This Pittsburgh, Pa. builder says that you need to understand where a modular project offers the greatest benefit, and the peculiarities of managing it when it does.
- Modular offers compelling benefits for a wide range of project types, but it’s not always the best choice.
- Where it is the best choice, the builder must take the steps needed to confirm exactly what the factory is going to deliver.
- The builder should visit the factory to inspect the work under construction. This will help eliminate changes on-site.
Blockhouse is a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based, full-service general contracting company that prefers to use modular construction, whenever possible. Its clients include owners, manufacturers and developers.
Andrew Holmes is the company’s Vice President of Construction. Although Blockhouse was founded in 2019, Holmes has 16 years of construction experience and has used modular for eight years.
We talked with Holmes to get a builder’s perspective on the pros and cons of modular construction, as well as some advice on how builders can avoid common pitfalls.
Pros of Modular
Holmes appreciates that modular buildings are manufactured indoors. Not only is the structure protected from the elements, but the indoor environment also eliminates weather delays. In addition, site work can happen at the same time as the house is being manufactured. “We can get the structure on the foundation much faster,” he says. And, of course, faster construction means happier owners and more completed projects in a year for the builder.
The inspection process is also easier because the modules have already been inspected in the factory by the state and don’t need to undergo the same inspections again on-site. “It’s one of the big things I like about modular,” he says. It can take some effort getting city officials to understand that they don’t need to have the same oversight with modular as they do with site-built, “but once they do understand, the inspection process is faster and easier.”
Holmes asserts that modular can eliminate seven (of about twenty) on-site inspections: Plumbing, HVAC and electrical roughs; framing, insulation, drywall, windows. Plus a roof inspection, if it’s part of the modular package. This saves a great deal of time. “Typically, when using conventional construction, you get the work done, request an inspection, wait seven days, get the inspection, go on to the next stage of the work and repeat the sequence,” Holmes says.
By using modular, Blockhouse reduces the time to complete a single-family home from 12 months to seven months, with proportional decreases for multifamily buildings.
Given these advantages, it’s a mistake for builders to think of modular manufacturing as competition for traditional construction, says Holmes. “If a builder can figure out how to incorporate modular into their processes, they can increase their volume and decrease project overhead. Because all those inspections are eliminated, they can save months of construction time and move onto their next project sooner.”
When It Won’t Work
Despite modular’s advantages, there are situations where conventional construction is a better fit. “Not every project is suitable for modular, so we still offer traditional building services,” Holmes says.
The main constraint is the size of the modules. Before choosing modular, access to the site must be evaluated:
- Are the roads wide enough to deliver 60 ft. long x 16 ft. wide modules to the site?
- Are there power lines or other obstructions that could cause problems for craning the modules into place?
- Is there space on the site for the trucks and the crane?
- For bigger projects, is there a site nearby that can be used as a staging yard?
Although Holmes maintains that panelized construction can be a good choice for a very large project if you want to speed up the framing, “there’s still a considerable amount of on-site work that has to be done. And panels don’t leapfrog all those inspections like modular does.”
He says that given the amount of planning and upfront work that’s needed for any type of prefab construction, “panelized doesn’t get you the ‘big wow’ speed advantage that makes modular so worthwhile — where you can go from foundation to house overnight.”
Time Savings
When comparing modular and stick-built, Holmes says that the hard construction costs are, on average, about the same. “The big financial advantage for developers is the time savings. By using modular, we can reduce the length of a project by seven or eight months. Those are months when the developer doesn’t have to carry costs or loan interest. Months where they can collect rent or sell the building sooner and move onto the next one.”
Homeowners also benefit from shorter timelines. “They’re able to move in sooner, which is nice. But since it’s just a one-off project for them, the advantages aren’t as drastic [as they are for a builder or developer],” Holmes says.
Builder’s Role in Quality
When it comes to quality assurance, there’s good and bad modular manufacturing, just like there’s good and bad conventional construction. But Holmes maintains that, on average, “Modular can be higher quality — because of assembly line production methods.”
However, he also acknowledges that quality can vary. “After using modular for eight years, I’ve seen that quality ebbs and flows. Sometimes, factories struggle to find people, so for a while, we might see the drywall not come out as neatly finished as we expect. But then four months later, they hire a new drywall guy, and then the drywall is great again.”
He says that builders can’t just “close their eyes and imagine they don’t have to put any effort into quality control” when using modular. While modules are being manufactured, Blockhouse staffers visit the factory to keep an eye on the details. For example, “It could be something small, such as one light switch being 42 in. from the floor and the one on the opposite side of the room being 43 in. from the floor,” Holmes says. “It’s a minor thing, but it’s better to fix it in the factory, than the inspector [seeing it and us] having to fix it in the field.”
“Builders should treat the modular factory like a sub. They should tell the factory when something isn’t good enough and that they need to fix it,” Holmes says.
A Potential Pitfall
Handoffs are a big deal but can be overlooked by someone new to modular. “Builders need to know what, exactly, the factory’s going to deliver, versus what will be left to do in the field,” Holmes says.
He knows of a project where the builder didn’t realize the home wouldn’t include a roof. “They set the modules, and then the building immediately got rained on. Because of the way it was designed, rain got into the building and ruined all the drywall,” Holmes says. “That particular builder had never done modular before and was expecting the building to be watertight once the modules were set. He wasn’t prepared for it not to be watertight.”
So builders need to find out — and manufacturers need to communicate — exactly how finished the building will be once the modules are set.
In addition, Holmes says it’s also important for builders to make sure the site is 100% ready to receive the modules. “Sill plates should be installed before the crane and set crew arrive on-site. Otherwise, you’re wasting money, paying them to sit around waiting.”
In general, Holmes says, “First-time modular builders tend to think that the building will be more complete than it is once the modules are set.” It’s a problem that’s easily solved with good communication between builders and manufacturers.
Why Some Reject Modular
When it comes to modular, there are two major hesitations for builders. The first is there’s still a stigma in some people’s minds. “They think modular is a manufactured home, a trailer,” Holmes says. “Once the builder gets past that, they can educate their clients and get them past that, too. Get them to understand that it’s actually a more well-built home than with conventional construction.”
The second hurdle is understanding how the process of using modular is different than using conventional construction. “Builders have to do more upfront planning work with the factory to determine what, exactly, they’re going to manufacture and what’s going to be left to do on-site,” he says.
He suggests that builders and developers take the time to get their own modular designs done. “A builder could have three different floorplans and offer those to their clients. Or a developer could buy a piece of land and put 21 homes on it, seven of each floor plan. With repetition, you know what you’re getting every time, and you also get more efficient.”
All images courtesy of Blockhouse.
Zena Ryder writes about construction and robotics for businesses, magazines, and websites. Find her at zenafreelancewriter.com.
