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im am thinking about haveing all my wall pre-built at a factory and then assembled on the site. the walls would be very traditional, 2x4x8′ with OSB sheathing.
was the overall cost to build cheaper using pre-built walls?? or was it the same? or more??
thanks
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I'm going to say, it all depends. In general, any time someone else is doing the work, other than you, the cost is going to go up. But if you're the GC, and by panelizing you shorten your construction loan time and the number of on-site labor you need, it might be cheaper.
For me, it makes sense; I'm a one-man show here in rural Michigan. I've got to pay untrained, unskilled labor $15 an hour just to get them to show up, and I don't play with the big boys and big framing crews. So for me to do a spec or a big remodel; I can panelize the walls in a huge barn out back with one guy in a shorter time frame, and then truck them to the site. Less time on site, less time framing in inclement weather means, even if it appears to be more expensive up front, I can get this one job done and go onto the next in a shorter time frame. As a matter of fact, I'm going to use SIPs on my next spec because I think I can provide a better finished product, in a shorter timeframe, with less labor and bank interest...But then again, there are really quite a lot of variables that are in play here.
You should be able to figure this out pretty easily; what is the cost of panelizing and erecting the walls versus stick frame on site? What is the timeframe and who is footing the bill for that time? Are there other jobs in the hopper? And by that, I mean if you finish this job up earlier by panelizing, will you realize that as a gain so that you can then get to the next job quicker? Who's paying the bank or investment interest? In short, the interest that is either being paid or being lost (from other investments or by not being on another job), is coming from somewhere--is it you?
I think that in some situations, panelization makes a great deal of sense. I've run the numbers on panelization and SIPs versus on-site for the past 12 months, and done some experiments on my own jobs; for me, it makes sense, but I certainly wouldn't say that this is the case for everyone. The Journal of Light Construction recently had a long article on panelizing for a large commercial outfit building hotels and such in Colorado; see if you can dig that up. Email me if you have more questions, and I'll wait for the fallout here.
*thanks jason,maybee we live closer than one would think, i live in port huron.i may be the GC myself or higher a GC. if i GC it myself i would definatly have it panelized. i would higher framers to set them and the trusses.i imagine they can set up a hole house very fast, using panizalition and trusses.jon
*Oh my god! You live in PH? My brother is an architect in Port Huron who does a lot of work for Ferguson Steel; can't imagine a stranger place; PH just seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Anyhow, email me if you have questins; I often visit my brother and will be more than happy to help out if I can.
*well if he works as a architect then he is either, Bill Vogan, Tom Vaykao, Stevens Architects or Rodney Nofts.i also have a degree in architecture from lawrence tech. it wouldent be to crazy if i told u that the beams in our current house came from Furgson steel. its a small world.thanks agianjon
*This question come up alot, Jon - You might try searching the archives on "panelization" or "wall panels". There's probably more reading there than you can shake the proverbial stick at.
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im am thinking about haveing all my wall pre-built at a factory and then assembled on the site. the walls would be very traditional, 2x4x8' with OSB sheathing.
was the overall cost to build cheaper using pre-built walls?? or was it the same? or more??
thanks