Under the continued pressure for the demand of new home construction that also meets homebuyer requests for customization, traditional construction models are struggling to keep pace. However, for modular and panelized construction companies, these home-building pressures present new opportunities to educate stakeholders about the advantages of offsite construction versus traditional building.
Whether informing a builder, persuading a developer, or educating a homebuyer, it’s important to revisit the key advantages of offsite construction. Brushing up on the benefits that distinguish offsite from traditional building keeps the talking points clear and can often help identify new growth opportunities.
With this in mind, here’s an up-to-date look at five important advantages of offsite construction — speed, cost, customization, logistics, and sustainability — in easy-to-digest sections, along with a discussion of how each benefit compares to traditional construction.
Armed with this information, you’ll be equipped to respond to common questions and concerns about modular and panelized builds and differentiate your business from traditional construction models. Also included are tips on how modular businesses can partner with panelized construction companies to expand resources and increase building opportunities.
1. Construction Speed
Right now, offsite construction companies are at the forefront of bringing essential speed and efficiency to the hungry homebuilding industry. Thanks to the factory-based, production-line approach of Offsite construction for both modular and panelized assemblies, companies can ramp up production without the typical time-consuming constraints. Specific advantages that help modular construction move notably faster include:
- Concurrent construction. Modular and panelized construction involve the simultaneous fabrication of an entire structure or its component panels in a controlled factory environment while site prep and foundation work are also underway. This parallel processing significantly shortens the construction timeline compared to traditional construction that requires site prep and foundation completion before the build begins.
- Weatherproof production. Since most modular and panelized construction takes place indoors in a controlled and predictable environment, weather conditions have much less impact on the construction timeline. For example, CertainTeed’s ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES™ produces nearly complete built-to-spec floor, wall, and roof panels that can be assembled year-round. The ability to keep construction projects moving in any season, regardless of weather, is a huge benefit to developers, builders, and homebuyers who want a quicker completion.
- Simplified assembly. Offsite construction and onsite assembly of modular units and panel components are also faster than traditional construction methods. Builds are almost fully completed in the factory before arriving at the site. Depending on the needs of the project and the desire of the builder, options like insulation, windows, doors, MEPs, and even exterior and interior finishes can be installed in-factor.
Panelized construction, for instance, can be assembled by the panel manufacturer or by the builder. CertainTeed’s ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES, includes the on-site panel assembly in the service. The panels comprise windows, doors, siding, insulation, weather barriers, and moisture membranes. They are customized to the project and with these panels, builders have a fully insulated, weather-tight, and sided home in as little as one to three days.
Modular buildings are also constructed in a climate-controlled factory, so product quality and precise fit are consistent. This speeds up assembly and minimizes the burden of coordinating multiple work schedules that can often slow down progress on a traditional build.
To illustrate time savings, imagine a housing development project where two identical homes need to be constructed. One is built using traditional construction, while the other uses modular construction.
_Edit.jpg?crop=yes&k=c&w=588&h=442&itok=YYBcOXSR)
Typical Traditional Construction Timeline:
- Site preparation and foundation: 1-2 months
- Framing, Windows, Doors, Insulation, Weatherproofing: 2-4 months
- Exterior finishes: 1 month
- MEP systems: 2 months
- Interior finishes and fixtures: 3 months
- Total: 9-12 months
Typical Modular Construction Timeline:
- Foundation, site preparation, and modules/panels construction (concurrent): 1-2 months
- Onsite assembly: Less than 1 week
- MEP systems: 2 months
- Interior finishes and fixtures: 3 months
- Total: 6-7 months
For developers and homebuyers, this is a simple way to show where time can be saved during a modular or panelized build and how these types of construction get houses on the market faster and people in their homes sooner than the traditional means.
2. Cost
Comparing the cost of traditional home construction with modular or panelized construction involves multiple factors that impact the final price tag. While costs will vary depending on location and individual project requirements, a general comparison demonstrates two key areas where modular and panelized construction can be more cost-effective.
- Material costs. The cost of the materials used in the finished project is generally the same between offsite construction and traditional methods. What differs is how the materials are purchased, delivered, and used, not to mention the material waste that results from the process.
In traditional construction, materials are delivered to the build site in bulk, and any excess typically becomes waste, as the precise amount of a particular supply may be difficult to accurately predict and reuse of overages on other jobs is impractical.
Modular and panelized construction, on the other hand, benefits from factory precision. Materials are precisely measured, cut, and optimized to minimize waste, which is a primary goal of these construction methods. Materials are still purchased in bulk to gain cost savings, but they are used more efficiently. Any unused material is saved for the next job.
- Labor costs. Labor costs in traditional construction are typically higher due to unavoidable inefficiencies in sequencing, weather, and permitting.
Whereas a traditional builder requires multiple trades to perform framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, and finishing services, a panelized or modular builder completes all stages with an in-house crew before the finished piece arrives at the site. Thus, labor costs are lowered, and construction time is shorter because tasks are streamlined.
Another aspect of labor costs that often differs is design coordination. In traditional construction, customer details and the coordination of these details between the trades occurs step-by-step on the jobsite, often leading to re-work or stalled progress, which can raise labor costs. Modular and panelized homes, while also custom, are first fully designed down to the last detail prior to production.
