monitors and assigns job-site inventory to optimize productivity, saving time and budget. This technology allows equipment data to be read by mobile devices or gateways for larger sites, thereby mitigating the risk of lost or stolen tools.

Power-tool accessories like bits, blades, and screwdriving attachments have shown vast improvement in performance through innovative new materials, coatings, and manufacturing processes. Storage offers organization to users and plays an important role in productivity through tool protection and maneuverability.

Lastly, worksites are not complete without lifestyle products such as radios, coolers, and fans that work create a better environment for everyone on the job and round out the family of battery-operated products used every day in construction.

The modernized job-site is here. For more information on innovative tools and technology, click here.