Pre-Fab vs. Panelization vs. Modular: What We Do and When

A lot of prospective clients ask us early on: “are you a prefab company?” I get why they ask, but I think it’s the wrong question.

The prefab conversation is way too focused on factory romance and how little work companies can end up doing on-site. What it should be focused on is delivery risk.

The answer to that initial question for HUTS is: sometimes. We don’t do true manufactured homes completely constructed off-site. But while most of our projects are stick-built, we also don’t shy away from panelized or prefab building envelopes. Typically, we choose that direction when:

• It reduces labor exposure in high-cost areas. Resort and luxury markets are prone to inflated labor costs just because. If we can cut costs but maintain the same quality by doing pre-fab walls, roofing systems, or flooring systems, we will.
• It reduces the risk of injury or delays related to weather. We build in rural areas, and a lot of the time that means unpredictability. If we can complete a job more safely by using panelized walls, we’re in.
• It gets rid of scheduling uncertainty. The same weather that can make job sites unsafe can make them unbuildable for short periods, which can throw a wrench in construction timelines.
• On-site framing is unusually expensive. Whether it’s labor costs or logistics because of constrained building conditions, we’ll forgo on-site framing if it means big savings for our clients.
• We’re working on a multi-unit development and could achieve some economies of scale. Bigger projects sometimes benefit from panelization both from cost and construction timeline perspectives. A little pre-fab can go a long way in saving time and money.

A lot of people see “pre-fab home” and think it’s a corner-cutting, cost-slashing strategy. For HUTS, panelization and the like are strategies we occasionally use if they help us work around design and construction constraints.

We do what’s best to build beautiful homes that last a lifetime and don’t get hung up because of site delays. That’s the part that matters.