The Ultimate Guide to Construction Crew Housing
If you want to find the perfect balance between your company’s budget and the comfort of your crew, you’re in the right place.
While thousands of people travel everyday for work-related reasons, construction crews are a little different than any other employees. They do physical work that takes a toll on them, and at the end of the day all they need to do is to recharge for the next day: have a hot shower, eat a good meal, connect with friends and family, and get some good night’s sleep.
Now that you’re reading this, you’re already taking the first step to find a home away from home for your crew. To help you take further steps, in this guide we’re covering:
- What Is Construction Crew Housing?
- Construction Workers’ Housing Types
- Why Choosing the Perfect Crew Housing Should Matter to You
- What to Look for in Construction Crew Housing
- How to Budget for Crew Housing
- How to Find Specialized Accommodation for Your Construction Crew
- Hard Hat Housing: Your Housing Solutions Partner
What Is Construction Crew Housing?
Construction workers’ accommodation is a temporary housing space—whether it’s an apartment, a condo, a hotel room, a trailer or a house—where construction crews can rest and recharge after work for the duration of the project they’re working on.
It’s typically either close to or on the job-site to save time, money and energy for both the workers and the company they’re working for.
While there are plenty of websites offering rentals and hotel bookings, Hard Hat Housing specializes in carefully choosing designated housing for your crews.
Construction Workers' Housing Types:
Construction workers’ housing doesn’t necessarily follow certain standards, so it can be:
- A motel room
- A trailer
- A condo
- An apartment
- A full house
- A sleeping bag on the job-site (totally kidding, please don’t use that!)
That means there are a lot of types of construction workers’ housing, but there aren’t enough standards for it. But Hard Hat Housing did not like this.
Two of our founders have been working in the construction industry for over 20 years. And after Hard Hat Housing was founded, we not only have been providing construction workers with accommodations, but we’ve actually been joining them every year to help rebuild Eastern Kentucky after the flood hit it.
All of this experience combined gave us the necessary perspective to know the exact type of accommodation that is BEST for your crews. However, before we get to that, we need to dive into the importance of crew housing.
Why Choosing the Perfect Crew Housing Should Matter to You:
An air conditioner wouldn’t really make that difference in someone’s entire life, right? Actually, WRONG.
A study that was published more than a decade ago broke down the direct relationship between housing quality and sleep quality.
And while this study mainly focused on Latino workers, we believe it’s not exclusive. Construction workers from all ethnicities, backgrounds, ages, and genders will most probably suffer all the same from poor housing situations.
The lack of liveable conditions will, most certainly, affect anyone’s quality of not just sleep, but also life. Imagine spending ALL day working under summer heat, wanting to go back “home”, but this “home” doesn’t have an air conditioner, is barely furnished, the kitchen isn’t usable, and the beds are uncomfortable. So you can’t relax, you can barely cook, and you just toss and turn all night instead of getting the quality sleep you need and deserve.
And sure, one can tough it out. But for how long? Construction projects can last for weeks, months or even years at a time. In that case, the poor sleep quality will be permanent for the duration of the project, because you’re more likely to rent the same place for the entirety of the project rather than moving your crew around.
Poor living conditions will seep into one’s day to day life, affecting it negatively, including work.
Poor living conditions cause higher levels of psychological distress. So not only will you be harming your own work, but you will also quite literally be mentally torturing your crew, if you don’t choose the right accommodations for them.
And we wish we were dramatic about it, but we aren’t. The reason we know that is because we lived it for only one week. 15 or more people were crammed into one room with uncomfortable beds and no privacy. It was so uncomfortable that one of our team had to go find other housing options for himself (totally not ratting you out, Micah).