Customizations are completed during the design phase and not on the factory floor or jobsite, which also keeps labor costs under control.
Panelized and modular construction methods both provide the advantage of speed, making them attractive options for developers, builders, and homebuyers in search of faster builds.
3. Customization
Customization is an influential factor for homebuyers who want design choices when building a home and a key selling point for developers and builders who want to provide the right options to attract homebuyers in their marketplace.
For offsite builders, the topic of customization leverages an opportunity to highlight the versatility of modular and panelized home building. As a result of ongoing industry innovations and technological advances, the designs of today barely resemble their prefab predecessors. Even while the industry has dramatically improved design quality, energy efficiency, and construction durability, the old perceptions of modular homes as low-quality persist. More than ever, it’s important for industry professionals to emphasize customization when promoting panelized and modular home designs.
Some examples of areas of customizations that can help you attract homebuyers:
-
Floor plans. Bust the modular myth of “box builds”. Panelized homes, in particular, come in a variety of floor plans and builders or homebuyers can customize the layouts and room sizes to suit their needs. Combining panelized and modular construction can provide even more options, like expanding a modular home or connecting multiple modular structures.
- Interior finishes. Flooring, cabinetry, countertop materials and finishes can all be selected according to the developer’s or homebuyer’s tastes.
- Exterior finishes. Siding materials and roofing style are common customization options for panelized and modular homes.
- Fixtures and appliances. These include a choice of lighting fixtures, fixture placement, and appliance upgrades.
- Energy-efficient features. Customizations can include insulated windows that reduce energy costs and HVAC systems that enhance the home’s energy performance. CertainTeed’s ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES for example, even has options for EnergyStar and Zero Energy Ready certification.
- Smart home technology. Like traditional homes, modular and panelized homes can be outfitted with smart home features like programmable thermostats, security systems, and lighting controls.
- Architectural details. These include trim and molding choices and adding and customizing an outdoor living space like a porch or deck to enhance a home’s curb appeal and functionality.
- Custom additions. Depending on the home design, homebuyers may be able to add extra rooms or features, such as a home office or sunroom. This can occur in the initial build or down the road, as both panelized and modular homes can be added to and renovated like traditional construction.
What’s important to note is these customizations are precisely the options many homebuyers seek. Yes, traditional construction offers complete design and customization freedom, but it comes at a higher cost. By leveraging panelized construction, or even combining modular and panelized systems, there is no limit to the design flexibility possible.
4. Logistics
Traditional and offsite construction both have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to logistics, and the choice between them will depend on the project’s location and site constraints, as well as other factors like route restrictions between suppliers and the site.
When site constraints are not factors in the decision-making, a few distinctions are worth noting. For instance, a downside of traditional construction logistics is that building materials are delivered to the site as needed. This requires extensive site coordination to ensure materials arrive on time and are stored in the appropriate location. Material deliveries are also subject to delays that can be caused by weather and supplier issues, and multiple deliveries for multiple trades working on a site can create crowded and less efficient worksite conditions.
Comparatively, panelized and modular construction logistics are often simpler and limit the opportunities for disruption. Once completed, modular builds or panels are transported to the construction site for immediate placement or assembly. Panels in particular are no more difficult to ship than standard building materials and are often installed with the same boom trucks used to delivery lumber and drywall. From start to finish, modular and panelized construction are both designed to work in an orderly sequence, making coordination and planning more efficient than multiple deliveries of traditional construction materials.
5. Sustainability
Like other advantages of offsite construction, sustainability benefits are the result of the controlled factory environment in which panels or modules are built and the efficiency with which they are assembled. For developers and homebuyers concerned with the sustainability of modular or panelized construction, important points to note are:
- Reduced material waste. Offsite construction tends to be more efficient in material use because builds are precisely planned. This precision generates less waste, and any excess material is used in subsequent jobs.
- Site impact. Fewer trips to the site mean less site disturbance during assembly and less soil impact and habitat disruption when compared to traditional construction.
- Transportation efficiency. Because offsite construction requires fewer trips to the construction site, there are also reduced emissions and local traffic disruptions.
- Material recycling. Within a factory setting, materials can be more easily recycled than those at a jobsite, which requires more logistics. Also, many offsite construction companies prioritize eco-friendly and sustainable material choices.
- Energy performance. Tighter control over construction conditions within a controlled environment can lead to homes with better insulation and weatherization features, reducing energy use for heating and cooling. CertainTeed’s ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES, for example, are all tested for air tightness after assembly to ensure the energy performance of the home.
Partnering for Growth
In the fast-evolving landscape of residential construction, offsite construction presents compelling alternatives to traditional approaches, but education about the benefits of its speed, cost-effectiveness, customization, logistics, and sustainability is still essential to dispel persistent myths and demonstrate advantages.
Modular companies that produce complete builds can raise the bar on these advantages even higher by partnering with reputable panel producers like CertainTeed ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES that complement their own capabilities. Partnerships offer a strategic way to extend design and construction resources, speed up production schedules, and grow modular construction businesses to meet the market’s insatiable demand for new housing.
Learn more about how partnering with CertainTeed ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES can benefit your company: certainteed.com/opa
