http://www.calfinder.com/blog/green-remodeling/green-wednesday-the-downside-of-prefab/ CalFinder Remodeling / Home Improvement Blog Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:05:00 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.calfinder.com/blog/green-remodeling/green-wednesday-the-downside-of-prefab/comment-page-1/#comment-2788 Anna Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:11:15 +0000 http://www.calfinder.com/blog/green-remodeling/green-wednesday-the-downside-of-prefab/#comment-2788 Hi Steve, Thanks for offering our readers another perspective on this issue so they can make an informed decision! As with all issues there are pros and cons, and I'm glad your experience went so well. Hi Steve,
Thanks for offering our readers another perspective on this issue so they can make an informed decision! As with all issues there are pros and cons, and I’m glad your experience went so well.

]]> http://www.calfinder.com/blog/green-remodeling/green-wednesday-the-downside-of-prefab/comment-page-1/#comment-2721 Steve Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:51:32 +0000 http://www.calfinder.com/blog/green-remodeling/green-wednesday-the-downside-of-prefab/#comment-2721 Interesting comments regarding "pre-fab" homes. In my experience, however, I'm not sure the basis of the argument is true. We are working with MD Construction, LLC in Ankeny, IA to build our new home. It is a component home, where the walls come with the windows installed and the sheathing on the exterior. We priced our home against stick-builders in the area, and found the home to be about 7% less than trying to build it locally. In addition, the home arrived on the site on a Monday, and by noon on Thursday of that same week, MD Construction had the felt paper on the roof, the Tyvek was on the outside, and the house was protected from the elements. I know that stick building this home would have taken 3-4 weeks, and how many times would the wood have gotten wet during that period. We were told that local labor costs have dropped due to the slow down in homebuilding, but the factory rates also have stopped rising for the same reason. Gas is below $2.00/gallon here, so the transportation is as cheap as it has always been. The home is built with computer run saws, virtually guaranteeing that each stud is the exact same length, each rafter tail is cut the same, etc. The walls are then built in jigs which hold them plumb and square while nailing. Even the best framing contractor can not match this precision. The home is built to meet all state building codes, and built virtually the same as if it was built on site, so any repairs, etc. would be no issue. I would advise anyone considering building a new home to investigate pre-fab, panelized, modular, etc. such as MD Construction builds before making your decision to stick build. It will be worth the effort. Interesting comments regarding “pre-fab” homes. In my experience, however, I’m not sure the basis of the argument is true. We are working with MD Construction, LLC in Ankeny, IA to build our new home. It is a component home, where the walls come with the windows installed and the sheathing on the exterior. We priced our home against stick-builders in the area, and found the home to be about 7% less than trying to build it locally.
In addition, the home arrived on the site on a Monday, and by noon on Thursday of that same week, MD Construction had the felt paper on the roof, the Tyvek was on the outside, and the house was protected from the elements. I know that stick building this home would have taken 3-4 weeks, and how many times would the wood have gotten wet during that period.
We were told that local labor costs have dropped due to the slow down in homebuilding, but the factory rates also have stopped rising for the same reason. Gas is below $2.00/gallon here, so the transportation is as cheap as it has always been. The home is built with computer run saws, virtually guaranteeing that each stud is the exact same length, each rafter tail is cut the same, etc. The walls are then built in jigs which hold them plumb and square while nailing. Even the best framing contractor can not match this precision. The home is built to meet all state building codes, and built virtually the same as if it was built on site, so any repairs, etc. would be no issue.
I would advise anyone considering building a new home to investigate pre-fab, panelized, modular, etc. such as MD Construction builds before making your decision to stick build. It will be worth the effort.

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