Summary

• Sterling Homes Calgary now uses prefabricated wall panels across all homesites
• Partnership with Star Building Materials Calgary reduces framing time by about a week per home
• Close collaboration helped both teams refine the product and process

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Calgary, AB – Sterling Homes Calgary has completed a full-scale rollout of prefabricated wall panels across all its homesites, marking a major milestone in its collaboration with Star Building Materials Calgary.

After several years of testing, refinement, and close coordination, Star Building Materials is now fully supplying prefabricated walls for every Sterling Homes build.

The move reflects Sterling Homes’ focus on improving build efficiency and reducing construction timelines while leveraging Qualico’s integrated real estate model.

Exploring a new way to build

Sterling Homes first began exploring prefabricated wall solutions several years ago as part of a broader effort to streamline construction.

“We started looking at prefabrication to help reduce our build times and increase efficiencies on site,” said Gerrad Viccars, Construction Manager, Sterling Homes Calgary. “Star Building Materials already had a prefabrication wall production line in place and had proven they could produce walls in a timely manner. It also made sense to work with them as another Qualico partner company.”

Early on, Sterling Homes and Star Building Materials agreed to start small, introducing the product in a limited number of communities to understand how the process would work in real-world conditions.

Navigating challenges together

The new building approach came with an initial learning curve, and for Sterling Homes, that meant working closely with Star Building Materials to tailor the prefabricated wall product to its specific design and construction requirements.

“Star was used to building walls a certain way for other builders,” said Gerrad. “It took a few houses and a lot of on-site meetings with management and framers to really nail down what we wanted to see in a prefabricated wall product.”

Regular communication became key, and quarterly office meetings and frequent site visits allowed both teams to adapt to changing building codes and jurisdictional requirements while aligning inspection standards.

“Those conversations, especially showing Star exactly what inspectors are looking for on-site, have been hugely beneficial,” said Gerrad. “The collaboration has been very positive, with everyone focused on getting the best possible product to our sites.”

From Star Building Materials’ perspective, that collaboration was essential.

“Working closely with Sterling Homes’ construction and framing teams helped us fine-tune our processes to match their expectations,” said Cole Hendry, Sales Manager, Star Building Materials Calgary. “The open feedback and consistent communication allowed us to evolve the product quickly and deliver a solution that truly supports their build schedule.”

Building consistency and confidence

Over time, the process began to click. As confidence grew in the quality and reliability of the panels, Sterling Homes made the decision to move all prefabricated wall work to Star Building Materials.

“That trust was built by continuously working through issues together,” said Gerrad. “Once we saw the consistency in what Star was producing, we were comfortable giving them all of our work.”

The benefits are clear – Sterling Homes is seeing more consistent wall quality, fewer framing frustrations, and an average framing time savings of about a week per home, depending on size. Improved scheduling coordination between the two teams has also reduced time on site.

Looking ahead, the partnership continues to evolve, with discussions underway around adding building paper before walls leave Star Building Materials’ yard and exploring solutions for exterior-grade drywall on zero-lot-line homes.

“It’s a strong foundation for future innovation,” said Gerrad. “We’re already talking about what efficiencies we can unlock next.”