If you're in the market for a home addition or ADU, you may be wondering whether to choose on-site construction or prefabricated construction. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of prefabricated construction.
Introduction
When it comes to construction, there are two main methods: on-site construction and prefabricated construction. On-site construction involves building a structure on the construction site, while prefabricated construction involves building a structure off-site and then transporting it to the construction site.
The Benefits of Prefabricated Construction
1. Faster Construction Time
One of the biggest advantages of prefabricated construction is that it is typically much faster than on-site construction. There are a few key reasons that the prefabricated building process moves faster:
Parallel paths of construction - At the same time the foundation is being installed at the job site the building is being constructed inside of the production facility. In a site build project you need to complete the foundation work before beginning framing. This is a huge deal and can save months on a construction project on its own.
No weather delays inside of production facility - working indoors means that the prefabricated portion of the project will not be set back by weather delays. A construction schedule is a carefully crafted symphony of interrelated trades that when disrupted by weather can cause the entire schedule to slip weeks at a time. Working indoors allows a company to firm up a schedule with dependable dates for labor and contractors to complete their work on time.
The efficiencies of working inside of a fully equipped facility - a well equipped facility has all of the tools and materials that are needed. Production facilities also typically have a more complete set of tools so that a worker always has the right tool for the right job. It may sound like a simple thing but talk to any contractor about the headache and time lost in hauling around tools and materials and they will instantly understand the benefits here.
Standardization - Typically prefabricated homes are setup with a higher level of standardization in materials and processes which allows them to be more efficient and finish projects faster.
So how fast is prefabricated construction? It depends on the builder but projects can be completed as fast as 2-4 months compared to stick built projects taking an average of 4-10 months.
With prefabricated construction, Linked Living Homes can install a Granny Pod within a few days
2.Quality
Because prefabricated construction is done in a controlled environment, there are definite benefits in the quality of the work and materials.
In terms of materials the obvious benefit is that all the materials used in the facility stay dry. Staying dry prevents material damage, helps them stay true to form, and is less conducive to mold growth.
In terms of workmanship, when a worker is in a well lit, temperature controlled, dry facility, they are bound to do a higher quality job. The reality is that when workers are not freezing, not working in the rain, and do not need to worry about rushing to finish up for the night they do a higher quality job.
One other benefit to the quality of the buildings is that it is easier to implement standards of quality and for the project manager to ensure work is being done to quality standards. Project managers have desks in the same buildings as the builds so they check in on the builds more frequently and are are more involved with contractors to explain the work and inspect what's being done.
3. Cost-Effective
Prefabricated construction can be more cost-effective than on-site construction. Most of the savings are due to the efficiencies involved with building inside of a production facility. Prefabricated buildings are a a blend of standard construction and manufacturing which can save on the bottom line. Here are some of the elements that contribute to savings involved with prefabricated homes:
Less travel time
Less waste of material
More efficient building in production facility
Standardized design and processes
4. Environmentally-Friendly
Prefabricated construction is often more environmentally-friendly than on-site construction. There is less waste involved with prefabricated builds because designs are optimized to reduce waste and materials that would otherwise be thrown in a dumpster are kept in the facility and can be put to use for future projects. Additionally there is less travel resulting in fewer emissions generated from vehicles.
5. Safety
Safety is the most important thing on every job site. The good news is that when you're building indoors it's a lot easier to keep people safe. Here are some of the reasons why:
Flat/clean surface for travel and ladders
Use of lifts and platforms instead of ladders
More supervision by managers and other employees
More easily enforced safety standards
Well lit working area
Climate controlled working area
6. Ability to do further away projects
People living rural areas can sometimes have issues finding a reputable contractor to handle their project. Contractors that build with traditional stick build methods will often be reluctant to take of projects further away from home due to the increased travel and related expenses. Because prefabricated builds complete the majority of the work inside of their production facility they are much more willing to do further away projects and are able to serve people in rural area.
7. Cleaner & Less Time on Site
Because the majority of the work is done inside a production facility the construction site is kept much cleaner. For additions to homes this is especially valuable because there is already a family living at the property. It can be a huge headache to have contractors coming through the house, tracking mud, and leaving garbage all over a families property. In a prefabricated build most of the work is done at the production facility and there is very little time on site which keeps the families property much cleaner.
Linked Living Home's Prefabricated Granny Pods
Linked Living Homes offers both prefabricated and stick built options to create the perfect home addition for families.
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