The construction field in 2026 favors teams that plan early, design for resilience, and keep homeowners at the center of every decision. For DeVooght House Lifters, that focus means safer foundations, smarter project sequencing, and homes that stay in service longer, even as storms intensify.
As the team often reminds clients, “We plan every lift like it is our own home on the steel.” That mindset shapes how these five trends play out on real streets, with real families, not just in reports or forecasts.
1. Climate Resilience Becomes the Baseline for Building
Climate risk now sits at the core of construction planning. Flood exposure, surge zones, and repetitive loss patterns guide decisions that once depended mainly on land cost and aesthetics. Homes that sit low on the lot now carry heavier insurance costs and higher disruption risk during storm seasons.
Updated flood standards such as ASCE 24-24 require higher elevations, stronger anchorage, and closer attention to future conditions, not only historical events. That shift affects both new builds and existing homes that sit in mapped hazard areas. Communities that adopt these standards early see fewer repeat losses and steadier insurance markets.
For DeVooght House Lifters, this is daily reality. The crew lifts homes so they clear projected flood heights and match local freeboard requirements. That additional height helps owners maintain coverage and avoid the cycle of flood, repair, and flood again. As the DeVooght team likes to say, “If water has already reached your first step, you do not guess at the next storm; you get ahead of it.”
Public programs and grants now favor projects that include elevation, buyouts, or structural relocation. That focus steers more funding toward contractors who can deliver technically sound lifts and permanent foundations that tie into long-term resilience plans for the neighborhood.
2. Advanced Foundation Systems Redefine Structural Solutions
Foundation technology has moved far beyond simple concrete footings. Helical pile systems, engineered piers, and upgraded anchorage details give builders and owners more control over how structures behave during floods, storms, and soil movement.
Helical piles, in particular, have become a preferred solution where soils are weak, access is tight, or water tables sit high. Installation torque correlates with load capacity, so crews receive immediate feedback as each pile advances. That feedback helps engineers confirm designs in the field without waiting for cure times or extra testing.
DeVooght House Lifters uses this precision in projects where homes must rise several feet while still resting on a compact footprint. Helical piles shine when a site leaves little room for heavy excavation or concrete trucks. Crews can install the piles with compact equipment, set caps, and move straight into the lift and set phases.
The team often explains this choice in plain terms to owners: “We match the foundation to the soil and the structure, not the other way around.” That approach turns the foundation into a tuned system, not just a block of material under the house. It also streamlines inspections, because the capacity data from the installation aligns directly with the engineering.
Other systems, such as driven piles and reinforced masonry piers, still have strong roles, particularly for heavier structures and open sites. The trend across all of them is clear: foundations in 2026 must handle uplift, lateral loads, and scour, not only gravity. DeVooght’s field crews coordinate closely with engineers to ensure that jacking points, beam lines, and final supports all work as a single structural strategy.
3. Insurance and Regulation Reshape Project Economics
Insurance requirements and building codes now influence construction choices as much as material prices. Flood insurance in particular pushes owners to confront elevation, relocation, or retreat more directly than in past decades.
Revisions to risk models and premium calculations mean that two similar homes on the same street can carry dramatically different insurance costs based on elevation, anchorage, and documented mitigation measures. Owners who invest in raising their homes onto compliant foundations often see meaningful premium reductions, while those who delay face steeper rates and tighter coverage options.
Legislative shifts around the National Flood Insurance Program and the growing role of private flood carriers add another layer. Lenders now accept private policies that match or exceed NFIP coverage. These private policies sometimes reward well-documented mitigation work with better pricing.
This intersection of regulation and coverage is where DeVooght House Lifters spends significant time helping owners think through next steps. The team encourages clients to obtain updated elevation certificates, review flood maps with their agents, and map out premium scenarios at different finished-floor heights. In the words of one DeVooght project lead, “You do not lift a home for a single storm; you lift it for every renewal notice that will arrive over the next 20 years.”
Permitting has evolved as well. Floodplain administrators look closely at anchorage, venting, breakaway construction, and access. Historic boards focus on how new foundation heights integrate with streetscapes. Successful projects anticipate these reviews with detailed drawings, mockups, and clear narratives, which shortens approval times and reduces redesign cycles.
4. Modular and Prefabricated Methods Speed Up Delivery
Factory-built components now play a central role in both new construction and elevation projects. Prefabricated stairs, wall panels, and enclosure systems arrive on site ready to install, cutting weather delays and field errors.
For homes that have been lifted, this trend changes the final stages of the job. Instead of framing all stairs and skirting from raw lumber on site, contractors can use predesigned packages that match the new height, local code, and the home’s style. This approach helps ensure that the finished look feels intentional and cohesive, rather than patched together.
DeVooght House Lifters has adjusted its planning to make use of these methods. The company coordinates lift heights, foundation layouts, and access points with designers and manufacturers early in the process. That coordination allows the team to sequence deliveries so that the home does not sit on exposed piles or piers any longer than needed.
In practice, this means that jacking, setting, and enclosure work can follow each other in a smooth flow. Owners spend less time living with temporary stairs or open undersides. Crews waste fewer hours adapting details in the field, and inspectors see consistent, repeatable solutions from project to project.
The DeVooght team summarizes this mindset in simple language: “We want the day we set the house down to feel like the day the project comes together, not the halfway point.” Modular and prefabricated elements make that goal much more realistic on tight schedules.
5. Digital and AI Tools Redefine Planning and Execution
Digital tools and AI now reach into many corners of construction. From pre-design through closeout, these systems assist with planning, coordination, and communication.
Building Information Modeling tools allow teams to coordinate structure, utilities, clearances, and access in a single digital environment. For elevation and relocation projects, that model can show where steel beams will run, how the structure moves through streets, and where clearances are tight. Drone scans and laser measurements feed accurate geometry into these models, which reduces surprises on the day of the move.
DeVooght House Lifters uses unified hydraulic jacking systems that rely on real-time monitoring to keep structures level through every stage of a lift. These systems combine traditional craft with precise control over hundreds of tons of load. Crews see pressures, strokes, and levels as they work, which improves both safety and finish quality.
AI-based tools also support the softer side of projects. DeVooght uses automation to research jurisdictions, track permit requirements, and draft communication templates, while human experts shape the message and adapt it to each neighborhood. As the team explains to owners, “The machines help with the paperwork; the people still handle the promises.”
Scheduling platforms use data on crew skills, weather, and logistics to align complex sequences that involve utilities, escorts, and inspectors. For multi-home or grant-driven programs, this level of coordination can mean the difference between hitting funding milestones and losing a season to bottlenecks.
Digital documentation closes the loop. Elevation certificates, inspection photos, and as-built foundation details live in organized records that support future sales, refinances, and insurance reviews. Owners who invest in this documentation find that it pays off later when questions arise about compliance or capacity.
Closing Perspective from the DeVooght Team
These trends all point in the same direction: construction that accounts for climate, cost, and community from the first sketch to the final inspection. For DeVooght House Lifters, the constant element is care for the structures and the people who live in them.
The company’s leaders describe their philosophy plainly. “We treat lifting and relocation as precision work, not spectacle,” they tell clients who watch their homes rise on steel. “Our job is to make a life-changing project feel calm, predictable, and safe.”
As climate patterns shift and standards tighten, that steady approach matters more each year. Homes that stand higher, rest on smarter foundations, and carry clear documentation give families more control over the future. The DeVooght team captures this outlook in one more simple line often shared on site: “We move houses so families do not have to move on from the places they love.”