So when we say that crew housing matters, we say that from a research point of view, and from a lived experience point of view. Still don’t believe us? You can see what actual clients of ours said in that regard:
“Living in hotels on the road gets old quickly. Switching over to Hard Hat Housing properties with kitchens, laundry, and a living room has been a game changer.” -Ivan, Superintendent
“The crew was hesitant at first. Now, I know they will never be happy in a hotel again. They’ve been able to live while residing away from their homes.” - Selena Dean, Dean Steel Erectors
Carefully chosen crew housing offers your crew the ability to
live
and have a home away from home. It offers them the amenities they need in order to maintain their lifestyle, as well as achieve work-life balance. Which raises the question:
What to Look for in Construction Crew Housing?
We’ve been in the “crew housing” business for over 2 years, but in the construction industry for over 20 years. Suffice to say, we know what we’re talking about, so we made a comprehensive list for you:
1. Fully Furnished Properties
Moving away from home for work is hard enough, why make it harder? Fully furnished properties are a great middle ground: your crew has everything they need in a home without having to worry about buying or moving furniture.
2. Kitchens and Appliances
Takeout is easy and fast, but not sustainable for long periods of time, as fast food will cost your crew their health and money. Sure, they can still eat fast food even when you provide them with the option of cooking healthier food at home, but then they have a choice. You’re not forcing them to get takeout for the entire duration of the project, which makes a huge difference.
In addition to the healthy vs unhealthy food debate, there are people with dietary restrictions, which may be catered to in many restaurants and cafes for sure, but it’s not a guarantee. So if you’re choosing to book hotel rooms for your crew, depriving them from the option of having a full kitchen where they can cook their own meals, you may be unknowingly putting someone’s life at risk.
3. On-site Laundry Units
Ever had to carry your laundry, go all the way to a laundromat, only to find it full of people , so you had to spend longer than necessary and more than necessary? We had. But thankfully, I now have a washing machine at home, which I just recently got, and as I’m writing this I can hear its soft hum in the background as it washes my very first load in it. Words can not describe how much it’s making my life easier, and I work a desk job. Imagine how much it would mean to your crew who work long hours doing manual labor in extreme conditions.
4. Private Spaces for Everyone
We’re once again speaking from experience when we say how much private space matters. Ask Micah!
Spending all day with your coworkers, then having to spend all night sleeping in a tiny shared space with them is not an ideal situation for anyone, so why should it be for construction workers?
It shouldn’t, and that’s why we exist, and why we’re telling you this. Everyone needs a private space to rest and recharge. This private space will not only help them with that, but it will also give your crew a break from each other, if there’s ever tension between them over work.
5. WiFi
It’s the main reason you’re able to read this. We cannot emphasize the importance of having access to WiFi enough. Your crew may be thousands of miles away from home. They have family and friends that they need to be able to talk to after a long day at work. A loved one whose face they’d be more than happy to see, even through a small screen.
Choosing a place that has WiFi gives your crew that option. The option to connect with their family, friends and loved ones. Or even just the option to watch cute cats on TikTok doing the most random things. As long as it brings a smile to their face and lifts their spirits up, it’s a win.
6. Proximity to Job-site
Having to drive 10 minutes to work is not the same as having to drive 30 minutes, an hour or 2 hours. Sure you can find housing that has all the mentioned above conditions, creating a great home away from home for your crew. But all of that will go to waste if they have to spend too much time on the road to get to work
.
It means they will have to sleep earlier, get up earlier, or even not get enough sleep, waste an unspeakable amount of time not being productive on your job-site, and definitely not relaxing at home. But just wasting it on nothing except a long way to and from their job.
7. Parking That Makes Sense
Construction workers are usually associated with large vehicles. While it may not always be the case, it's frequent enough that parking made it on our checklist. It’s a nice perk to find housing with a garage or a parking solution that caters to this.
This list is not something you should pick and choose from. It’s a mandatory checklist. Housing should be fully furnished, with kitchen and laundry units, have wifi and enough private spaces for everyone, and be close to the job-site. That’s the perfect crew housing.
However, we’re fully aware that it’s not easy to have to look for all of that on your own, in addition to your already full to-do list with other things that need to be done. That’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to find you the perfect housing, so you don’t have to. Don’t know where to start? Fill out this form.
