Making affordable housing more affordable to build

Communities across the country are working to address a growing shortage of affordable housing, yet bringing these developments to life continues to present challenges. Rising construction costs, labor shortages, higher interest rates and more complex financing structures make projects more challenging to deliver than in years past.

While owners and developers can’t control many of the market forces affecting affordable housing, they can influence how projects are planned and delivered. In our experience, the most successful developments become affordable because project teams make smarter decisions before construction ever begins...

...One of the biggest misconceptions about affordable housing is that cost savings come from bidding and value engineering in the later stages of the design process. In reality, the greatest savings often come from bringing the construction team to the table much earlier...

   ...more

Leo’s notes: As construction costs, labor shortages and financing pressures challenge workforce housing feasibility, this article brings forward the importance of decisions made before construction begins. Early collaboration, strategic procurement and thoughtful standardization can stretch limited housing dollars without sacrificing quality. Affordability should not mean building cheaper—it should mean designing and delivering housing more intelligently.

Ken notes: In my very first version of Wisconsin Workforce Housing News, now more than four years ago, I suggested that in order to build more affordable housing for working Wisconsin we would have to bring developers, contractors, planners, Architects, manufacturers, and elected officials all to the same table. Without this joint unified effort we will never be able to develop truly market rate affordable housing.