Everyday Australians love a renovation. From a revamped kitchen to a fresh, new deck, there’s always something that needs updating, and the nation’s growing list of home building franchises are happy to take up the challenge.

With housing prices at astronomical levels and home lending tighter than ever, Aussies are increasingly choosing to stay put and update rather than move out and upgrade. The result has seen more builders and handy-men turning their attention to smaller, residential jobs.

In response to the explosion in demand, home building franchises have emerged as key market leaders, thanks to their ongoing support and dedication to innovation. Here, we take a look three home building franchises that are using technology to tackle the sector.

1. Hire a Hubby

Kicking off way back in 1996, iconic home handy-man business, Hire a Hubby has seen it all. Starting out as a basic home-service operation, Hire a Hubby has become one of the country’s most successful home building franchise models, focusing on small repair and carpentry jobs.

In recent years, Hire a Hubby has taken a decidedly more modern approach, with CEO and founder Brendan Green revealing a massive technology project has put franchisees in the box seat.

“We chose to invest in technology in 2011 in a big way because we could see gaps in franchisee performance,” he said.

“As a franchisor in the past, I could send through 20 leads to a franchisee and I would have no way to measure the outcome of how those leads were serviced. So, what we did was build a job management system, where we could then look at what jobs the franchisee was completing, timeframe and return on investment.”

The brand has also partnered with professional financial services firm PwC to introduce a simplified invoicing system.

“Franchisees can see what is happening with their super, how their property portfolio is traveling. With all this information at their fingertips, we’re taking a very cottage industry and transforming it into something very professional,” Green said.

2. SuperGreen Solutions

Energy efficiency retailer, SuperGreen Solutions is also a leader in future-tech. The brand has recently rolled out an all-new mobile showroom, SuperGreen Direct, taking its unique and industry-leading catalogue of products, such as Tesla home batteries and displaying them direct to clients, in their own home.

“Let’s face it, the way business has been done in the past will not be how business will be conducted in the future,” Sean Cochrane, SuperGreen Solutions founder and managing director said. “Bricks and mortar is changing, some people don’t want a five-year lease, that’s why we introduced this.”

The solar-powered, fully Wi-Fi enabled vans have integrated lighting displays, electric vehicle chargers and air-purification devices all controllable through the on-board Google Home system.

“The van displays all of our products, everything that is in that showroom is now in the van,” Cochrane said.

The SuperGreen Direct showroom is just one of the three new mobile models the brand is currently rolling out to combat the evolving sector. The global franchise is also launching an installer and electrician/plumber model for those looking to specialise their offering.

3. Narellan Pools

Aussie pool and home building franchise Narellan Pools is a world-leader in fibreglass swimming pool fabrication and installation.

Established over 45 years ago, the business has grown from a small local operator to a massive network of franchisees across Australia, New Zealand and Canada. However, a new deal with North America’s largest pool company, Latham Pool Products is delivering big-time.

In June last year, Narellan Pools signed a deal that granted the chain access to Latham’s manufacturing capabilities and investment in innovative technologies, such as robotics and automation.

“We have some great synergies. They want to give us capital to grow more aggressively if needed and give us some great resources we don’t have,” Narellan Pools’ long-time managing director Chris Meyer said.

“I am proud of our humble beginnings in a chicken shed in the suburb of Narellan 47 years ago and it’s wonderful to be recognised on the global stage. Through our partnership with Latham, we can now transform the global swimming pool industry and I can realise the goal I’ve had for 20 years.”

Home building franchises

While future-proofing the business is something all brands should be doing, for home building franchises, it’s particularly relevant.

The evolving nature of the home renovation and handy-man sector is pushing for further technology innovation and automation.

Both Hire a Hubby and Narellan Pools are bolstering their systems to accommodate, while SuperGreen Solutions is adapting to the growing demand for energy efficiency.

If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur in the building and construction industry, it pays to be forward thinking.

Want to see more home building franchises? Check out all available brands and opportunities here.