How to Budget for Crew Housing:
Budgeting for crew housing is a major aspect that you should tackle early on. So here’s a step by step guide to help you determine it:
1. Nail Down the Essentials
It’s impossible to budget for the unknown. So you’ll first need to know:
- How many crew members need housing?
- For how long do they need it?
- Where do they need it?
2. Do Your Homework on Pricing
Rates change depending on the city and dates of your choice, so it’s important to find out the average rates, per person per night, around your job-site. This will help you set a budget that makes sense.
3. Set a Budget
Now that you have all the basic information you need, you can actually start putting a budget together. But this budget is subject to change depending on various factors: the project may take longer than anticipated, you may need more hands on deck at a later point, etc. So it’s essential to leave a room of flexibility in your budget.
Additionally, you wouldn’t want to budget it too low that you can barely find livable options for your crew, or too high that you’re draining funds that could be better spent on labor, materials, or project timelines.
But can you find the balance between saving money and finding the perfect crew housing?
4. Assess Available Housing Options
To answer the question in our previous point, you actually need to assess the available housing options in your chosen area. However, just because they are “available” doesn’t mean they are right. You need to ask very important questions: Do they meet your crew’s needs? Are they close to the job-site? Are they safe? Does their pricing make sense?
But you don’t actually have to do all of that, because you can simply…
That’s exactly what Hard Hat Housing is designed to do. Our main goal is to free up your time, so you can focus on what matters the most. If you have an upcoming project, and a set budget for crew accommodation, fill out this form and we’ll find you great crew housing options in no time!
How to Find Specialized Accommodations for Your Construction Crew:
There are over 30 websites where you can find properties listed for rent. And there might be even more out there. Which may be similar, but they’re definitely not the same, and not all of them are built for construction workers. Let’s go over some of the popular ones:
1. Hard Hat Housing
It’s built specifically for construction crews, Hard Hat Housing understands the realities of construction: parking for trucks and trailers, long-term availability, amenities that make life easier. Every detail is designed with working professionals in mind.
- Vetted, crew-ready homes
- Flexible leases based on project timelines
- Semi-private or private sleeping arrangements
- Full kitchens, laundry, and rest-focused amenities
- Coordinated cleanings, maintenance, and communication
2. Furnished Finder
It was originally created for travelling nurses. And Furnished Finder is great for short-term housing. But you have to browse homes and contact owners yourself, so there’s no built-in support system for project logistics or team housing, as opposed to Hard Hat Housing.
3. AirBnB
It’s primarily designed for vacationers and solo travelers. Therefore it has higher fees, and strict check-in and check-out policies. Booking for your crew through it often means higher nightly rates, limited privacy, and hosts that are unfamiliar with the needs of construction workers. Not to mention that you also need to do all the boring work of looking for housing, etc.
4. Booking.com
It’s very popular, however, it’s hotel-focused with short stays and limited flexibility. Which is everything you’re not looking for in crew housing.
Hard Hat Housing: Your Housing Solutions Partner
With all the different options available, why should you choose to partner with Hard Hat Housing?
Because we see you, and we hear you. Hard Hat Housing was founded based on demand from construction workers that we’ve worked with side by side for years. Our model, while might be similar to others, is 100% built for you, based on your needs and your lifestyle.
So when we say it’s tailored for you, we mean it. We are working for the workers who build our communities brick by brick.
We aim to provide you with seamless, turnkey, home-like housing conveniently located near the job site. But not only that, we actually strive to make our rentals affordable to help save you 25-35% compared to other available options.
We also know that every project is different, that’s why our team of experienced housing consultants will help you find the perfect housing for your crew.
Whether your stay spans a few weeks or several months, we will handle all the planning, booking, and details, allowing you and your crew to concentrate on the project ahead.
Partner with Hard Hat Housing now for the perfect construction crew housing that your team deserves!
