Construction Informer

You would think that with the vagaries of weather, transportation issues, and the storage and handling costs associated with building materials that all homes today would be built modular. There really isn’t much to recommend building a home on site. Unless, you think site-built is superior. And that is probably one reason why so many builders still build them that way. Lately though, there is little evidence that is true. As a matter of fact it may just be a delusion that people just can’t seem to let go of.

But another reason probably has something to do with the ambiance that many builders seek. I’m not talking about the ambiance they build into their homes, I’m talking about the ambiance of being on the move while you work, and not being stuck in a factory.

Sure, with modular construction there is still site work and the erection of the pieces, but let’s face it that’s going to amount to a little less than a month’s worth of building fun. And, the building process is going to be less fun since the pieces are going to fit together the way they should. There just won’t be the excitement that comes with dropping back ten yards and punting when all hell breaks loose.

Then, there are the people who actually pound the nails who may not be interested in the modular concept. How many carpenters do you know who would want to punch a clock at a factory everyday and then be tied to dropping lumber into jigs and power nailing until their trigger fingers hurt?

That’s not building. Building is when the wind blows through the exposed rafters, ruffling your hair and cooling the sweat on your brow, as your worm drive clips a 2x that is cradled on the top of your foot.

It just may be that modular hasn’t caught on like it should have because the people who build things are not factory people. They could have joined the factory crowd, in countless factories across the land, but instead, they held out for fresh air and the chance to build things in a less-structured environment.

Someday, probably soon, owners are going to emerge from the cloud of delusion surrounding site-built and they will start demanding modular. Perhaps by that time there will be a new breed of builders who are ready to embrace building in a factory. 

When Asante Health System needed a new administrative office at their Grants Pass, OR community hospital, they chose a modular building.

This was our first experience with modular office space and we solicited proposals from many potential vendors,” said Dennis Hayes, construction project manager for Asante Health System. Hayes said that their project objective was to compare both costs and timeline and then balance that against the overriding objective of creating a well-integrated campus addition.

The kinds of things Hayes and his company found to be most appealing included being able to have a high degree of control over the project, ending up with a quality building, and having minimal site disruption.
Many others are seeing modular construction as a viable option for their commercial buildings. According to the Modular Building Institute, modular manufacturers said they had an 11 percent increase in revenue in the second quarter of 2007, produced 9 percent more floors than last year, and were forecasting 7 percent growth in the next year.

There are many good reasons for going modular, like those above, but one that may not stand out revolves around construction waste. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a not-for-profit company that works to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills points out that plasterboard makes up 36 percent of construction waste, timber makes up 25 percent and packaging accounts for 5 percent. They say that up to a 90 percent reduction in construction waste can be achieved by “increasing the use of offsite manufacture and modern methods of construction.”

Some of the offsite initiatives they say work includes producing three-dimensional units in controlled factory conditions, prefabricated kitchens and baths, timber frame systems, light steel frame systems, structural insulated panels, pre-cast concrete systems and tunnel form construction. In the UKcontractors will most likely have to complete Site Waste Management Plans beginning in 2008. The plans will demonstrate the contractor’s commitment to minimizing waste right at the beginning of the project.

It does seem like whenever the drywallers show up you have to add dumpsters. I’ve always been amazed at how much waste is built into that process. What are some of you doing to reduce waste?