Reduce Construction Time Using Panelization
Whether building a custom home, a production home development or a multifamily project, construction cycle time is a critical driver. Any solution that lessens the time to "dry in" the building(s) also reduces construction interest costs, damage due to inclement weather and potential market changes, thereby increasing return on capital and reducing overall project risks. Through panelized construction, builders can reduce the on-site construction framing cycle time by 50 to 70 percent, thus receiving all these benefits in a dramatic way.
Through advanced planning, off-site construction and use of the largest and most complete wall and floor panels, construction cycle time can be significantly reduced. The time required to take buildings to the "dry in" stage can be reduced for a custom- home builder from 8 +/- weeks to days; for production builders, from several weeks to just a few days; and for multifamily builders, from months to only weeks.
Builders will experience quicker capital turns; thus, they will be able to increase production-building activity from 25 to 50 percent while utilizing the same base capital. Larger private companies with extensive developments will find their return on equity almost doubles while public companies will dramatically increase revenues, resulting in higher earnings per share.
Panels are designed, produced and marshaled for delivery before the foundation is poured. This eliminates the lumber pack delivery coordination (which often gets in the way of other trade contractors), on- site framing time and the majority of the on-site manual labor required to "dry in" a structure.
Advance planning, by utilizing CAD design, will produce more efficient plans, reduce design conflicts, as well as potential production problems by discovering errors earlier in the building design process. This also allows for the resolution of potential scheduling delays well before any site work is done. Problems are solved before other trade contractors arrive on site so "on the fly" troubleshooting and subsequent delays are eliminated.
On infill or other constrained sites, a half- day's production can be delivered without the need for the constant material handling and reshuffling that such sites currently require. Each panel is individually labeled and delivered in pre-determined building order, so it can be lifted from the truck directly to its installation position. This leads to maxi- mum efficiency on the building site, greater speed at reduced cost and less adverse effect on the neighborhood.
Using the most complete and the largest panels possible also dramatically lowers cycle time. The optimal wall panel is up to 27 feet in length, includes kiln-dried framed lumber, sheathing (at least on one side) and has the windows installed. This approach means that a wall of 27 feet can be completed with one panel, and the site labor required to assemble the structure is dramatically reduced. A small Gradall crane can easily lift and set the panels.
Examples of custom-home assembly time savings using a panel system of this type include a two-story, 6,000-square- foot home with raised floors in 14 days; a single-story, 3,800-square-foot, on a slab in five days; and a two-story, 3,000- square-foot duplex on an infill site in five days.
Panelized construction delivers superior quality, at a lower cost, in less time!
July 2006 Builder Architect Edition Issue
| Permalink
